01x02 - Flat-footed champion

[bunniefuu]

This story is inspired by real events.

The people and events shown
are made up for artistic purposes.

Any similarity to reality
is purely coincidental.

Dad had style, didn't he?

I wish he could've seen me fight.
I could've traveled with him.

He was always asking about you,

how you were, the fight,
did you win, the restaurant.

He wanted to know everything.

And?

And what?

Have you decided then?

-Not now, Vicente. Are you kidding me?
-Yes, now, Oscar. Now.

I'm not going back to the States.

Why don't you think about it?

Sure, they gave you your license back,
but boxing's not better here.

You can have a bigger career there, Titi.

It's a completely different economy.

The only way to have a career
is to be heavyweight champion here first.

Sure, sweetheart,
but it might take some time.

That's what I'll be.
Argentinean Heavyweight Champion.

You have to be patient.

Patient and smart, Oscar.
Did you see what the dollar is at?

I'll make myself known
and get the fight, you'll see.

The title fight.

-How?
-How did Cassius Clay do it?

-Are you gonna change your name?
-I don't know.

If they don't like me,
I'll make them hate me,

but they'll know me, all right.

II.
FLAT-FOOTED CHAMPION

Luis Benetti,
Argentinean heavyweight champion,

and another overwhelming victory.

Benetti continues to collect
title defenses, and audiences' favor.

They worship him
and his impeccable conduct

both inside and outside the ring.

And that's the conclusion to another
unforgettable night at Luna Park,

as always, organized by the businessman
and promoter Tito Lectoure.

"I WILL BEAT HIM.

HIM AND A HUNDRED OTHERS
LIKE HIM."

- Come on in.
- I like the palm trees.

-It's spacious, right?
-Mm-hmm.

It just needs a little paint,
which will be done next week.

This could be the dining room.

-Is the kitchen over there?
-Yes.

- And the bedrooms are on that side?
- Yes, I'll show you if you'd like.

CHAMPION LUIS BENETTI
WINS ANOTHER SWEEPING VICTORY

Bonavena?

What, he wants to get famous off me?

Tell him whatever to make him go away.

Stop with Benetti.

-Let's go see the bedrooms.
-Mmm.

Vinnie.

How come
you didn't follow through on the visa?

I bought his contract.

It was your job

to book his plane ticket,

arrange his arrival

and get all his paperwork done.

You dropped the ball on that last one.

I know, Joe.

Maybe we can talk
to District Attorney Ferguson.

Great idea.

We ask him to meet,

he gets all wired up, records everything,

and then throws Joe in the can
for two years, like Fortuna did.

How about…

they leave the country for a little while?

Some place close by.
And then they can get back in.

It's too risky for them
to return to Argentina.

It's too far away.

Maybe they can go to Mexico and
stay there until the papers get through.

I mean, I spent 20 years
going back and forth.

A few months won't hurt anybody.

Let's not make any hasty decisions.

Two South Americans
coming in and out of Mexico so fast.

They might get deported.

We should make him a US citizen.

Right away.

When were you planning to tell us?

What?

About your visa.

That's for managers, no?

It's important to take care of this

so that you can do this fight
and the following ones.

What do you miss the most about Argentina?

Meat.

Just that?

My kids.

How many kids have you got?

Two.

Two?

How old are they?

Adrianita, the girl,

she is 12.

And Ringuito,

like me, but small…

…he is seven.

And what about their mother?

Your wife?

You missing her?

My ex-wife.

♪ O'er the land of the free ♪

♪ And the home of the brave ♪

Congratulations, Ringo.

Thank you.

This time, let me help you.

Okay?

You're gonna get me an Argentine passport?

I wanna make your life better,
not ruin it.

Your leg.

What about it?

Tomorrow, come see me at the gym.

Hmm?

Fuchsia or green?

Mmm. Green, dollar green.

The Oscars start in a bit.
Are you staying to watch?

I know all the winners
of the last ten years.

Ask me, go ahead.

I'd love to…
but I have to go train.

So you weren't g*y after all.

I'm Argentinean.
There are no f*gs in Argentina.

And you took our wedding night
very seriously, eh?

One night is okay, but next time,
you pay like everyone else.

You're going to charge me?

Look at me. Look at this.

You should be paying me.

1970 Best Picture winner?

- Midnight Cowboy.
- I know that one.

Bonavena debuts
at Luna Park against Adolfo Diéguez,

with all his substantial 205 pounds
achieving…

And Rolo?

Do you know what story we're leading with?

THE NATIONAL
NEWSPAPER

- While the tribunal…
- Pass me the photos.

…deliberates,

the second and third turns,
Bonavena presents calm and collected

until the fourth, when he looks…

-Let's go with this.
-…like a flash-bang.

-Bonavena's debut…
-Headline?

Refined, vigorous…

"Wins by a hair."

Congratulations.

It really has been a spectacular debut
in this stadium.

Thank you so much.

Rolo.

What will you do next?

I'm preparing for
when Benetti feels like fighting me.

-Tonight was just a formality.
-And who are these flowers for?

For Benetti's manager.
I don't know his name.

-Lectoure, his representative.
-Yes, for him.

So he doesn't show up empty-handed
to his student's funeral.

Cause I'm gonna k*ll Benetti.

Thank you, Ringo.

Get me this kid on the phone right away.

FAMILY SATURDAYS

The moment has arrived to welcome
this young man from Parque Patricios

who's starting a revolution
in Argentinean boxing.

After a hard…

What the hell are you
doing with a chicken, kid?

Don't worry, I learned
this one from Cassius Clay.

Look, it cost me a lot
to get you on this show.

Don't do anything stupid.

Rolo, do you mind if I call you Rolo?

ON AIR

With your money and my mug,
we'll take over the world. Remember that.

…a warm welcome, a round of applause for
Oscar "Ringo" Bonavena.

Ringo, what a beautiful chicken.

Did you leave boxing and start a farm?

No, no. This is a pet my wife got for me.

Oh! And what did you name him?

- Benetti.
- Benetti?

The Argentinean heavyweight champion?

No, no. Benetti is
the Argentinean champion coward.

Can't you see he won't show his face?

So, does Benetti cluck or do anything?

I don't know, let's see.

What's up, Benetti?

You're handsome, eh? You're handsome.

Come here.

Go. Go ahead.
King Kong against the chicken.

-When's the official fight?
-I don't know.

I don't know, because whenever
I call Benetti, his mom answers.

I put her down to sleep.

And I have good news.

What happened?

I'll tell you if you f*ck me.

Rolo called.

What did he say?

There's someone who wants to meet you.

Who?

Someone important.

Who, who?

You have to earn it.

He bites someone
at the São Paulo Pan American Games,

is suspended for two years,

goes to live in New York,

and goes from washing dishes to winning
three fights at Madison Square Garden,

the most famous boxing stadium
in the world.

He returns to Argentina,

gets his license back,

fights some guy named Diéguez

and suddenly becomes an actor
and a comedian.

You do what you can.

You're causing
quite the commotion on TV, Oscar.

Ringo. Call me Ringo.
Like Ringo Starr, see?

Ah, like Ringo Starr.

Quite the punch, Oscar.

Sorry. Ringo.

You really think you can
get into the ring with Benetti?

Yes, of course.
But I'd fight with only one hand, eh?

Why with only one hand?

That way the fight will last longer.

If I knock him out in the first round,
the fight will be short

and so will the broadcast,
and you'll make less money,

because there will be fewer ads.

And if the fight is longer?

Benetti will tire you out.

From the fifth round on,
you'll start to gasp like a fish,

your flat feet will weigh more and more,

and around the tenth round,

pow!

To smithereens, Ringo Starr.

Keep boxing for now,

and have the fight last
as long as it needs to, got it?

Tito, did you buy that tie
out of the country?

How much longer?

We're almost there.

Just a little bit more. Come on.

I don't think I'm gonna make it.

I told you,
I'm gonna help you with that leg.

Yeah, Ringo, I'm grateful, honestly,
but I just…

- It's Doctor Bonavena.
- Yeah.

Come on, come on. Just a little bit more.

Faster. A little bit faster.

Ah…

Time!

Very good!

Doctor Bonavena is very happy.

Sally happy too.

Sons of b*tches!

They'll pay in blood for this!

What is it, Joe? What now?

They just called from New York.

Turns out they won't arrange
any fights with Bonavena

because I've been banned as a promoter.

But we already knew that.

That's why I figure in the contract
as Ringo's manager.

That's what I said, Sally.

And that f*cking lackey they sent here
had the nerve to tell me

that the Garden promoters aren't
interested in Bonavena anymore.

They say he's all washed up.

He drank my champagne,
he f*cked my wh*res.

Why didn't he mention any of this before?

Why did they bring up the visa
and all that sh*t?

-What else did they say?
-What else are they gonna say, Sally, hmm?

Lies, that's what.

One filthy f*cking lie after another.

And you know why?
Because they want to humiliate me.

They think I'm just a two-bit pimp
who has no place in the boxing business.

Okay, Joe, calm down, please.

I ain't gonna calm down.

I'm gonna show those f*cking kikes
how to put on a g*dd*mn show.

What the f*ck are you doing
dressed like that for, huh?

Bruce Fortuna.

That was the name
of the Washoe County district attorney.

That f*ck declared the brothel
and its owner

a danger to public safety.

And when I got to Reno, that son
of a b*tch arrested me for vagrancy.

What is that?

It's an old law on the books
that states that p*mps are vagrants.

You believe that sh*t?

The b*stard wouldn't take my bribes,

so I sent him another kind of gift.

You know, the kind you can't say no to.

A girl.

She pretended to be 18,
but she was actually 14.

But that f*cking Fortuna
had wired the room.

Two years in Nevada State Prison.

Was hard for you, eh?

Nah, not at all.

I ran the prison's casino.

We called it "The Bull Pen."

I had my own waiter.

A nice old guy named Williams.

Uh, he k*lled a couple of
Washoe County lawyers.

Nice people.

For that Fortuna fellow, things
didn't go as well as planned.

Ah, you know.

He was a different Italian than me.
Piedmontese.

Uh…

They're practically French up there.

I'm about as Sicilian as you can get.

Uh…

We're almost there.

Okay.

Ah.

So, uh,

what do you think?

What do I think about what?

The hotel?

It's okay.

Take a good look.

It's not a hotel.

It's a dream.

And together,

we're gonna make it come true.

What dream?

Bring the best boxing in the world
to the state of Nevada.

The Mustang Box Arena.

This is where
your first fight is going to be.

Reno.

It's a land full of stories.

-Where Ringo Bonavena first fights his--
-Here?

With Norton?

No. The Norton thing didn't work out.

They wanted all the money for themselves.

Micky Diamond, Ringo.

That's your rival.

Micky who?

Micky Diamond.

Joe,

Norton was my way to Ali.

Who the f*ck is Micky Diamond?

It doesn't matter who Micky Diamond is.

There are two things that all men want.

Fights and women.

We have the women.

All we need now is the boxing.

So, let's get this first fight done.

And then we'll work on getting Ali.

I promise.

Hello?

Oscar?

Sweetheart, can you hear me?

Are you okay?

Tonight, with record-breaking attendance,

the Argentinean heavyweight
title is in contention.

We have the experienced champion,
Luis Benetti,

and the young but audacious challenger,
Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena.

This promises to be
the fight of the century.

Do you know why I wrap your hands?

Because this sport is
fought with the hands.

If it were a biting sport,
I'd wrap your molars, understood?

You like being a showman, no?

I'm going to tell you something.

Tonight is the most important night
in the history of this stadium,

and you're going to be in the ring.

Ready.

Listen well, Oscar.

I could talk to you about strategy,
I could tell you where to hit Benetti,

in what round to attack, in which to wait,

but you know that. You know it by heart.

This is a unique opportunity.

Go out there
and put your life on the line.

What are you going to do?

Are you here to joke,
or are you here to box?

-I'm here to box, coach. I'm here to box.
-So let's go and get that belt.

And become champion. Argentinean champion!

-Let's go, damn it!
-Let's go, damn it!

- Let's go, Oscar!
- Let's go.

Disarm him.

- Parque Patricios with the belt.
- Go, go, go!

Go, Oscar, go! Turn, turn!

He's the dumbass.

Break his face.

Ladies and Gentlemen…

…get ready for a real fight.

It's going to be crazy!

Let's go, champ, eh?
Give it your all today, eh?

Let him come at you. Let him. Mmm?
He'll think it's his fight.

When you have him really close,
pow, you hit him with that shotgun.

Drop the bullshit.

My only hope is that
he doesn't block my left.

You have two minutes until you go out.

You asked for
the Argentinean anthem, right?

Yes, yes, Buenaventura.
Everything you asked for is there.

Two minutes.

-Did he just call you Buenaventura?
-You must have told him wrong.

He's an idiot. Didn't he see the posters?

-Are there a lot of people?
-Yeah, it's full.

-Did you see Sally?
-No, but she should be in the front row.

We don't have to talk, right?
I told you everything.

-Yeah, I'm going to eat him raw.
-This crowd is absolutely record-breaking.

25,326 IN ATTENDANCE

They're here to see Oscar, that's why.

Let's hope that tonight
his left is as quick as his tongue.

Son of a f*cking wh*re.

Weighing 218 pounds,

the great South American Champion…

Knock him out, Ringo!

From Buenos Aires, Argentina,
Oscar "Ringo" Bonavena.

Follow my orders
immediately, follow the rules,

greet each other
and on your own time, start.

Corners.

Box!

No, no!

Box!

Good, good, good.

There, there, there.

Stop! One…

…three, four, five…

…six, seven, eight.

Go lower.

It's done, Oscar.

Three more minutes, and you're
the Argentinean heavyweight champion.

Stop!

One!

Two!

Three!

Four!

Oscar!

-Very good.
-Yeah, very good.

Very good! Very good!

That's my boy.

Winner by unanimous decision,

and new Argentinean heavyweight champion,

Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena.

Sorry for everything I said.
It was just for show, to sell tickets.

-Forgive me?
-It's all right. You won well.

Bonavena! Bonavena!

-Well-deserved win.
-Thank you, Mr. Tito.

I told you I'd be champion.
Now I want them to bring me Folley.

I want to be world champion.
I want to fight Cassius Clay.

Good, champ, good.

Go, leave me alone! Get the f*ck out!