The Harder They Fall Page #8

Shake hands. Come out fighting,

Good luck.

Come on, Toro!

Hold it, Toro! Hang on, Toro!

Clinch him!

Stay away. Clinch when he moves

inside. Stay away. Don't fight.

Clinch him. Hang on, Toro.

When you go down, stay down!

What will people think of me?

Leave me alone, George.

One, two, three...

...four, five, six...

...seven, eight, nine.

The time:
39 seconds

in the third round.

Winner by a knockout...

...still heavyweight champion

of the world, Buddy Brannen.

- Can I go in?

- Enough reporters in there already.

- I just want to see how he is.

- Can't do it.

Let me see your pass.

All right.

- How do you feel, Toro?

- What punch hurt the most?

Leave him alone, boys. Let the doc

work on him. Give him a break.

I tried...

How badly is he hurt?

His jaw is broken. We'll have

to move him to the hospital.

The ambulance is coming

down here to the lower level.

I go home now.

Get my money.

I'll get your money, and you

can go home. Don't talk anymore.

All right, let's clear

the way for him.

Why did he take that beating? Why

didn't he fight like you told him to?

Some guys can sell out and

other guys just can't.

Good night.

Good night, George.

Come in. We were talking about you.

You know Jim Weyerhause?

- We've met.

- Last summer in Las Vegas.

I just sold Toro's contract

to Weyerhause.

I came from the hospital.

He'll never fight again.

The doc says his jaw

will mend in three months.

We need time to work up a campaign.

What campaign?

We can cover the towns

you went through.

Fans will pay to see

the local boy beat up the big guy.

He's washed up.

He's still got a name.

You gave it to him.

We can make nothing but money.

I got him booked

for the Bull Ring in Tijuana.

What makes you think

he wants to fight?

These bums are all alike. They all

think they've got one more fight left.

He better have plenty left

for the price I'm paying.

- He's still a bargain at 75 grand.

- And that includes the bus.

- What's going on?

- What's the matter? You're in.

I'm making you the same deal Nick did.

Only Jim you'll have to watch.

Me, you could trust.

Here's your share.

Twenty-six thousand dollars.

Want to count it?

What's Toro got coming?

I don't know. Ask Leo.

Leo's the bookkeeper.

I promised him I'd pick up his money.

What's the rush?

He's in no shape to spend it.

- I promised I'd bring it.

- I'd have to look it up.

Look it up. I'll wait.

All right, if you want it that way.

Why don't you have some food?

Why'd you sell his contract

without asking him?

Toro is part of my stable.

A guy don't ask a horse...

- He's a human being.

- Fighters ain't human.

- How would you know?

- Here it is.

I can't make head or tail of this.

What's Toro's share?

- It's there in black and white.

- Show it to me.

Toro and Agrandi each owned 50

percent. They partnered with Max.

He met them at the boat. They signed

a paper giving him 50 percent.

- That's highway robbery.

- It'll hold up in any court.

That leaves Toro

with 25 percent of himself.

When Toro signed with Nick

he had to split himself again.

How many times

can a man split himself?

Everything's signed,

sealed and notarised.

- How big was the gate tonight?

- 1,284,000, before taxes.

- What's Toro's share?

- First we deduct expenses.

- What were the expenses?

- Here.

126,800 for training camp

and personnel.

- You never spent that much.

- I can prove it. Want to make a bet?

- Don't bet with Leo. He's never wrong.

- What else?

142,700 salaries and living

expenses in New York City.

Nick is the New York office.

Who made the matches

with Dundee and Brannen?

- Just tell me what Toro's got coming.

- Let me finish.

There's $67,384 for publicity

and entertainment. You spent that.

- Tell me how much Toro's getting.

- I want you to hear.

There's equipment, sparring partners,

transportation...

How much does he get?

- Taxes, petty cash and miscellaneous.

- How much does he get?

Exactly $49.07.

Forty-nine dollars. The gate was

over a million. Is this a gag?

We don't keep funny books.

Send in your own CPA. If you find

one wrong entry, I'll quit.

Your lawyers have legal contracts

to back up Leo's figures.

I don't like that talk.

You let him get beat, then leave him

with a hole in his pocket.

You got your share.

He took the worst beating

I ever saw in my whole life.

And you want me to tell him he gets

a lousy $49.07?

- How much would you take?

- You better take it slow, Eddie.

He didn't have five guys

in the ring with him.

Hey!

Where you taking him?

I go home now.

Yes, Toro, you go home.

Let me hold my money.

About the money, I went over

the books with Nick and Leo...

I know they are thieves.

But you are a smart man.

They cannot fool you.

How much money did you get for me?

How much money, Eddie?

Well, I...

I do not need so much.

Just enough to buy my mother

the new house.

My father, I will take to Buenos Aires

and buy him the shoes.

All kind of shoes.

Let me hold my money, Eddie.

All right, there it is.

How much?

Twenty-six thousand dollars.

In my country, that is a lot of money.

That's a lot of money in any country.

Pan American World Airways flight 203

for Buenos Aires now boarding.

All aboard flight 203, please.

What are you gonna do now?

I've got a few ideas, but you'd better

hold on to your job for a while.

All right, I don't mind.

Wait a minute.

I'd better get this.

Nothing.

What did you do with Toro?

- I put him on a plane.

- Where is he?

I put him on a plane and sent him home.

Wanna hear it again?

You get him back, or you're gonna

have to pay me $75,000.

- Get out of here, Nick.

- Lay off.

I sold Toro to Weyerhause.

You shipped him out of the country.

You stole my merchandise.

I gotta pay Weyerhause back.

You're gonna give me back the

$26,000 I gave you.

- I gave it to Toro.

- I can't believe that.

I don't care what you believe.

I gave it to Toro.

Throw away your money. I'll stay on

your back till I get $75,000.

You don't have to,

because I'm gonna pay you back.

I'm gonna write a series of articles

and you'll be the leading character.

Everybody will be talking about you.

I might even make you

"Man of the Year."

Go ahead and write. It's been tried

before. Who reads and who cares?

- I care.

- Who's gonna listen?

- People still know how to read.

- People?

The people sit and get fat and fall

asleep in front of their TV.

- Maybe this will wake them up.

- That's big talk coming from a nobody.

A nobody doesn't have much to lose.

I know what you've done, how you

did it and how you expect to do it.

The fight game is big business. Open

your mouth and we'll shut you up.

Gonna have your men work me over?

I can write from a hospital bed.

Now, you listen to me,

and you pay attention.

You get the writing idea

out of your head.

You can't scare me or buy me,

and you haven't got any other way.

Nick, you're in trouble.

- What am I fighting you for?

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes