The Challenger Page #2

But the other manager needed

a win for one of his fighters.

So, I matched him up

with another one of my guys.

Malik Jones.

He threw that fight.

I remember.

In three months,

I lost two fighters

and my reputation.

I'm sorry.

It's like playing

the lottery, kid. Dumb.

So, that's why

they call you "sneaks"?

Yeah.

When you

come in here tomorrow,

I want you to get

some new ones.

Tomorrow?

Those things

will ruin your back.

So, uh... that means

you're gonna train me.

I think it's time Hector

did some damn work

at that laundromat.

Thank you.

Okay.

So, um... I never got your

full name, or is it just "j"?

No, it's... it's Jaden.

Jaden Miller.

Jaden Miller?

Well, Jaden.

Same time tomorrow?

Yes, sir. I'll be here.

All right.

Jaden Miller.

Jaden Miller,

have you lost your mind?

I need to get us

back home, ma.

No. Not like that, j. No.

Uh, excuse me,

this ain't your place.

So, look. You go to this...

Uh, trainer...

I can't even watch

my own damn TV.

Regina, please. Hush, Regina.

Go and tell this man

that you're not

doing this anymore,

you're not trying this.

-But, ma, I...

-Promise me, honey.

Look, I am proud that

you're doing good on your job.

See, that's how you help.

Another week,

I'll have enough money,

and we can get...

Get the hell out of here.

-Regina, please.

-What?

It's only gonna be a few days.

And whose couch

were you sleeping on

before you moved into

this place?

-Couch?

-That's right.

That thing was

plywood with a cushion.

-Oh, so now you're...

-That thing ain't no couch...

That marks the champ's

sixth straight title defense,

and still

renders him undefeated.

It begs the question,

is there

a challenger out there

that can beat him?

Damien Wright sure thought so,

but as we saw last night,

Wright was proven wrong.

When are you gonna find me

a real challenger, vin?

Keep embarrassing them

like that

and no one will fight you.

I can't change

the way I fight,

you know that.

Maybe you can find

someone who can.

One, two!

One, two! One, two!

One, two! Come on!

Why you holding back?

-One, two!

-I'm not!

One, two! One, two!

You're hitting like a girl.

One, two! One, two!

One, two! Stop holding back.

-One, two!

-I'm not!

So you do have a pulse.

I'm doing my best, all right?

No.

-What do you want from me?

-Your best.

You want to tell me

what's going on?

What are you afraid of, huh?

What are you afraid of?

What the hell am I doing

wasting my time with you?

You think

i came back to boxing

to get embarrassed again?

Look, my mom doesn't know

I'm here, all right?

-She doesn't want me fighting.

-Oh.

Mama's boy.

How long you gonna

keep that up?

You want to keep living

from job-to-job, fine.

But I've seen too many boxers

waste their talent,

waste their lives,

because they were afraid.

Afraid of losing. But mostly,

afraid of winning.

You can be great

and you're already quitting.

If you don't

stand up and fight

for who you are now,

right now,

you never will.

I better not see you

in here tomorrow.

I'm here, all right?

I'm ready.

I'm ready!

Really?

Show me.

One, two! One, two!

One, two! One, two!

One, two! Come on!

One, two! Harder!

One, two! One, two!

Harder! Harder, come on!

Keep moving.

You can't stop.

Ain't no days off.

I told you that.

You wanna be the champ,

that's what you got to do.

Harder! Harder, come on!

Let's go!

One, two! One, two!

One, two! One, two! One, two!

One, two! Come on!

One, two! Harder!

Where do you wanna be?

Where do you wanna be?

Come on.

That's how you got to work.

Got to keep working.

That's what I'm talking about.

That's how you do it.

That's what you need.

Don't be out-worked.

Maybe outclassed,

maybe out-techniqued,

but don't be out-worked.

You got to train like that.

You can't get tired.

It's endurance,

technique, strategy.

Ain't no days off.

Keep working.

One, two! One, two!

One, two! One, two!

Hips! Hips! Harder!

Harder! Keep moving!

One, two! Come on!

50 more seconds.

Last round! Last round!

Last round! Last round!

One, two! Hips!

Hips! Let's go.

Come on! How do you

want to be remembered?

Champ or chump?

How do you

want to be remembered?

Huh?

What do you want out of life?

Switch it,

go around, go around!

Let's go, come on,

give me 10 more seconds.

Come on, five more!

Five more

for the championship.

Three! The champ is here!

Two, one. Time!

Show me something now.

Yeah, there you go.

Can't play hockey

till you know

how to skate, baby.

Whatever direction

you're going in,

that foot leads.

You need hips to throw a punch

and balance

to throw your hips.

-Damn!

-Hold on, let's try something.

Hear that?

Yeah. Okay?

Try no hands.

React to your opponent.

Dance.

Yeah. Yeah.

No hands.

There you go. Sway.

Back and forth.

He can't touch you.

Down, down, back and forth.

There you go.

What's the difference

between a fight and boxing?

Endurance!

Strategy.

Technique.

Yeah.

Come on, come on,

that's right.

Move. Move your hands,

move your hands.

There you go.

That's it, that's it.

Yeah.

Good work, fellas, good work.

Sway the hips though,

there you go.

Okay, that's good.

That's it for now.

Great fighters.

Yeah.

You wanted to see me?

I think you're ready

for your first fight.

What do you think?

Yeah, sure.

It's the only one in a frame.

It's the only one

worth framing.

That's Derrick Taylor.

Man trained me

since I was a kid.

Knew more about the sport

than anyone.

Never made it

as a boxer, but...

He was a great man.

A great father.

He used to say that great

boxing was more of a dance

than a fight.

-A dance?

-Yeah.

One leads.

The other one follows.

And then it switches.

You get two great

equally matched boxers

in the ring,

and it's choreography.

It's beautiful.

You ever see

something like that?

Hmm. Once...

Ali, Frazier.

They called it

"the fight of the century."

Pop got us tickets

for my seventh birthday.

I never knew what he meant

until I saw that fight.

Lasted a full 15.

Ali was quick and agile.

And Frazier was a powerhouse.

--It was 15 rounds of...

Dance.

That was real boxing.

Boxing ain't

what it used to be.

You can't have great fights

without great fighters,

and it takes more than

knowledge to be great.

It takes something special.

Pop and I never had it.

I think you just might.

Get some rest.

I'm on a stairway

to heaven right here.

Stairway to heaven, baby.

That's what we want.

All these steps

lead to something.

All these steps lead

to a better life.

Pretty soon,

it's gonna be the big venues,

ain't gonna be

this place no more.

All right.

Get to your feet

as soon as you can.

Control yourself,

control the fight.

And throw those hips, rotate.

Okay, you can do this.

You're ready? There you go.

Let's go do it.

And here's

tonight's challenger,

Jaden Miller.

You're ready. Stay ready.

Come on, get up in there.

Get in there.

Get loose.

Newcomer Jaden Miller

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes