A Fighting Man

"Young Percival, no more than 15...

...from the safety of the thicket, watched the knights pass by.

He perceived they served a higher calling...

...a calling he felt stirring within him.

Percival asked his mother permission to journey to King Arthur's court...

...and seek knighthood.

His mother had long-feared this moment would come," Sailor.

"Nonetheless, she gave her son blessing to pursue his quest.

But she warned him, he would be tested beyond imagination.

Be deprived, know pain and sadness.

Perhaps, never become a knight.

Percival traveled to King Arthur's court.

There, he met rebuke and ridicule.

For he was not of noble birth, nor did he possess skill of arms.

In secret, he studied the ways of the knights.

His plight caught the eye of Sir Lancelot...

...who began to mentor him.

During Percival's ordeal, the Red Knight...

...an incarnate of darkness, sought to destroy the Grail.

He lay waste to King Arthur's knights, one by one.

Finally, it fell upon slender Percival...

...to face the Red Knight."

And Sailor, "Percival had no fear."

Get up, Sailor!

"His years of hardship had taught him how to suffer.

He was ready in body, mind and spirit.

He would prove in life or death, his worthiness in battle.

Percival went forth with joy in his heart.

For this was what he wanted: to be an instrument of peace.

To be able to sacrifice all in service of God and man."

Lead with your right, kid!

Lay on him. Lay on him!

-Get away from him. -Let him go, let him go.

Let's see some blood!

Work the body!

Kill him, Sailor!

-Come on, let him go. -Let's see some blood!

You got him, kid! Take him down!

-You gotta throw back here, let's go. -Break it up, boy. Break it up!

Stop the haymakers. Stop the haymakers! Double up.

Another fight, then, is it?

Once more into the fray.

Once more into the fray.

You're a silly man.

-It's okay, Mom. -No, it's not okay.

-I'm not gonna get hurt. -Yes, you will. You're too old.

-I'm in good shape. -No, you're still old.

I got one or two fights left in me, right, Ma?

No, you are used up and broken.

I've never been knocked down.

See, that's why you're broken.

A man should know when to go down. You don't.

You never did.

I never should have said it to you.

Said what?

That I want to go to Ireland before it comes.

You didn't, I did.

You are such a liar.

Anyways, loser's purse will cover it.

I see you're aiming high.

Father Brennan wants to talk to you.

About what? And don't say God.

About what's coming.

I'm not afraid.

You should pass in a state of grace, Ma.

You still believe, don't you?

Yeah, I do.

How can you after what he did to you?

Only a monster takes the innocent.

If there is a God, it's a monster.

A doer of evil and wicked things.

I will not seek grace from a monster...

...nor will a monster give it.

Will you talk to Father Brennan?

Maybe. If he takes off his robes and shoves a crucifix up his arse.

Maybe.

Nice, Ma.

-I'll ask him, see what he says. -Good.

Have you gone to see Albright? Will he be there with you?

-He can't be there. -Why not?

He's busy at Safe Hope.

-I see. -He's a good man.

If he was a good man, he would talk you out of this fight.

No one's gonna talk me out of the fight, Ma.

-Lay it on, Sailor! -You've already got the game!

It's all you, Sailor. Come on!

Use your jab, man. Use your jab.

Come on, man. Come on! Come on.

Back to your corners, guys, let's go.

-You're done. -Yeah.

Hey, kid. Get over here. Come on, sit down.

Sailor! Sailor!

All right, come on, sit down. You ain't got all day. Come on.

Sailor! Sailor! Sailor!

You wanna make it 10 rounds, you gotta listen to me.

You're dropping your right hand, like that.

Keep your head on his shoulder.

-Can't you do that? -Yeah.

It's time for you to put this old man down now. You do it now, hear?

-Yes, sir. -No more fooling around.

That's enough of this nonsense. You're young, man, and fast.

Put him down so we can go home, all right?

Let's take a look, Sailor. How's that eye?

-Good, doc. It's good. -Are you sure?

-Yeah. -All right.

That opens up anymore, I'm gonna stop the fight.

-I'll do my best, doc. -Do the best you can.

Oh, great.

Hey, King's fine. You check that old man over there.

-He ain't so fine. -Back off, Cubby.

-Looking better than Sailor. -I'm fine.

Didn't think you could take a punch.

-I can take a punch. -You're proving it, kid.

You're gonna get up close so you can do some damage, okay?

Concentrate.

I wanna have it.

You don't know what that means.

Yes, I do.

-No, you don't. -It means work.

It means money.

-I can make money. -How?

Well, I can box.

And I have some modeling jobs too.

We're too young.

-Too young for what? -To have a baby.

I wanna spend the rest of my life with you.

-No, you don't. -Yes, I do.

-No, you don't. -I wanna marry you.

I wanna marry you right now. This morning.

And I'll take care of you and our baby.

I promise you that.

We have a family.

I've never had that before.

Me neither.

Let's have our baby.

Okay.

Okay.

Okay.

But, King...

...I wanna give this baby something besides life.

What?

I wanna give it something it can be proud of.

You keep him at a distance with that jab. You dance around, huh?

That man throws some wild hooks, you know? Duck.

Stop. You cannot win a fight laying on a guy, okay?

So let's win it. You cannot outmuscle this kid.

You cannot outfight him and you can't outrun him.

But you outweigh him and you can outthink him. You wanna win it?

-Yeah. -You're the heavier one, lay on him.

Keep your head on the right side of him. Let the kid get cocky. Listen to me.

Hey. Hey. What are you doing?

What the hell's the matter? You wanna win the fight?

Keep your head on that right shoulder. Once you get that rhythm...

...setup, he drops down, you cross him, okay?

Cubby.

And what's this I hear about King?

I'm gonna give the kid another chance.

-King is a screwup. -No, no, he's all cleaned up now.

-The kid does have talent. Real talent. -Yeah, he's always had talent.

I poured a lot of money into him...

...and you gotta have it to go with that talent.

-Yeah, well, he's going to have a baby. -There's a disaster waiting to happen.

He got married to a nice, young girl.

He was my fighter before you stole him from me.

I did not steal him. Hey, look.

You've got that night coming up at the Lion Head?

-Yeah. -I want you to get King a fight there.

-Maybe as an undercard. -No, no, no, main event.

-What? Look, King is no main event. -Yes, he is.

I'll put up the purse, man. Ten-thousand dollars.

Ten rounds.

You really think he has his head on straight?

Yes. Yes, yes, yes.

All right, I'll take a piece of him.

No, no, no. He doesn't like you.

-I'll take 50 percent of him. -He's not for sale.

Hey, look, you know he was my fighter before you took him.

I didn't steal him. Hey, you know why all your fighters leave you, man?

-Because you steal them from me. -Yeah.

Same reason why your wife left you. The same reason why I left you.

Just give me a piece of the kid.

Hey, look.

You line up something for King...

...someone the kid could handle, huh?

More than just a warm body, but somebody he could beat, huh?

I want it kept local.

I don't wanna bear the expense of bringing somebody in here.

What about Charlie Simms?

No, he's in prison. Armed robbery.

Teddy Bigfoot?

Teddy Bigfoot? Teddy Bigfoot, man, he's a lot of Bigfoot.

Man, he's 350 pounds now.

-Bigfoot, yeah. -Yeah.

Hey.

How about Sailor O'Connor?

-Sailor? -Yeah.

Is he still fighting?

No, but it might not really matter.

I mean, if I could get him to take one more fight.

-People loved him. -Yeah, yeah, he was very popular.