Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man Page #8

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And my point is

that he doesn't really have to sit here

and take this beating.

He can do something about it.

Which is what?

Have his corner throw in the towel?

- Or fight back.

- Get back.

You can see his power.

Every time he hits Ward,

he backs him up.

How about taking points away from him?

Larry, unless

the referee does, you can't.

The referee should just go

ahead and stop this fight.

He knows that Micky doesn't want

to be here. I wouldn't even make...

He's fightin' scared, Dick.

Runnin' away, not hittin' back.

Oh, Jesus. He's gonna get hurt.

Doing that same old sh*t.

They never seen such

an embarrassing performance.

He's doing what I told him, Ma.

He's doing what I told him.

Don't worry about it.

He's doing what I told him.

Micky Ward, showing nothing

but respect.

What are you runnin' around for?

Stop running around!

Shut the f*** up, Sal!

Shut the f*** up!

I don't know what you're doing, Micky.

Want to f***in' tell me?

'Cause I don't know what you're doing.

We have lost all five rounds,

is that what you want?

Dreadful.

This is dreadful, dreadful stuff.

You gotta show me something soon,

Mick, or I'm gonna stop the fight.

Now they're gonna stop the fight, Micky.

He's gotta go inside, Ma.

He's gotta take it to the body.

He's gotta.

Come on, get your punches up...

- Don't stop the fight.

- They're gonna stop this fight.

Then you gotta do something, baby.

That's not what we talked about, Micky.

We had a plan and you're

not doing it. Now, let's go.

All right, Micky.

You've lost the first five rounds.

What's the next strategy gonna be?

Double right hand by Sanchez,

then a triple left hook.

A couple of the left hooks landed

flush on the cheek of Micky Ward.

Ward tying Sanchez up.

Very curious performance

by Micky Ward.

Come on, Micky, come on!

Ward seems...

trying to land one big shot

to change Sanchez's mind...

And he's beginning to open up.

Taking advantage of more and more

opportunities to get close to Ward

and throw against a fighter...

Time!

...who's not defending himself

by punching.

Sanchez is gonna try

to end this fight.

- What are you doing? Come on!

- That's it.

Good boy!

He's down on an uppercut!

- Nicely thrown left uppercut inside.

...three, four, five...

And right after Ward threw

a pretty good right hand.

Mick, you all right?

Come to me. Come to me.

This is a fight

that should be stopped.

Come on, head, body, head.

This is not professional.

That's exactly what I'm saying.

- Punch him! You gotta punch!

- Someone should pay me to watch this.

Come on, man! Head, body, head!

That was a good body shot by Ward.

That was good.

Maybe it'll turn him around.

Maybe. I'm talking about if I...

Sanchez drops

like he's shot! Oh, my God!

The most unlikely

knockout you have ever seen.

That was a kidney shot,

the kind of kidney shot...

...nine, ten!

I still don't believe

what I just saw.

Oh, Micky won!

Now, did Micky Ward

just make idiots of us all

with a spectacular piece of strategy?

Take another look. Amazing.

A brilliant win in the career

of Micky Ward out of Lowell, Mass.

Unbelievable defeat

at the hands of Micky Ward,

who had all but given away the first

half-dozen rounds of the battle.

I think what Micky did was he recognized

that he'd hurt the guy

with the body shot.

Micky's a better fighter than that to

not be runnin' from that guy like that.

Theater of the unexpected.

Hey, you never know

what can happen, right?

Never give up in this game, right?

Never give up.

You can't make it up, folks.

You hear what he said?

He said, "You can't give up

in this game."

Well, maybe Micky Ward

heard me say you should stop this fight

and he went out and stopped it.

- Right there. Right there.

- Yeah! I can't believe it.

I'm lookin' over, and I'm thinkin'

to myself like they were thinkin':

This thing is over.

But I tell you what, if you

looked at the commentators,

they started to take their headsets off

before he was even counted out.

Theyjust wanted to get out of there.

Mick, Mick.

I just spoke to Mike Toma.

- He told me something very interesting.

- Holy sh*t, what?

He just told me,

had Sanchez won tonight,

he would've gotten the title shot.

- Holy Christ, that's beautiful.

- Why? Why is that beautiful?

- A title shot. Mick gets the shot.

- Micky gets the shot!

- Are you kidding me?

- Are you sure about that?

I just spoke to the guy. Mike!

Come here, Mike. Look, tell these guys.

- Hey, Mike Toma. Thank you.

- Congratulations.

You're not a stepping stone anymore.

I always knew you had the talent.

That was a hell of a strategy, wearing

him down and taking it to the body.

Thirty years in the business,

I'd never seen a knockout like that.

Larry Merchant was writing

your obituary,

and Sanchez drops

like he's shot with a gun.

Where'd you get that?

That's the first thing

my brother taught me.

Tap 'em to the head,

ding 'em to the body.

- That's a hell of a body shot.

- Thank you.

- You ready for a title shot?

- I ain't gettin' no younger.

Thanks, Mr. Toma. Thank you.

He's ready. You're ready, aren't ya?

Shea Neary in London

for the title.

Are you kidding,

we got some celebrating to do.

- Yeah, I think so.

- Thank you so much.

- Gonna have a great champ in my boy.

- Thank you, Mr. Toma.

It's what your brother

would've always wanted.

He's not even gonna be there.

- Hey!

- Daddy!

- Come here, buddy.

- Daddy, Daddy!

Good to see you!

That's a good hug!

That's a good hug! Yeah!

- Sweetheart.

- Hey, Ma.

Oh, you look so good. Oh, my God.

- You have clean teeth.

- I do! Look at my teeth!

I got new teeth. Everything.

How you think I look?

- Good.

- Yeah?

Cake and more cake.

- Ice cream?

- Ice cream and cake.

Ice cream and cake and cake. Right?

Ice cream, cake and cake.

Ice cream, cake and cake...

Quacka!

Ma.

- They gave you some new teeth, huh?

- Yeah.

Hey, Georgie. What, they let

you outta the house now?

- Yeah.

- Lettin' him outta the house, Ma?

Hey, look, I want you

to meet Sal Lonano.

How you doing, Dicky?

Let's spar.

Hey, Charlene.

Welcome back!

It's supposed to be a surprise.

You're late.

- Hey.

- Hey.

Mick, I can't even tell you, being in

this smelly-ass locker room. You know?

Being back with you,

this is what got me through.

- You look good. Your eyes are clear.

- Yeah. You know...

...Alice says prison might've

been the best thing for me.

Got me clean. Got me clear. Up here.

It's a beautiful thing, Dick.

- I gotta talk to you about something.

- Yeah.

Look at this locker.

The old locker.

I love it. F***in' love it.

I made a promise to them

I wouldn't work with you again.

I had to. After everything

that happened, I'm sorry.

You stickin' to that?

I'm glad you're back. You look good.

I don't know what else to say.

- Mick, you f***in' kidding me?

- No, I'm not.

- Oh, hey, Mick.

- Come on, come on!

You gotta... Ma. You gotta

do this at home. Please?

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