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.
♪ Sometimes loving ♪
♪ Is so, so hard to do ♪
♪ And there are times we hurt each other ♪
♪ Just trying to make it through ♪
♪ We've come too far together ♪
♪ To throw it all away ♪
♪ 'Cause right here in my heart, girl ♪
♪ Forever you will stay ♪
♪ 'Cause, baby, you're the one That keeps me hanging... ♪
Who are you, Mr. Wig?
Enrique Suárez, champ.
I work here.
Silvia, bring Ringo a glass of water. Rough night?
Where were you?
At church.
Where else would I be? At the club.
Don't talk to me like that.
What? Can't I say anything? Must I tiptoe around you?
Tiptoe? Just don't talk to me like that. That's all.
I treat you perfectly well. I couldn't treat you any better.
I'm busting my ass for you and for our family.
- What the fuck are you saying? - Pipe down, Oscar.
Look at me. Look at my face. This is how I destroy my soul for you and the kids.
- And you snipe at me. Fuck you! - Stop shouting, Oscar.
The kids are sleeping.
Everyone tells me what to do, but you know what?
In the ring I'm all alone.
They even take away your stool.
VI. MY CARIBBEAN FRIEND
You better not miss it. You're one of my honored guests.
I'm in Tahoe, yeah.
Kokanee salmon. That's right, yeah.
Yeah, well, I'll see if I catch one of those bastards.
I need to clear my head a little.
Uh.
I'll be back tonight for the opening.
I'll see ya. Bye.
MUSTANG RANCH GRAND REOPENING
Good evening, Reno!
Are you having fun?
♪ I will love you... ♪
Don't worry.
I'm not going to sing.
We're here to celebrate, not to suffer.
And to give a big welcome
to the new girls of the Mustang Ranch!
Come on, guys.
Open your fucking wallets!
Where is Sally?
Where is the boss?
Where is the real boss?
Oh, there you are!
Please,
give a big round of applause
to the one and only Sally Conforte!
Welcome to our home!
And let's fucking party!
New hairstyle?
Yep.
I needed a new look.
We have quite the host tonight, huh?
I'm glad you're... entertained.
Didn't you like that dress I bought you?
Well, this one's more for a party.
That's what we're here for, right?
Business is booming. Let's celebrate.
Of course.
I'm gonna go say hello to a few friends.
Ringo, wait.
I gotta talk to you a minute.
You're going a little too fast here.
You gotta slow down or there'll be trouble with Joe.
Ah, so Joe is mad?
Ringo is mad.
He promised me a fight with Ali, and he put me to fight in a bingo.
You were there.
I'm not talking about boxing.
You don't want to be on his shit list.
Don't provoke him.
You know why you're always gonna be the henchman?
Because you don't have something that I have.
A big pair of balls.
No. Not that one.
That's for ordinary customers.
Give us two shots of our best whiskey.
Special whiskey for special people. Mmm?
You look fancy!
I can almost see myself making love to ya.
Cheers.
So, how did you like Lake Tahoe?
Nice place.
Nice people.
That house is my place in the world.
Sometimes the Mustang can be a little...
claustrophobic.
Out there, I feel free.
I have time for my true passion.
And what's that?
Fly fishing.
Salmon.
You know what they call salmon?
No.
"A hero fish".
A salmon's life is an odyssey.
It migrates to the ocean.
And when it's time to spawn,
it swims against the current, see,
all the way to the river where it was born.
That's where old Joe is waiting for them.
But I don't fish for the sports.
That's for the weak.
I like to eat the hero fish down to the last...
bone.
The secret is to get their attention.
Salmon attacks the fly for its bright colors.
Thinks it's the boss.
And then...
bam!
Dead because of its big mouth.
What a stupid fish.
You can do what you want with my wife.
But don't mess with my business.
Are you crazy?
What are you doing here?
Sorry. I need some money.
Ringo, it's late. Get out.
- Did anyone see you come in? - No.
Sally, please.
Let's talk about business.
You gotta get out of here.
Enough for one night.
- Sally, please. - Go back to the trailer, Ringo, please.
It's dangerous.
Go now, please.
Go.
INFIRMARY
Oscar.
Walk straight, please.
Oscar, Titi,
look at me.
Breathe.
Hey! We're at the hospital.
Stay calm. Everything is going to be fine.
Button this up and we're going to talk to the doctor. Okay?
Family of Dora Raffa?
I'm her husband, doctor.
How old is the patient?
Twenty-five.
Any underlying health issues?
No, nothing. She's very healthy.
History of substance use? Anything like that?
Doctor, what happened? Did she slip in the shower?
Mr. Bonavena, your wife arrived here intoxicated.
How long has she been taking tranquilizers?
Can I see her?
Sorry, have you seen my husband?
I swear that from now on I'll make you breakfast every day.
You won't.
Don't make empty promises.
Start by waking up with me at home.
Every day.
I have a plan for us to be okay, together.
Stopping boxing?
You know what? We'll trade in the car for another one.
My car.
Speaking of future champions, we have a spontaneous visitor.
Please welcome
Oscar Natalio "Ringo" Bonavena.
SPORTS WORLD
Hi, how are you?
Thank you for having me.
Tito.
Have a seat, Ringo. What a surprise.
Yeah. I heard you were filming, so I stopped by to say hi.
Ringo, you fought for the world championship
on the same weekend as The Untouchable in Japan.
Tito was there.
He won and you lost. What do you have to say about that?
Well, yeah, The Untouchable is now champion of the world and I'm not yet.
But I did earn $75,000 that night.
And the little guy, a little less than 30,000.
So, I ask you, if you could turn back time,
who would you choose to be, The Untouchable or Bonavena?
Ah. [laughs] I don't know. Frankly, I don't know.
Who would you be?
I don't know either.
But the reason why there are bigger purses for heavyweights in the United States
is because of the box-office draw.
- Ah. - Well, that's partly true.
- Some other things come into play. - Such as?
With promoters as intermediaries, you earn less.
And I want it all to end up here.
So, you won't work with Tito anymore, then?
How could I not? Tito is a legend.
So, tell me, Ringo, is it possible to fight Muhammad Ali?
Yes, I think it is.
I dream about it every day.
And I would like Tito Lectoure to be at my side.
And with those statements, we're going to take a short break.
But stick around, because there's more Sports World.
See you soon.
Now? Yesterday you were dying.
Shut up.
What did the doctor give you?
Have you thought about it?
Don't say a thing.
- Dorita. - Let's enjoy the night.
I'm going to quit, okay?
One good fight and I'm done, I promise.
Like I believe you, eh?
That jerk has been looking at you since we arrived.
I'm going to kill him.
He must be a fan of yours.
One of the remaining few.
Mr. Bonavena, the gentleman at the bar has sent over this bottle of champagne.
Thank him, but if I want something, I'll pay for it.
And if I liked that shit champagne, I'd buy the whole cellar.
Tell him.
Look how you get, eh? Just because the guy is handsome.
Hmm?
Well, he is.
Nobodies come out of nowhere with bottles as if I were starving.
- They can fuck off. - Do you have a cigarette?
- No. - I'm out. I'm going to buy some.
- Wait, we'll ask the waitress. - No, I need some fresh air, Oscar.
Mr. Bonavena, I did not mean to make you uncomfortable.
The handsome champagne man.
What is it, do you like men? Is that why you're sending me gifts?
Yes, I like men.
I like heavy ones who know how to box, like you.
I'm having dinner with my wife. Don't give me a ball ache. Go away.
Can I have a seat? I'll be brief.
My name is José Montano.
I'm a boxing promoter.
I want to buy your contract. That is, we want to buy your contract.
My associates and I.
It's not for sale.
Thing is, we don't want to buy it with money.
Then what'll you buy it with, champagne?
With glory.
As you know, Muhammad Ali is fighting again
and needs to pick up speed.
The Americans are thinking about who his next opponent could be.
And the truth is, in the States, you have quite the image.
The "Great White Hope." You know how many times I've heard that?
Exactly.
A white boxer capable of challenging Black dominance.
Who, on top of hitting hard,
understands the most important thing about this business.
The show.
What I am offering, Mr. Bonavena,
is for you to be The Greatest's next opponent.
And $20,000 up front when we sign the contract.
What's your cut?
My cut is around 35%
of what we win in Argentina and abroad.
How do I know you're not lying?
The fight clause is outlined in the contract.
If it's breached, the deal's already done.
And I lose $20,000.
Look at me closely.
I may look like a lying Caribbean man,
but do I look like I want to lose $20,000?
Know what I mean?
Waiter.
We were heading into a storm and I told the pilot, "Aim at the middle."
Well, I see you accepted the champagne.
- Nice to meet you, José Montano. - Dora.
Dora, let me introduce you to the God of the Caribbean.
He's going to put Oscar "Ringo" Bonavena where he deserves to be.
He's going to make me a legend,
a national hero, the San Martín of boxing.
And if he fucks it up, I'll cut off his balls with a spoon, eh?
No.
Bonavena, Bonavena, Bonavena...
Gentlemen, we are very happy to announce this morning
the consummation of negotiations
for the very important 15-round heavyweight fight
between Muhammad Ali and Oscar Bonavena.
Is there one for me?
Come here, lowlife, give me a hug.
I was offered $150,000 to fight Cassius Clay,
which is 60 million pesos.
Get your ticket, Rolito. You're coming with me.
We're going, dear Oscar.
I think it'll be much rougher than Jerry Quarry...
- We'll make history. - ...than George Chuvalo.
Much rougher than Karl Mildenberger and Zora Folley.
Could you beat Cassius Clay?
What a question. Ask me in which round.
No. Where are you going?
- Where'd you get that gun? - Shh.
778 Natalio
You're scared by that shit?
I don't want to end up in the desert with a bullet in my neck.
It's fine.
Ringo, we're visitors here. This isn't Parque Patricios.
What are you saying?
I'm saying they're going to kill us. That's what I'm saying.
Nobody's gonna kill me.
These guys are rough.
Real rough.
They set fire to your passport. They're going to kill us, Ringo. Let's go.
Go.
If you're afraid, go.
Yes, I am afraid.
There's the door, coward.
Traitor.
You're a traitor.