Original subtitles

All right, all right, now.

He has all the natural moves of sugar ray Robinson.

He looks like sugar ray Leonard.

He's smaller and in better shape

he's smaller and in better shape

than Muhammad Ali and he's won the other weight divisions

and if he wins this one,

I know he will, he'll be the only fighter I know

to win two major golden glove division

titles within one week.

The guy ought to be professional.

That kid is lightning,

I aint never seen an amateur with moves like that.

And power.

And power.

The guy knocked him out.

He killed him, he killed him.

Yeah, okay, okay.

Come and see me in my office tomorrow morning.

Okay, okay, thank you.

You won't regret this, I promise you.

Okay, don't boo, don't boo, okay.

Cause you won't boo when you find out

why I stopped the music.

I can't believe she's actually here,

but she's actually here.

Star of TV, radio, my heart.

And the top most beautiful woman

in sports in the whole country.

Please welcome,

I get chills when I mention her name.

Miss Julie winters.

Thank you, thank you very much.

It is really an honor for me to be here tonight

for the annual presentation

of Chicago's golden gloves awards.

And I guess we better start by getting down to business.

The first award goes to

Mr. Andy price!

All right!

Noel Rodgers.

I have got on these tight-ass pants

and they're about to explode.

No, not in here, someone might come.

The only one about to come is me.

It doesn't matter where.

And now for the final award of the evening

the young man who won everything

and they say that he's a naturally gifted athlete.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Leon Johnson.

Is he here?

I better go find him.

This room's occupied.

Be out in five minutes.

Leon, it's your friend, Charles.

Shit.

I've got somebody for you to meet.

Charles, I don't want to meet anybody right now.

But I think you do.

Julie winters is out there to personally present your award.

She's been waiting, and now she's getting ready to leave.

Julie winters?

You're bullshitting.

Wait here, baby.

I'll be back in five minutes.

Here he is, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Leon Johnson.

Mr. Johnson, you won state championships

in two different divisions.

How did you manage to do that?

I diet a lot one day and then hump up,

I mean, pump up a lot the next.

Quite an achievement, but what I meant was

what made you go after two different divisions?

Well, to tell you the truth, there was nothing else to do.

But you do plan on going professional, don't you?

No, I'm a lover, not a fighter.

Could have fooled me.

Anyway, Mr. Johnson

it's my pleasure to present to you these two trophies.

Leon Johnson.

I don't have a speech or anything

but I think I at least deserve a picture

of me kissing miss Julie winters.

You know, that certainly wasn't much of a kiss you gave me.

Well, if one goes about kissing everybody on the mouth

one can end up with all types of germs

especially when you never know where

the other person's mouth has been.

Well, shall we dance?

No, thank you.

I don't slow dance.

I mean, all my friends and everybody's watching.

Let me show off at least once.

Just one dance.

Okay, but just one dance.

I'll go get them to play something really good.

You can dance, can't you?

Sorry.

Thank you.

No, that's okay.

Please, you don't have to get out.

Now, I wouldn't think of not

walking you straight to your door.

Charles, would you just go back?

Coem on.

Just go back or you'll blow everything.

Trust me, trust me.

Nice house.

Thank you.

Say, could I get an autographed picture?

Sure.

It's not for me, it's for my little sister, Kelly.

She's really an admirer of yours.

What would I need an autograph for?

I mean, I got the real thing.

Thank you.

I want to wish you good luck

in everything that you're trying to do.

Now, miss Julie winters, you are much too pretty for me

to just shake your hand.

Plus, my friend's there watching.

Couldn't I have a little goodnight kiss on the lips?

Mr. Johnson, I am afraid you are gonna have to

score points with your friend somewhere else.

Could I at least have a kiss on the cheek?

Everybody does that.

That's social.

Just one kiss on the cheek, please.

Okay, just one kiss on the cheek.

Slipped.

Now, that's what I call a goodnight kiss.

You didn't put a lot into it, but you've got potential.

I'm in love.

Hey, Leon, hey Leon!

Hey, what's happening, man?

Somebody called the gym,

and your mother's looking for you.

She's back at the hospital.

Could you tell me which room Kelly Johnson's in, please?

What's going on here?

While you were jumping around in the ring

acting like a damned fool, your sister.

Mrs. Johnson, it's all right.

I thought you said it was just gonna be routine.

Your sister had a crisis.

As you know, normal blood cells are round.

Hers are shaped like a sickle or a question Mark.

They get attached and tend to clog the blood vessels.

This deprives the body of oxygen and causes intense pain.

With sickle cells, she's gonna

have to go through this the rest of her life.

I want to see Kelly.

Why?

You weren't here when she needed you.

Now she's resting.

Dr. bochman, I am not blaming you personally for this

but we both know this ain't

the best damn hospital in the world.

Mr. Johnson, I can assure you

Kelly's getting the best treatment.

Come on, bochman.

Poor people die, rich people get saved

and they both have the same damn thing.

Mr. Johnson, I am telling you.

Leon you have no right to talk to Dr. Bochman like this.

What do you mean, every time I come in here

I see people bleeding to death

or waiting to fill out a goddamn form

for some outrageous bill

they couldn't afford in the first damn place.

It's all big business.

Leon, will you stop this?

Cancer, leukemia, sickle cell, people dying.

They don't give a damn about you.

That's not gonna happen to my little sister.

Leon that's enough.

I want her to have

the best hematologist,

the best specialist, the best nurses

the best care, the best everything.

Do you hear me?

I know how you feel

but hematology specialists and nurses cost a lot of money.

Yeah, I know.

I'll get your money.

I'll get you hundreds, thousands.

I'll even get you millions.

Just get her well.

Don't pay no attention to him Dr. Bochman.

You know how young people get excited.

Mom I've never said anything in my life I didn't mean.

Excuse me.

Leon you won't have your own pot

to pee in until you start your practice.

I'm gonna fight, mama.

You are keeping your black behind

in college and becoming a doctor.

This family is gonna have somebody they can be proud of.

You are going to be a doctor.

I love you, Kelly.

How's Kelly?

She's gotten worse.

Damn.

We're gonna go to work, man.

I'll give you a percentage of me.

Where I go, you go.

What I make, you make.

You'll be a champion.

I'm only interested in champion money.

I'll call gillardi in the morning.

No, not gillardi.

If we learn, we learn from the best.

Mr. Ali, sir, I know you're the greatest

in the whole wide world

but with your help, I can be the next.

I've studied all your tapes.

I've got all the natural ability

all the natural moves.

All I need is your help.

Would you please train me?

Look, my friend, people come to me

all the time for help, business deals,

buy this, invest in this and that

train this man, train that man.

Look, everyone knows I'm the greatest, right.

You know it, right?

But, look, I'm not obligated

and I don't have time to make you the greatest, so be cool.

I can beat anybody you've got.

You can beat anybody I've got?

Yeah.

Look at you, you look like a mosquito.

Beat?

Man, you've gotta be crazy.

He's a heavyweight.

That just means there'll be a louder

thud when they hit the floor.

Look, you're just like myself.

I gotta give it to you.

You believe in yourself, right?

Franky.

Get the man ready.

Let's see what he's got.

So you got speed.

And you're supposed to be faster

than a heavyweight, but can you hit?

He's dangerous.

Next.

You forget it, I'm not gonna have

you knocking out all my men.

He's bad, and pretty, too.

Look, from here on out, you've got it made.

Franky will train you.

You won't regret it.

I'll give you any percent you want.

I don't need no money,

all I need is some fresh young blood to liven this place up.

You'll just be great.

You're gonna work harder

than you ever worked in your life.

You're gonna get sore in muscles

you never even thought you had.

Sometimes you'll curse me, and some days you'll hate me

but in the end, you'll love me

because I'm gonna make you a champ.

Breath.

You're making it look easy.

Hell, it is easy man.

He ain't nothing.

Look at this arena.

It's only one-third full.

They got 10 fights booked, and I'm just one of 20 fighters.

Nobody came just to see me.

They will, once you start punching your way to the top.

Hell, at this rate,

a title shot might take three or four years.

I gotta get money for Kelly now.

I gotta get people to come see me.

I gotta have a gimmick.

Win all your fights.

Start by knocking this clown out.

That's the only gimmick you'll ever need.

Hi, I'm Julie winters, sports unlimited.

I was sent to do a story on

a fighter that calls himself the lover.

Thank you.

They sent the great Julie winters all the way down here

to do an interview on little old me?

I must be getting important.

No.

There must be some mistake.

Oh no.

There's no mistake.

I mean, this is my new image.

My gimmick for the public.

The fighter that's a lover.

Lord have mercy.

Now, I ask you, how can you

be three times bigger or faster

and make twice as much money?

You know, I thought you were gonna go

back to school and become a doctor.

Things changed.

The public doesn't want somebody

that's quiet and intelligent

the way I used to be.

What they want.

They don't want a clown, either, Mr. Johnson.

This is professional sports.

Is this thing running?

Because now I'll tell you what they do want.

I've done research.

See, what they want is somebody that's bigger than life.

Somebody that's colorful, somebody that's controversial.

I mean, look at Marlon Brando, look at Hollywood Henderson.

Look at Muhammad Ali.

It's bigger than life, show business.

It's controversy.

It's colorful.

It's Leon the lover.

That's all fine, Mr. Johnson,

but I really came down here to see if this lover can fight.

Pretty lady, that's the least of your worries.

As a matter of fact, I'll dedicate tonight's

knockout to you.

Knockout?

Yeah.

I got my training from Muhammad Ali.

Sounds like the only thing

you inherited from Ali is a big mouth.

I love all the ladies.

I'm not just a fighter.

Here, honey.

I'm not just a fighter, I'm here to entertain you.

I love all the ladies.

I'm Leon the lover.

You've never heard of me, but you will.

You've never heard of me, but you will.

Can I kiss your hand?

I didn't wanna just grab your wife.

Here you are, pretty lady.

Thank you for coming to see me.

Here's a Rose for a Rose from Leon the lover.

You can have anything you want.

You want a kiss, honey?

Come to me.

Stop that vaudeville, Leon.

Come on, punch him.

Do it.

Write that.

Come on, Leon.

Stop socializing.

You're fighting a fight.

Just one good punch, and that's the end of Leon the lover.

Why you rooting against Leon?

His head is a little bit too big

for any one fighter to have to carry around.

He only does it because of me.

What do you mean?

He's my brother, and he's boxing to make me better.

That's your brother?

He sure is.

You know, he's always buying me things.

He buys me ice cream even when I don't want it.

He even brought me an autographed picture of you.

Yeah, you remember.

Oh, yeah.

You signed it for me.

I'm Kelly.

And I didn't even want it either

but I ain't never telling him that.

But I really love him.

Julie winters.

You look good.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

It can't end like this.

Franky, franky!

I knew this lover bullshit was no good.

Eight, nine.

Who do you want next?

I want anybody.

I want them all.

I want anybody that'll fight me.

When'll you be ready for the champ,

the St. Louis assassin?

The St. Louis assassin, the champ?

You can write this, when I fight the St. Louis assassin

my name will be bigger than his.

You think you're that good?

What about the other belt, the iceman?

The iceman.

As soon as he quits ducking me.

Yeah, I'm that good.

I must be.

Look, Julie winters drove all the way in just to see me.

Why don't you get a picture of me giving her a victory kiss?

Maybe we ought to check him

to see if he has any potential.

Right now, all he's got is a big mouth.

We'll meet him if he proves himself.

If not him, somebody else.

Let it simmer, let it simmer.

I am really glad you happened to cover this fight.

You know, you've got the skill

to make a playboy's love for real.

You're no playboy.

I would be if I had the time.

You know, I really admire

what you're doing for little Kelly.

Anybody that spends an entire evening

in the malt shop with his kid sister can't be all bad.

You were there, too.

I enjoyed it.

You know when I first met you

I was not impressed.

But now that I've gotten to know you

comme ci comme ca.

When we met, there were light years between you and me.

But now I'm getting some note,

I'm getting some play, I'm making some money.

Pretty soon, I could be worthy of somebody like you.

I don't judge a man on reputation or money.

Just be a man.

Let's not rush anything.

J bring me you're softness j

j comfort me through all this madness j

j woman don't you know with you j

j I'm born again j

j come give me your sweetness j

j now there's you, there is no weakness j

j lying safe within your arms, I'm born again j

j I was half, not whole j

j in step with none j

you're supposed to be relaxing the muscles,

not tearing them apart.

J reaching through this world

do you know you hit harder than the boxers?

J come show me your kindness j

Much better.

J with you I'm born again j

j lying safe with you I'm born again. J

I think we're gonna have

to replace Charles altogether.

From now on, you give the massages.

Charles, you're dismissed.

J come bring me your softness j

j comfort me through all this madness j

j woman don't you know with you I'm born again j

j; Come give me sweetness j

j now there's you there, there is no weakness j

j lying safe within your arms I'm born again

j woman don't you know with you I'm born again j

j I was half, not whole j

j in step with none, reaching through this world &

j in need of one j

j come show me your kindness j

j in your arms I know I'll find this j

j woman don't you know with you I'm born again j

Leon the lover's done it again.

Detail in the fourth round.

Leon the lover, Leon the lover, Leon the lover!

We've gotta give him a crack at the title.

He gets nothing till we own him.

He's the one packing them in, maybe he don't need us.

He needs us.

Everybody needs us.

We control the belt.

Talk to him.

Find out what his weakness is.

Give them anything they want.

Hey Leon the lover.

What's happening?

My man's a good man.

You're doing great

thank you.

How are you doing Charles?

Hey Leon, I want you to meet somebody.

Eddie Mustafa, light heavyweight champ.

Leon the lover.

How are you doing?

My buddy, Charles.

Hey Charles, how you doing?

Good, good.

I'm a big fan of yours.

There are some ladies looking for you over there,

see if you can find them.

Hey I like your style.

I am glad we're not in the same weight class.

Well hey, how are you?

God, it's good to see you.

You're so wonderful.

Let me touch you.

Sure.

How you doing?

Are you here with someone, what's happening?

Well, I just

hi, how are you?

Here, my man, I got some good blow.

Are you really Leon the lover?

Well, I try to be.

Don't try, honey.

Show me.

Go find me pussy.

I need her here tonight, and fast.

I don't care how much it costs.

No problem.

Hi, hope I'm not in the wrong room.

As a matter of fact, no

but I was beginning to wonder what took you so long.

I am pussy Willow.

I'm

I know, Leon.

But whether you're the lover or not

that remains to be seen.

Out here we got regular stuff for regular folks

but we have special stuff for special people.

Have you ever heard of freebase, man?

No, no I haven't.

Freebase, my man.

Right now you at bat.

I hope I don't disappoint your view, pussy.

Oh, I hope not

because it gets so depressed when it's disappointed.

Leon said to me, I'm gonna knock

him out in the first round.

I said, you should knock him out in the second round.

He did.

'Cause he always listens to me.

Well all right, ladies.

Hold on to your seats.

Because here comes the face

that launched a thousand heartthrobs.

One of the most controversial figures in sports today.

Leon the lover.

You can hear the reaction, ed.

He now seems to be the life.

Not just a fighter, but a master

showman who also happens to boxes.

This overflow crowd, well

they didn't come to see the uba champion

they came to see this man.

Leon the lover.

That's the female cheering section

that follows him wherever he goes.

They call them Leon's lovelies.

And it's just about show time.

Well Eddie he's got

his work cut out for him tonight.

Giving up three-and-a-half inches

in reach, three inches in height

going against the tallest champion in welterweight history

the St. Louis assassin.

And now, ladies and gentlemen,

the main event of the evening.

Fifteen rounds of boxing for the united boxing association

world's welterweight championship.

Presenting the challenger on my left from Chicago, Illinois

weighing in at a trim 145 pounds

the man who's not just a fighter

but a lover of life

who wishes every woman could be his wife.

Leon the lover!

And his opponent, the defending champion

weighing in at 146 and three quarter pounds

the man whose hands are considered

an assault with a deadly weapon

the welterweight boxing champion of the world.

The St. Louis assassin!

We've got us a fight.

The assassin, taller and stronger

a true champion, a man whose record speaks for itself.

And for the challenger well tonight,

it's put up or shut up for one Leon the lover Johnson.

Leon is sliding,

gliding, moving, looking pretty.

Not a single blow from the assassin has come close to Leon.

Leon is too busy showing his ability to dance.

There they go.

Two hard rights.

He's not the champ!

I'm the champ!

He ain't nothing!

He ain't nothing.

He's an impersonator.

I'm gonna hold my hands down

for one minute and he still can't hit me.

You're looking bad!

You're making me make you look bad!

You're disappointing your fans!

You got 45 seconds.

Well, well, well, well,

an occasional panty is thrown into the ring

something we've come to expect when the lover fights.

He's just an amateur, he's an amateur.

This is a disgrace.

You might as well give me the crown right now.

You're doing fine, son, looking good.

Is my hair okay?

Leon, please, not tonight.

This is a championship fight.

Leon, I just love you.

A few more of those and I could just love you, too.

I wanna give you something close to me.

I just took these off.

Can I have your autograph?

I can't write with my gloves on.

Honey, you're sweating, you're sweating.

Lady, please!

We're in the middle of a championship fight.

I just need one quick kiss.

Lady, please.

It's gonna get messy here in a minute.

Don't forget my panties.

Leon the lover is everywhere.

He's unmarked, untouched.

Hitting the assassin at will.

This is unbelievable.

Eight, nine, ten.

You're out.

I told you, I did it.

I am the champ.

Leon the lover reigns forever!

On top of the world!

Leon the lover, the champ forever.

Write this down, I've been listening to you.

All this time I had to read all the garbage you wrote.

Tomorrow's headlines write this,

we apologize to Leon the lover

because he made the St. Louis assassin look like an amature.

He had four bodyguards.

He had people with machine guns.

He needed a machine gun to beat me tonight.

He needed an a-bomb to beat me tonight.

That's how good I was, that's how good I was.

I'm gonna fight the iceman next and make him look bad.

Then I am gonna fight three people in one night.

Leon!

That's how good I am.

You say I talk too much?

I'm through talking.

After tonight, I won't have to talk.

I never have to prove myself after tonight.

I made history, I'm no fluke.

I work hard to be best.

Don't ever bet against me.

Leon, Leon.

Congratulations, champ.

My girl.

I love you, baby.

I'm gonna borrow her for a minute.

Sure.

Bye, Kelly.

We'll be right back.

Yeah.

Well.

First of all, I wanted to say I love you a lot.

Oh Leon, I'm just so proud of you.

Now everyone knows how good you are.

You're really important now.

Kelly, what I do isn't very important.

It doesn't take a lot of brains or courage

to jump around in the ring like I do.

That's so pretty.

It's for you.

You mean you're giving this to me?

You're the only champion I know.

I just want you to know how important you are to me

and how much inspiration I get from you.

I learn a lot just from watching you.

So, Kelly, this championship belt

it's for you.

I love you very much.

Hey, judge.

It's time for that meeting.

He just beat the shit out of the assassin.

That boy is bad.

You gotta keep him around for a while.

You could make millions off of him.

How you doing?

Everything's ood.

Leon the lover.

Sure, I know who you are.

And I know who you are.

This is my friend, Charles.

You know, Leon, I've always thought

that something beautiful is simple.

So simple.

You wanna fight my champion, right?

That's why we're here.

I own the champion.

If you fight him, then I take a percentage of you.

If you win, many others have tried

and lost, he's a tough kid.

But if you win, then I own a percentage of you.

Sounds like the only real winner is you.

You think you're big now?

Did it all yourself, right?

Just imagine for a moment

what could happen to you if I and my forces got behind you.

That handsome face of yours would

be known across the entire world.

I tell you when to fight, when not to fight.

Anything to do with fighting, I and nobody else tell you.

I don't deal with egos, emotion

just dollars and cents.

How much percentage are we talking about?

50% off the top.

Shit.

Leon, what are we doing here?

Let's get the hell out of here.

You know, we got our own percentages here.

With your 50%, we go down the toilet.

Then we got nothing left, we got nothing.

Then readjust them.

Leon, you're a smart fellow.

You know where it's coming from.

All we're talking about is a smaller piece of a bigger pie.

You beat the iceman, you'll have both belts.

Right now you're sitting on top of the world.

Yeah, and that world is gonna

roll over on you any minute now.

I don't know who the hell do you think you are?

You just walk right in here

and you take and take after all the real work is done.

If it wasn't for folks like me and Leon,

you'd be nowhere pal.

You'd be nothing.

Champ!

Mr. big man.

Leon, let's get out of here.

Leon.

Question, does he talk for you?

Excuse us for a couple of minutes.

I'll give you five minutes to think it over.

You know, you're embarrassing me, man.

His offer embarrassed me.

I wouldn't mind you going off halfcocked

if you had all your senses.

But every time I see you lately,

you're damn near incoherent.

So?

What if I am?

It's just not that good for you.

So now you're gonna tell me what's good for me.

There's nothing more for me to do.

I got no more real involvement.

I got no more real say-so.

Look, Charles, as your friend, I owe it to you to tell you

you're going downhill.

As my friend, you owed it to me

to tell me you're willing to give

our involvement away to some idiot.

Charles, you just don't understand business.

Now quit blaming me for every single thing okay?

I mean, I'm just one man.

No, you're not.

You used to be.

Oh okay.

They why don't you just get the hell out then?

Okay.

And don't even bother to come around.

I'll just send you your money.

You don't do anything to earn it.

Fuck you.

Would you rather I do what you're gonna do with it

and give it to your dope man

for some freebase and some angel dust?

I take it we have a deal?

Yeah.

Yeah, we got a deal.

We already got a contract.

What's the point in shaking hands?

You already own my fist.

Ladies and gentlemen

this is the main event of the evening.

Fifteen rounds of boxing

for the undisputed

welterweight championship of the world.

And we got the bell for round number 1.

Leon the lover on his toes, dancing pretty

and he's gonna have to.

One good punch and it's all over

a real tough, tough, tough customer.

He'll take five to give one, but that one will put you away.

A lightning quick one-two-three by Leon the lover.

I've never seen a boxer as quick or as sharp as the lover.

Leon looking good, looking real good.

Oh and there's that big roll.

Leon, what did they do to you?

My poor baby.

Excuse us, ladies,

we're still in the middle of a fight here.

One

two.

Three.

Damn, that was a mean shot he gave you.

One good thing.

What's that?

At least now those smart-ass sports

writers know I can take a blow.

I can't knock this guy out, franky.

I hit him as hard as I can.

Now, look, go for right above the eye.

Twist the glove as you make contact.

Cut that eye.

Puff his eyes up, break his nose.

Anything.

Make him stop this fight.

This guy is too thick to knock out.

Damn, I don't wanna do all that to the man.

Damn you, do it to him before he does it to you.

I'm about to die from exhaustion just from hitting him.

Look, I was hoping to end it early.

I knew these late rounds would

be hell and you'd have nothing left.

But you're ahead on points so just stay away from him.

And for god's sake, don't let him hit you.

Good idea.

Why don't you take this next round?

You ought to stop this, man.

I didn't come in here to kill anybody.

Time.

Go to that corner.

Doctor, what do you think?

No.

That's it.

No matter how much money you spend, no matter how much

any doctor is gonna tell you exactly this.

There is no known cure for sickle cell disease.

None.

How much time does she have left?

You can't pinpoint that.

What do you want to do?

I don't know.

Whatever she wants.

All right, let her come home

then if that's what she wants to do.

Okay.

All right.

Hey judge, congratulations.

You got what I always knew you would,

the undisputed championship.

Second, I heard about the downhill news about your sister.

I know there's nothing anyone can do about it

but I have these superior ladies

who wanna try and take your mind off it.

So if you wanna put your head in and say hi

I could detain Julie for a half-hour or so.

Just get off some of the tension and relax your mind.

That's what they're there for.

We heard you were Leon the lover.

And we thought just one.

May not be enough.

He's so cute.

Hi, Julie.

Hi.

Looking for Leon?

Yeah.

He slipped off for a little privacy.

He's in 109.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Leon.

I'm sorry.

I'm so sorry.

Shit.

That was absolutely nothing.

If I disappointed you, I'm sorry.

But that was nothing Julie.

It's just part of the business, I guess, I don't know.

Leon you started off by telling me about a dream.

And somehow or another, I allowed myself

to get caught up in that dream.

I know, baby, I know.

No, you made it sound

like you were making those sacrifices

like you were the martyr, doing it all for Kelly

and like you didn't want it.

But none of this is for Kelly.

This is for you.

I should have known better.

I mean, I meet them every day, the superstars

and super studs and everybody that never can get enough.

Even if they had the best woman in the world

they wouldn't even know what to do with her.

Just look at it, Leon.

It's becoming a circus.

The Leon the lover circus with the side shows

and the freaks and the lookie-loos.

Yeah, I know, okay?

But it has absolutely nothing to do with you and me.

Julie, I love you.

Don't you say that to me.

You don't even know the meaning of the word.

You have no right.

You know, Leon somewhere out there

on the road, or in one of those rings

or in one of those dim hotel rooms you changed.

Yeah, I changed.

'Cause it's not as easy as it looks.

Everybody wants something, everybody grabbing.

You say it's not for Kelly, it's all for me.

Well, I work damn hard, Julie.

And I deserve every single thing that's happened to me.

Yes, I'm afraid you do.

And I feel sorry for you, Leon

because somehow you got caught up with it all.

And you became your biggest fan.

I just wish you were double-jointed

so you could turn around and kiss your own ass.

Julie.

Hello.

He's asleep.

All right.

Leon, it's for you.

They said it's important.

Leon?

The lover.

It's Julie.

Hey, how you doing?

It's good to hear your voice.

Can you get over to Charles' right away, please?

What's wrong?

He's hopped up on some freebase or angel dust.

I don't know, maybe both.

But he's out of his mind and hallucinating.

I can't maintain him.

All right.

Okay, baby.

I'll be right there.

Leon, he jumped right through the bedroom window

and he said he saw monsters or something.

Will you give me my glasses?

Charles.

Leon, I'm very high, Leon.

I am very high right now.

What's wrong, Charles?

They got away from me.

What are they?

They're demons.

Demons?

Demons and monkeys like in the wizard of oz.

No, Charles there are no monkeys.

Yes, there are.

Don't you understand?

Can't you see them?

Are you stupid?

Don't you see them, Leon?

Leon?

Yeah Charles?

Leon, will you get my glasses?

I'll get them, Charles.

Will you get my glasses?

I'll find them for you.

I can't see without my glasses.

I'll get them.

I want my glasses.

Okay Charles, Charles, ill get them for you.

Leon, will you get my glasses, get them okay?

Charles, calm down.

It's gonna be okay, Charles.

I promise you I'll make it okay for you.

Calm down, Charles.

Leon, we created monsters.

Leon we created monsters.

Oh Charles.

We created monsters.

Back up.

Let's get out of here.

Okay, okay?

My glasses, will you get them?

I'll find them.

I can't see without my glasses!

What's happened to everybody, Julie?

I think you have to answer that question, Leon.

Do you realize it's been close to a year since you fought?

What's the rush?

Well I got a new champion

standing by and he's very hungry.

Off with the old, on with the new.

Let's just say I can make more money with the new.

If I tell him, he'd fight every month.

You wouldn't do that.

No.

Why should 1?

I paid my dues.

I'm the champ.

Now it's my reign.

Your reign is over.

No.

I never lost a fight in my life.

You'll lose this one.

You're too smart not to.

Besides, he'd beat you anyway.

This bum's an animal, he's a killer.

He's not like you.

He's not in it for money or glory.

He likes to fight.

If it wasn't for this, he'd be in the slammer somewhere.

Or somebody would've killed him.

I'm just supposed to roll over and play dead?

Leon, let me explain something to you.

This is strictly business.

The contract I had on you, I put up for collateral.

Now it's being called in.

I need the money.

I'm taking everything I have and betting it against you.

My entire career down the drain just like that.

I am overextended, I need the edge.

I told you when we met I don't deal

in emotion, just dollars and cents.

There's $200,000 in there.

Take it.

Bet it against yourself.

Get out of the fight game

while you still got your good looks

and about a million in cash.

She's sleeping really good now.

She'll be fine.

Look, I'm gonna go.

I still got some runs to make.

What are you looking at me like that for?

I'm just looking at what I sacrificed

the best years of my life for.

Nothing.

Oh, mama.

Two marriages didn't work out, I didn't try anymore.

I didn't run the streets.

I stayed in.

I tried to make a home and be two parents to my kids.

And what thanks do you get?

None.

Mama, I really don't need to hear all this again tonight.

You'd at least hope they'd grow up

to be somebody that you're proud of.

You have done absolutely nothing with

the brains I and god gave you.

Look at Jerome down the street.

Jerome.

He went and got his college education

and now he's fighting for his masters.

I make 10 times the amount of money that Jerome makes.

I sacrificed for you to be a doctor.

You were supposed to be somebody.

I am somebody, mama.

Maybe not what you wanted me to be

but a whole lot of people would like to be me.

Well that's 'cause a whole lot

of people don't really know you.

You know, for most all of my life,

all I remember saying is, yes, mama.

Yes, mama, I'll try and do better.

Yes, mama, I'll try and do it your way.

Yes mama, if that's the way you want it,

then that's the way I'll do it.

Yes mama, I'll try and get straight a's.

Yes, mama, to this, yes mama to that!

Yes mama, yes mama, yes mama, yes mama, yes mama!

Mama, please, why don't you let me off all of this?

I go through all that I've been through.

And I win.

And now I got money, I got results.

And I am somebody.

Ricardo Santiago.

Is he a madman, a deranged man, or a machine?

Call him what you want, but I've never seen

a fighter look so awesome in a way, frightening.

This man soaks his hands in brine

two hours a day, like the karate men.

He puts them in hot coals to toughen them.

With these fists, he can break bricks

and smash through wood.

You can imagine what these hands

can do to the head of Leon the lover.

Just look at what he can,

and does do to his sparring partners.

Get up!

Don't fucking fall.

Get up!

Get up, get up, get up.

Bring your ass over here.

Bring me some spar.

Bring your fucking ass in here.

Get in herel

fucking ass in here.

Come on, let's get some real sparring in here man.

Come on, come on.

Get up, you, what the fuck are you looking at?

Get your fucking ass back here.

We're at the training facilities of the challenger,

Ricardo madman Santiago, and here's the man himself.

Hey, Ricardo.

How are you feeling, my man?

Good to see you, Ricardo.

Listen, watching you spar,

I kinda get the feeling that you like to fight.

Can you tell our viewers about the beach that you live on?

Do you own it?

Did you buy it?

I didn't buy it.

I just kicked everybody's ass.

They do what I say.

Yeah, I bet you do.

Look Ricardo, somebody told me the other day

that you were filling out a medical application,

and it said occupation and what did you say?

It say, what do I do for a living?

And I said, I knock motherfuckers out man.

Yeah, I'll bet you do.

Listen, can we use any of this yet?

All right, keep rolling.

Look I don't want you to get upset with me

because I didn't say this

but it's been said that you're not the cleanest of fighters.

As a matter of fact you have been known to hit below

the belt at times, is that true?

The referee he warned me, maybe even take away a point

but by then, I'd done my damage man.

Okay, fine.

Look Ricardo I hate to say this,

but it has been said you're

not really liked by your own people.

Did you, in fact, say that you hate old people,

that they kind of smell?

Hey man, I ain't here to win no popularity contest.

I ain't even here for the money.

I'm here to kick ass, man.

Please, Ricardo, please can I have your.

No autographs!

Excuse me, ma'am, we're trying to do a TV interview here.

I just want a quick picture of my baby with the champ.

Come on.

Look at mommy.

Ricardo, how long will this fight will last?

I won't return to my country without,

hey, lady, your baby peed on Mel!

Get her out of herel

get that fucking camera out of here!

Get his fucking ass out of here!

I got no more to say.

I will be champion!

So it was with Ricardo madman Santiago.

And in contrast, in this reporter's opinion

the once-brilliant Leon the lover never looked worse.

Judge, it's looking better every day.

We don't want runaway odds with this thing.

He ain't faking.

He ain't got it no more.

You took away his heart.

Now his mind's not focused.

You took away his stamina.

You took away his team.

Now he has no goals.

He's finished.

He's just another fighter waiting to lose.

Julie.

Julie!

Come on, Julie.

I know you're in there.

You're too damn strait-laced

to be out at this time of night.

What do you want?

Julie!

Leon, it's three o'clock in the morning.

Will you let me in?

Please.

I need to talk to you, Julie.

You're soaking wet.

You want some tea?

Tea?

No, I don't want any tea.

I wanna talk to you.

Talk.

It's just all come tumbling down, that's all.

I mean I can't train, my body's not right

my head's not right.

There's no way I can win this fight.

Big man.

He's got himself a new moneymaker now.

He's betting against me.

He gave me $200,000 to bet against myself.

That, and my end of the gate.

It's all I got, so I'll throw the fight.

Leon, if you want me to agree with you,

you've come to the wrong place.

Oh hell, you'd never agree to nothing wrong.

That's not even what I came over to tell you.

Would you at least come and sit next to me?

This money it's enough

for Kelly's expenses, and her happiness.

And you know other than that,

nothing else really matters too much anymore

except for you, Julie.

Julie, I need you.

Leon, I'm not strong enough for this.

Please don't do this to me.

If you care anything at all about me, you wouldn't do this

because this might be easy to you

but it took me a long time to get you out of my system.

I don't play with hearts the way you do.

Julie, I love you.

Don't.

You want me to beg?

Okay, I'm begging Julie.

Julie, I love you.

J come bring me your softness j

j comfort me through all this madness j

j woman don't you know with you I'm born again j

j; Come give me sweetness j

j now that you're there, there is no weakness j

j lying safe within your arms I'm born again

j don't you know with you I'm born again

j I was half, not whole j

j in step with none j

j reaching through this world in need of one j

Julie?

Julie?

Julie.

Got up early this morning?

1 had a lot to do.

And I know you don't like yogurt.

Speaking of doing, did you put my,

our money in a safe place?

Did you really mean what you said last night?

I mean, about us.

Yes.

I did.

I could never love a man who would take money

to throw his own fight.

But I love you.

So I went to big man's office this morning

and I told him that you didn't need his leech money

and I threw it back at him.

You're just testing me.

No, you really didn't.

You had no right.

Don't you understand it's the only guarantee I had?

You don't understand business, Julie.

I understand business enough to borrow

against everything that I own,

the money in the bank, my car, this house.

And I put it on a bet for Leon the lover to win.

You must've gone crazy.

So you're mad?

Go ahead and be mad.

You can go back to big man's

and retake the money, and bet against yourself again

but I bet every cent that I have on my man to win.

So now what are you gonna do?

I'll show you how to jab.

Take that jab straight up.

Don't wait for it.

Come on!

Got you going now.

What you gonna do?

Go, champ, go!

Go champ, go!

What are you doing here?

You look good.

I know.

Wait a minute.

What are we doing here?

Let's go!

Run it out, run it out, run it out, run it out.

Come on, okay, okay, okay, good, good, good.

Come on, come on, come on.

Good time, baby.

A little slow.

What are you talking about?

I got my strength back.

I got my family back.

With you, I can whip just about anybody.

Well, maybe. - Maybe.

Where are you going?

I'm gonna work out.

Now?

Why don't you just relax, baby?

I can't.

I'll be at the gym.

One-two, one-two, one-two-three, one-two-three.

Stick him, stick him.

Baby, it's almost morning.

I don't know, Julie.

Even if I were in the top best shape

I don't know if I could beat him.

Yet I want to so bad.

It's not him I'm against.

It's just everything else tied up in it.

God.

I want it so bad.

I know, I know.

Leon.

It's still not too late.

Be smart.

Take your money.

You know, big man, you got a genius

for figuring out everybody's weakness.

Girls, pride, dope, give them what they want.

The more you give them, the more you can call the shots.

Nobody's ever figured out what could get to you.

Nobody's ever said no.

I'm not throwing this damn fight.

I'm betting to win

and then I'm looking for the big boys

to take you both on a one-way trip,

when you can't cover your bets.

You'll die.

Probably still running your big mouth.

You wanna kill me?

Go ahead.

Everybody dies.

One thing I learned from my sister,

it ain't dying that's bad

it's how you do it.

Forget it.

He still don't have a chance in hell.

Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali, Ali!

Leon the lover, Leon the lover,

Leon the lover, Leon the lover, Leon the lover!

Here he is, Leon the lover, the golden boy.

Who's made what some call a dirty

sport into his personal showcase.

It looks like he took lessons

from Ziegfeld, barnum and Bailey

and of course, the great Muhammad Ali in showmanship.

Undefeated, untied, and to many folks, still untested.

You know, they refer

to him as a showboat cheesecake.

They feel he didn't pay any dues, it came to him too easy.

Maybe he just made it look that way, Eddie.

Well but tonight, we've got a new Leon the lover.

Serious, deadly earnest, no jokes

a silent, serious Leon the lover.

Julie.

Thank you for telling me to come.

I want him to know that I'm here,

and that I'm rooting for him.

Good, have a seat.

Kelly, sit next to mama, okay?

We got the bell for round number 1.

And as you can see, there's no feeling each other out

no fancy strategy.

Both men hungry for a win come out fighting.

Ricardo, head down like a fullback, charging into Leon.

Rope-a-dope, come on.

You heard what I told you.

No, no knock down, no knock down, just dirty fighting.

Yes, it is, Eddie.

He's manhandling Leon.

And over a course of 15 rounds, it's got to take its toll.

Get up, nigger!

Show me something.

I came to fight a man.

I thought we'd see much more movement,

more involvement from Leon,

the fastest hands and feet in the west

but where are they tonight?

A tremendous blow knocks out the lover's mouthpiece.

He's wobbly.

Could go down.

Ricardo's fighting like a madman.

He's deranged, man.

He's on something, he's gotta be on something.

He's on something, all right.

He's on Leon's ass.

You're right about that.

Leon the lover is in big trouble.

He's trying to hold on, and in the process,

he's taking a terrible beating.

A tremendous Ricardo right, and the lover's down.

Replace the referee!

The lover is dazed, he's sleepwalking.

He doesn't know where he is.

A tremendous club to the head

throws Leon hard to the canvas.

He may not get up.

You've got to get up!

Get up!

Stay away from him!

Clear your head, clear your head!

Six, seven, eight.

And he's up.

Just barely.

But two knockdowns in the first round

one more knockdown like that, and this fight's over early.

How many fingers?

Three.

What day is it?

I didn't know when I walked in here.

Where are you?

In one hell of a fight, but it's not over yet.

Keep your guard up Leon!

Keep your guard up!

Hold on, rope-a-dope!

Oh a great blow, way after the bell.

Badly beaten, Leon the lover is being helped,

almost carried, to his corner.

Leon the lover, Leon the lover, Leon the lover!

You all right champ?

Can you make it?

I gotta make it.

I just didn't know which one of them it was.

I'm gonna fight all three of those bastards now.

It's the beginning of round 2.

It looks like it's starting off like the last one ended.

Ricardo, mauling and manhandling

Leon the lover almost at will.

This is no ring boxing.

This is back-alley brawling.

Butt him in the head.

Come on, Leon!

Twenty-five years of announcing,

and never anything like this.

This is a disgrace.

W= I ask you, why doesn't the referee stop this?

Ricardo should be disqualified,

this fight should be stopped.

We got no referee here!

This is utterly unbelievable,

a sad day for the sport of boxing.

You can't treat my baby like that.

What a tremendous beating,

in fact, an unnecessary beating

as Leon is literally dragged to his corner.

And now I ask, how much more can any one man take?

It's sad to see so much talent dissipate so rapidly.

I don't think you can knock him out.

You've got to try and outpoint him.

You got to take these next rounds.

Impress the judges.

Finish each round pretty.

Now go, go, go, go.

Use your head, your shoulders, elbows, anything.

So far, this has not been the cleanest of fights.

It's been one hell of a brawl.

What we have here is two superior, determined, gifted boxers

and there will be no early knockout tonight.

Well ed, between rounds once again,

this crowd is a little bit stunned.

One reporter has just yelled

he's never seen a fighter

so thoroughly possessed as Ricardo is.

He says he must be high on something

to be so emotionally charged up.

Over in the other corner, Leon has not sat down,

is still on his feet between rounds

maybe not so smart, because by now,

he must know that he's in big trouble.

But win or lose, he's shown he's not just a showboat

but a game champion, and, ed, there's no doubt about it.

The man has heart.

You've got the fight won.

Just stay away from him.

Shit, you can let him have these last few rounds.

You lost too many rounds.

Are you gonna knock him out?

You gotta close the show.

This ain't gonna be no judge's decision.

Me and you, one of us is going down.

You finally decided to fight, my friend.

I've been here all night.

Your sister gonna get up off her ass

and dance with me at the victory party?

And now, finally, it's starting to come back,

as four times in a row

Leon beats Ricardo to the punch.

Come on, Leon!

Come on, son, come on.

Leon's boxing much better now.

He's more in control.

The lover's back, he even looks pretty

as he turns on some of his patented moves.

There you see the old Leon the lover,

the man who electrified so many audiences.

This is definitely Leon's round,

but is it a question of too little, too late?

It's still gonna take a knockout for Leon to win.

Leon, you gotta knock him out!

Knock him out!

You proud bastard!

Leon the lover, fighting his way back.

The mans been in trouble since the first round,

but he's shown he's got more heart

than any fighter I've ever known.

You almost had him.

I didn't think he was gonna get up.

One more, one more son-of-a-bitching blow!

I gave it everything I had.

I know you did, son.

Let me turn around.

I don't want him to see how tired I am.

There's nothing left.

I can't walk.

I can't move.

I can't throw a punch.

I can barely breathe.

One more son-of-a-bitching blow!

And so we're down to the very end of it all.

If Ricardo can hang just three more minutes,

he becomes the new undisputed champ.

But Leon the lover seems more intense

than I've ever seen him.

Don't fight him.

You proud bastard.

Don't fight him.

Look, just stay away three more minutes,

and you're the new champion.

Not for nobody.

I'm gonna kick his ass.

Aren't you listening?

Aren't I getting through to you?

And you are the new champion.

Just stay away.

It's won, it's yours.

Just push me out there.

One, two, three, four, five.

Ricardo, knock that proud son of a bitch on his ass.

What a fight.

What a war!

The best thing I've ever seen.

That's right, Leon, that's right!

Do it, Leon, do it.

Come on, Leon.

Come on, baby, come on baby!

Close the show, close the show!

Impress the judges.

One more son-of-a-bitching blow!

One more.

Come on Leon, go Leon!

Go, go!

Come on Leon!

You gotta close the show!

Come on, baby, come on!

He's ready to fall, he's ready to fall.

He's gonna fall, he's ready to fall, he's ready to fall!

Fall, fall, fall, fall!

Three, four, five, six

seven, eight, nine, ten.

And Leon the lover has done the impossible!

- It was an incredible fight. - It was an incredible fight.

Absolutely incredible.

I love you, Leon, I'm so proud of you.

I knew you could do it, I knew you could do it.

I love you baby.

And that makes three, a winner for life.