Hunter (1984–1991): Season 5, Episode 19 - Ring of Honor - full transcript
SAMMY DAVIS, JR. ("Ocean's 11," "Robin and the Seven Hoods") guest stars as a boxing trainer who helps McCall investigate a series of murders in the world of prize fighting. Los Angeles restaurateur Nicky Blair guest stars as hims...
Tonight on "Hunter."
-And I knocked him out.
O-U-T.
-The fight went the
way we talked about.
-He could have taken
Sanchez anyway.
-Do you understand me?
I'm outta here.
-Sounds like Sonny's
under a lot of pressure.
-Sonny's possessed.
I mean, Sonny will do
anything to be a champ.
-His description of the
suspect matches Sonny to a t.
-I won't lose any sleep over it.
-You know what?
You need a conscience bad.
-Finish with your combo!
Combo!
-Dammit!
-Lemme look at that eye.
-How bad's my cut?
-No, it's, it's OK.
It's OK.
Come over here.
Just lemme press this.
There you go.
You're looking sharp.
You're looking sharp.
Make it look good.
There's a big pay day.
Look sharp.
Look sharp.
-Ray, one voice in the corner.
Just one voice.
-All right.
All right.
I'm sorry.
-Stay off of the ropes.
Get away from them.
Box him.
Keep your hand up
to protect that eye.
You understand me?
And the fight is yours.
You go one more round.
-OK, Hector.
Last round.
Touch gloves now.
-Sonny, it's the last round.
I want you touch gloves.
-OK.
-Box him, Sonny.
Box him.
Jab, jab, jab, jab, jab.
-Sonny's gonna win the fight.
-Relax, Nicky.
It's not over yet.
-Are you kidding?
Vegas had him at
six to one underdog.
And I got $200 on him.
-What'd you do?
Get a tip?
-Ah, sentimental reason.
-There's Sporty.
Hey.
Sporty!
-Leo.
Why don't you go see what
Doc Bieler's blood pressure's like.
-What do think?
-Well, apparently all three
judges have us in good shape.
All we need is.
-Get off the ropes!
Take it to him, Sonny!
Take it to him!
Take him when you're ready!
Three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten.
That's it.
-Ladies and gentlemen,
we have the time.
One minute, 37 seconds
in round number ten.
The winner by way
of knockout, and still
undefeated, Sonny Ruiz.
-Congratulations, Sonny.
-Oh, thanks, Mr. Gleason.
-Listen, if you don't
have any plans,
uh, we're having a little get
together at the house later
on tonight.
-Hey, that's great.
-Unfortunately, we
do have other plans.
Thanks a lot, but no thanks.
Come on, Sonny.
-OK, let's go back.
I'll introduce you to Benny.
-All right.
-Come on.
-As soon as the locker
room clears we'll go in.
-You're all right, Sonny.
You'll live.
Benny, the eye's OK.
Got a great physical
specimen here.
Gonna go places.
-Hey, nothing can stop me now.
I'm on my way.
-That's what I like to hear.
-I told you we could take
Sanchez, didn't I, Benny?
-Yeah.
Yeah, you did.
-Now we got Gleason
banging down our door.
That's the big time.
-Yeah, Gleason's
got Cyclone Williams,
number three
contender in his stable.
I must be doing
something right, eh, Benny?
-Yeah.
You're feeling pretty good
now, aren't you, Sonny?
-Yeah.
-13 and 0 as a pro.
You know what a
real pro would have
done to you in
that corner tonight?
He would have murdered you.
What I'm saying, Sonny, is
that it's not just hooks and jabs,
it's headbutts, it's
elbows, there's 1,000 tricks
that you haven't even
begun to learn yet.
-Gleason's one of the top
promoters in the country.
-You know what the Gleason's
of this world are looking for?
They're looking
for a big pay day.
Kid, he'll use you,
he'll abuse you,
and he'll drop you
like a bad habit.
-I just won a damn big fight.
How about a little support?
-Well, um,
congratulations fellas.
See you next week.
-Take a good luck
in the mirror, pal.
You're trying to live
your life through the kid.
Well, it won't work.
You had your turn,
now it's Sonny's.
-Hey, Benny.
Great fight.
-Hi, Nicky.
-Rick Hunter, Benny Schafer.
-Hi, pleasure.
I saw you fight Iron
Man Johnson years ago.
-Yeah, it was a long time ago.
You a fight fan?
-Well, yeah.
Yeah, a little bit.
-Sonny, this is Nicky
Blair and Rick Hunter.
-Yeah, how you doing, guys?
-Pleasure, hi, how are you?
-Great fight, Sonny.
-Yeah, congratulations.
I understand you got a
shot at Cyclone Williams.
-Sure hope it happens.
-Cyclone Williams, he
used to flight out of your gym,
didn't he, Ben?
-Yeah.
Sonny will fight him one day.
-Benny, Marta's waiting.
I'll talk to you tomorrow.
-Uh, would you like
to go to my place
and get something to eat, Ben?
-Thank you, Nicky, but
gimme a rain check, will you?
-Sure.
-Pleasure.
-My pleasure.
-You'll call me, huh, you'll
call me by the end of the week?
-Yeah, I'll call you.
-OK.
-Congratulations.
-Thank you.
-I don't think
Benny's gonna show.
-Yeah.
Ray, what's the problem?
-Benny thinks an awful
lot of that kid, Mr. G.
-So do I. We all want
what's best for the kid.
-Benny wouldn't like
to see the kid get hurt.
-Doc, is the kid gonna get hurt?
-Kid's in great shape.
He's 13 and 0.
13 and 0.
His reflexes are sharp.
He's got a punch like a mule.
No physical problems
as far as I can see.
-And the fight went the way
we talked about, right, Ray?
-Come on, Mr. G, the
kid's a hell of a fighter.
He could've taken
Sanchez anyway.
You know Sonny's like
blood to me and Benny.
-Ray, to me he's like gold.
I just can't take any chances.
I need him.
I need him to move my
fighters worth the big money.
Now along the way, he'll
pick up a nice pile for himself.
Who knows, maybe even
a title shot down the road.
Ray, you are into the
bookies for over $100,000.
I can't keep them off
your back any longer.
-I'm doing the best I can.
-Do better.
-End of meeting.
-Hey, where's my money?
-Relax, Ray.
You'll get paid.
It takes time.
-I need it now.
I can't think straight till I get
these bookies off my back.
Look, give me my share
now and lend me the rest.
-Listen Ray, once Sonny
moves into Gleason's camp
your problems are solved.
-Benny won't go along with it.
Anyway, I don't like the way
this whole thing's going down.
-It's too lay now, Ray.
-Oh, yeah.
What do you think Gleason's
gonna do when he finds out what
you've been pumping
into Sonny, huh?
And maybe I'll go to the
commission with it, too.
-You'd do that, wouldn't you?
-You can make book on it.
-Oh, did you see me
in there tonight, baby?
I mean I had it!
I mean, I walked
into that ring and I,
I felt a fine-tuned machine
working on all eight cylinders.
And I come up to this
kid and knocked him out,
O-U-T. Not bad for an underdog.
-Benny says you
were lucky tonight.
-What do you mean?
Because of this?
He's just afraid to unleash me.
Ray thinks I'm ready
for Cyclone Williams.
Do you know what I tell Ray?
I say, why don't we move it
and wait and take on Sugar Ray?
-What's happening to you, Sonny?
Huh?
You're really talking
crazy you know that?
-Crazy?
The only thing I'm
crazy about is you.
Come on.
Let's go to Gleason's.
-I don't wanna go to Gleason's.
-Come on.
I just won a fight. You
wanna be a couch potato?
Let's go party.
-Not with Gleason.
-You know, you're
starting to sound
just like Benny after the fight.
-What's wrong with
sounding like Benny?
I mean, what is
happening to you, Sonny?
I mean, ever since Gleason
all you talk about is you.
What about us?
Our dreams, our goals,
remember, Sonny?
-Baby, baby, I love you, and
I love Benny, and I love Ray,
but right now I'm on a roll.
I mean, I can feel it every
time I walk into a ring,
I can feel it.
You know what that feels like?
And I just get out there.
-Ray?
Ray?
-That's it.
Teach him that spin.
Spin on your right foot.
-Fellas, hey.
-Hey, what are you doing here?
-Oh, come on.
Slow down.
I just wanted to convey
best wishes from Mr. Gleason.
I'd like to talk to your boy.
-Oh, you would, eh?
Well you can't because this is
my gym, these are my fighters,
and I want you outta here.
-Take it easy.
-Hey.
You ever touch him again,
I'm gonna break your nose.
-Yeah, right.
Buzz off.
-I, I'll talk to
you girls later.
-OK, now what the
hell's going on here?
-Just take it easy.
-Don't give me that
take it easy stuff.
You too, Ray.
I'm sick and tired of this.
You get it straight
or I'm outta here.
You understand me?
I'm outta here.
-What's going on?
-What have you
been telling Gleason?
-You know what I've
been telling Gleason.
-Well, I'm telling you
it's no good for Sonny.
-Look Benny, I'm sick and
tired of these crummy club
fights with no pay off.
Just once, just once in
my life I wanna big pay day.
-And if you get a
big pay day you'll
have to turn it over
to the bookies, which
is what you've been
doing all these years.
If you hadn't you'd
have money today.
-Benny, what's the
matter with you?
What's happened to us?
We used to be like brothers.
Won't you listen to
me just this once?
Just this once, please?
I'm begging you.
-Come on, Ray, you'd,
you don't have to beg me.
Look, all I'm
saying is we finally
got a kid with a future, huh?
And if we're good to
him, he'll be good to us.
But we've gotta be straight
with him and don't let him down.
-Yeah.
You're right, you're right.
-Huh?
-You're right.
You're right.
-Good.
Come on.
Faster than you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
-Sure, boss.
-All right.
All right.
Go back to the bags.
-What the hell are
you doing here?
-What time did you and
Benny leave the TKO Bar?
About um, 10:00 or 10:30.
I just can't believe it.
Not, not Ray.
-Where'd you go after that?
-Come on.
Ray and I were like family.
Don't.
I went to my girlfriend
Marta's house.
You can check it.
-Benny, do you any idea what
Ray was doing here so late?
-I don't know.
Maybe he wanted to be alone.
-Do you have idea
who would do this?
-I wish I knew.
-Well, if you were me,
where would you start?
-Bookies.
I mean all of them.
Cause he in hot up to his butt.
Maybe, maybe one of
them just pushed a little hard.
-Now, see that doesn't
make sense, Benny.
Because if a bookie kills
him he doesn't get paid, right?
-Well, it's the best
I can come up with.
-Well, if you can
think of anything else
why don't you come
on down to the station
and we'll have
a nice little chat.
-If I think of
anything I'll call you.
I hate station houses.
It's a hang up
from my childhood.
-I hope you're happy, Benny.
-How's the kid doing?
-I think he's pretty shaken up.
His girlfriend's Marta Gomez.
I'll go over and talk to her.
-Yeah.
-What'd Benny tell you?
-He told me Ray was in
deep with every bookie in town.
-Tell you what.
I'll run it by Sporty,
see what he can dig up.
-Yeah, good. He's
always able to find things.
Talk to you later.
How you doing?
-Yeah, hi, Rick.
I appreciate you coming.
He's been here for a couple
hours and he's really down.
Let's go take a look.
-OK.
Sure thing.
He's a wreck.
I've known him
for 20 years, Rick.
And I've, I've never
seen him like this before.
I'm, I'm really worried.
-Well, let me have
word with him by myself.
-OK.
I'll, I'll be in the kitchen.
-Yeah, good.
Thanks.
-I don't know where to start.
-Listen Benny, an
awful lot's happened
over the last 24 hours.
Why don't you
relax, take your time,
and start at the beginning.
-It's a lot of
years ago, Hunter.
Ray and I go back over 20 years.
When Sonny's father
died we took the kid in.
Well, we trained
him, looked after him.
I brought up that kid
like he was my own son.
He won't make a
move without my say so.
-You and Ray ever argue?
-Yeah.
We argued.
He always pushed
the kid too fast.
-Well, what's wrong with that?
-You too, Hunter?
Look, the only thing
Ray was interested in
was a big pay day.
And Gleason he
offered him the moon.
-So with, uh, Ray
gone now there's
no way you'd ever turn the boy
over to Gleason, is that right?
-Hunter, whoever
killed Ray is trying
to put a wedge
between Sonny and me.
Now if something happens
to me, then the kid's
got no place to go
except to Gleason.
And I ain't gonna
let that happen.
-Let me just tell you
something, Benny.
You relax about Gleason.
Let me worry about him.
OK?
-All right.
-I want you to be available
to me if I need you.
You understand me?
-All right.
All right.
You know what the
Gleason's of this world
are after?
One big pay day.
They'll use you, abuse you,
and drop you like a bad habit.
-Make it you good.
There's a big pay day.
Look sharp.
-Marta Gomez?
-Yes.
Sergeant McCall, LAPD.
-Sonny?
-No, I just need to ask
you a couple of questions.
He's fine.
-God.
-Listen, could we go
inside and talk for a little bit?
-Yeah.
-Let me help you with that.
-Thanks.
-Where should I put these?
-Uh, just on the
coffee table, please.
Just have a seat on the sofa.
-Thanks.
-So how can I help you?
-Ray Sullivan's been murdered.
Talk to me.
-Look, ever since this guy
Gleason's been around,
Sonny only has time for Sonny.
-Leaves you
feeling left out, huh?
-You're a good cop.
-Well, I understand.
How's Sonny taking Ray's death?
-Not well.
-Tell me about Gleason.
-Gleason wants
Sonny to fight for him.
He wants to promote Sonny.
He wants to manage Sonny.
But Benny doesn't
think he's ready yet.
Ray did.
-Sounds like Sonny's
under a lot of pressure.
-Sonny's possessed.
I mean, Sonny will do
anything to be a champ.
-What do you mean?
-Just wait right here a second.
He's been taking these for
the last 6 and 1/2 months.
-He's taking anabolic steroids?
-Yeah.
-Sergeant Hunter,
good afternoon.
Can I offer you
something to drink?
-Uh, no thanks, Mr. Gleason.
-I presume you're here
because of Ray Sullivan's death.
Am I a suspect?
-Oh, I don't know.
You tell me.
-I've been accused
of a few killings
in my time, Sergeant Hunter.
But those were all financial.
-Well, I can greatly
appreciate that, however,
I'm here to discuss a homicide.
What was your relationship
with Ray Sullivan?
-Ray Sullivan was a
small time fight promoter.
I was trying to help him
with some financial problems.
-How's that?
-We were talking
about buying one
of his fighters, Sonny Ruiz.
-I see.
-Oh, I won't pretend it
was nothing in it for me.
Kid's a helluva fighter.
-Another, uh,
financial killing, huh?
-Sergeant Hunter,
I have a stable full
of fighters including the
third rank middleweight
Cyclone Williams.
Sonny Ruiz is just
another property.
See, I don't dirty my
hands with the Ray
Sullivans of this world.
-So he was in a different
league, Ray, huh?
-Just another business
deal gone south.
I won't lose any sleep over it.
-No, you'd need a
conscience for that.
You don't want any
part of me so sit down.
-Sit down, will you.
-OK, Mr. Gleason.
I appreciate your hospitality.
We'll all be chatting soon.
-Excuse me.
Can I help you?
Excuse me?
Physical therapist to 4 West.
-Hey, Kelly, there he goes.
-So you say this happened
about, uh, two o'clock, huh?
-That's right, I, I
was sitting at my desk
and this guy came
running in here.
I asked him if I could
do something for him,
but he just ignored
me and ran past
me and got into the elevator.
Got off on two, so I came
back and called security.
-OK.
Now, that's the
guy you saw, right?
-Yeah, that's the guy.
-You're sure about that?
-Yeah, that's him.
-OK.
Good.
Thanks very much.
Listen, if you think
of anything else,
please call me at that number.
One on the bottom
right-hand corner's my office.
-OK.
-Thanks.
-I interviewed the guard.
His description of the
suspect matches Sonny to a t.
He also got the license
plate number off the car.
L-Y-T-E-S-O-U-T.
-Lights out.
-Yeah, and the car's
registered to Sonny Ruiz.
-Hmm.
The, uh, receptionist
ID's him as well.
What did you hear
from headquarters?
-They confirm that both of
Gleason's men, Dino Morelli
and Leo White have real
strong alibis for the night
that Ray was killed.
-OK, look, it's
about time you dig
up, see what
Sporty has to offer.
I'll go find Sonny.
-You weren't
supposed to kill a guy.
I just wanted to find out
what Ray and Doc were up to.
Now I'm gonna have Hunter
walking all over my business.
-I keep telling you it
was just an accident.
-Who told you to hit him?
-I slapped the guy
a couple of times.
He fell and hit his head.
Look, the guy's dead.
All right?
But we're better off.
He told me he killed him.
Said he was going
straight to the boxing
commission about our business.
-Maybe you're right.
You're still sloppy!
And you think you can do
this without having an accident?
Talk to Benny.
Tell him we don't sign
Sonny, we waste the kid.
Can you do that
without killing anybody?
-Don't worry.
It's covered.
-And Dino, you tell Benny
that kid doesn't fight for us,
he doesn't fight for anybody.
-Capisce.
-So where'd you put
your money, Sporty?
Hector Sanchez or Sonny Ruiz?
, what's the difference.
I lost.
My man went in the tank.
-What makes you
think it was a fix?
-Look, wagering
ratios altered drastically
in last few moments.
Sonny's odds went from
six to one to three to one
in the last 10 minutes.
-So what does that mean exactly?
-Well, in the parlance of
the gaming community,
a bet on Sonny is smart money.
Rumor has it that there's a guy
who lay down $50,000 on him
in the last 10 minutes.
-50 g's?
-Mhmm.
-Who's that?
-A fight doctor by
the name of Bieler.
-Doc Bieler?
-Mhmm.
-You think Benny and
Ray knew it was a fix?
-Well, whoever knew
made a lot of money.
-Heh, you're not kidding.
-Gee, was that?
Don't they know we're closed?
What the hell are
you doing in here?
-Leo, take him in the back.
-Benny.
-Have him show you one of
those beautiful cannolis he's got.
-What does it take
to get through to you,
for you to get the message?
I do not want a
deal with Gleason.
-We just want Sonny's
name on a contract.
-You've got no chance of that.
And it's no deal.
-You do know Sonny's
popping steroids, don't you?
Oh, yeah, Ray and Doc
turned the kid onto the stuff.
Now didn't anybody
tell poor old Benny?
You get the kid
delivered to Gleason
or you won't have any kid.
You try living with that.
-You'd kill Sonny, wouldn't you?
Just like you killed Ray.
-Ray was stupid.
We didn't kill Ray.
Doc killed him.
Ray was about ready
to sing to the boxing
commission about the drugs.
-So you killed Doc.
-That was an accident.
And if you don't want any
more accidents, deliver the kid.
Leo, let's go.
Don't be stupid.
There's a lot of money in this.
-Benny, what happened?
-But Sonny, I don't get it.
I still don't understand
why you went there.
-I told you.
Something was going
on with Ray and the Doc.
That's why I was there.
-Yeah, what?
What was going on?
-I don't know.
Something.
-Was it Ray's gambling again?
-No.
Maybe.
Hell, I don't know.
I mean, everything's
going so fast.
First it was Ray, then the Doc.
I mean, Benny might be next.
-Sonny, Sonny, listen to me.
Please go to the police, Sonny.
-Oh, baby, are you crazy?
The woman in the
building saw me.
Doc Beiler was beaten to death.
The cops are gonna
think it was me.
-Sonny, if you think
Gleason killed Ray,
go see Sergeant McCall.
She'll help us.
-Marta, the cops
can't help people
like me, not against
guys like Gleason.
He's got all the
juice in the world.
-No, but, Sonny...
-No, Sonny, enough.
Don't you understand?
Gleason's the only one
that can help us now.
He's my only answer.
You understand me?
-Yeah.
-And if I don't sign with
Gleason, if I don't sign
with him, something bad's
gonna happen to Benny.
-Benny, get a hold
of yourself, will you?
Stop talking crazy, huh?
-You don't understand, Nick.
The Gleason's of
this business has
been picking my pockets
for the last 20 years.
-Take it easy.
Stop talking like that.
-I've given this game
everything I've got.
First Ray, now they want Sonny.
No way.
-Sonny's a good kid.
He won't do anything
to let you down.
-You don't know Gleason.
He's gotta be stopped.
He's gotta be stopped before
he messes up Sonny's life.
-Benny.
-McCall, come in here on double.
I got something good for you.
Sergeant McCall
will be right in.
-Thank you.
-Captain.
-This is Ann Smith.
Sergeant McCall.
-Yeah, I remember you.
You're the reception
a Dr. Bieler's building.
-Right.
-Miss Smith, tell Sergeant
McCall what you just told me.
-Well, when Sergeant Hunter
interviewed me at Dr. Bieler's
building I told
him that all I saw
was a guy run in and run
out a few minutes later.
What I forgot to tell him was
is I'm six months pregnant.
And that i arrived
earlier than I usually do,
which is 9 o'clock.
Well, I had an 8:00
AM appointment
that morning and my
doctor's in the same building.
So when I came
through the parking lot,
I saw a man
parked in a gray car.
-Did you get the license number?
-No.
-So what happened?
-Well, when I walked
passed him, he
quickly put on a
pair of sunglasses.
It seemed kind of strange to me.
It seemed like he was
trying to hide his face.
I really didn't think
too much about it
until after Sergeant
Hunter left.
-If you saw this
man again do you
think you could
recognize his face?
-She already has.
-It's Dino Morelli.
It's one of Gleason's boys.
-Excuse me, captain.
Uh, Sergeant McCall,
you wanna take
an urgent call from
a Mr. Nicky Blair?
-Yeah.
-He's on line two.
-Hey, Nicky.
Thanks.
He says that Benny
just left his restaurant.
He seems real
upset and he thinks
he's on his way
over to Gleason's.
-Get on it.
I'll call Hunter and
I'll get some backup.
-So Sonny, you throw
the punches, I do the rest.
Right?
-You saw me handle
Sanchez, right?
-Like an ace.
Listen, let's go in here.
We'll have a little visit, sit
down, talk a little contract.
You want a drink? Do you drink?
-I don't drink.
-Oh. All right.
Well, have a little fruit juice.
Yeah, Sonny.
Sit down.
Take it easy.
Now, let's talk.
Sanchez was fighting with
two thirds of his hand speed
in his prime.
If it was Cyclone.
Maybe, but not yet.
First, we gotta get you a, see?
So we're gonna put you on
a prelim card with O'Connor.
-O'Connor, I could take
that guy with one hand.
-Sonny, I pick the
fights, you do the boxing.
-OK, no problem.
Just don't hurt Benny.
Put it in writing and
I'll sign anything.
-You don't have to sign nothing.
-Benny, what are you doing here?
-I can't let you go
through with this, kid.
Now get outta here.
-Now let's all calm down.
Benny, you're taking
this much too personally.
It's strictly business.
-Business, huh?
Business like when
you killed Ray?
That was business
too, wasn't it?
-Now you know I had
nothing to do with that.
-Yeah.
Yeah, I forgot.
You had nothing to
do with Doc either.
Write Dino?
Kid, these guys
will stop at nothing.
-Benny, listen to me.
I'm giving Sonny what he needs,
big paychecks, big cable deals.
You wanna jump on for
the ride, you're welcome.
-Now let me tell you
something, Gleason.
I've been caving
in to guys like you
much too long,
but not this time.
-Benny don't do it.
Don't do it.
Look, just get out of here.
-You don't understand, Sonny.
If it's not today,
-Then it'll be tomorrow.
-Freeze it right there, Benny.
-Take Mr. Schafer outside.
You promised me you
weren't gonna hurt him.
-Nobody's talking
about getting hurt.
Take him outside
and let him cool off.
And then take him home.
All right.
Now Sonny, you wanna help Benny?
Let's finish our business.
-Freeze, police!
Right there!
Don't even think about it.
-Benny!
-I got it covered.
-Don't move.
Hold up!
Police!
-I didn't hurt him.
-Come here.
That's right.
Come right over here.
Over here.
You all right, Sonny.
-Yeah, Benny.
I'm OK.
-Drop the gun, Benny.
-Stay out of this, Hunter.
-Benny, I mean it.
Come on.
Give me the gun.
-No.
It's payback time for all
the small-time promoters
that he has rolled over.
-You don't worry about him.
He'll pay for it.
-Benny, don't blow
it on this scum.
It ain't worth it.
-He's right, Benny.
Give me the gun.
Come on.
That's right.
Thatta boy.
Eight, nine, ten and you're out.
Works for me.
-And I knocked him out.
O-U-T.
-The fight went the
way we talked about.
-He could have taken
Sanchez anyway.
-Do you understand me?
I'm outta here.
-Sounds like Sonny's
under a lot of pressure.
-Sonny's possessed.
I mean, Sonny will do
anything to be a champ.
-His description of the
suspect matches Sonny to a t.
-I won't lose any sleep over it.
-You know what?
You need a conscience bad.
-Finish with your combo!
Combo!
-Dammit!
-Lemme look at that eye.
-How bad's my cut?
-No, it's, it's OK.
It's OK.
Come over here.
Just lemme press this.
There you go.
You're looking sharp.
You're looking sharp.
Make it look good.
There's a big pay day.
Look sharp.
Look sharp.
-Ray, one voice in the corner.
Just one voice.
-All right.
All right.
I'm sorry.
-Stay off of the ropes.
Get away from them.
Box him.
Keep your hand up
to protect that eye.
You understand me?
And the fight is yours.
You go one more round.
-OK, Hector.
Last round.
Touch gloves now.
-Sonny, it's the last round.
I want you touch gloves.
-OK.
-Box him, Sonny.
Box him.
Jab, jab, jab, jab, jab.
-Sonny's gonna win the fight.
-Relax, Nicky.
It's not over yet.
-Are you kidding?
Vegas had him at
six to one underdog.
And I got $200 on him.
-What'd you do?
Get a tip?
-Ah, sentimental reason.
-There's Sporty.
Hey.
Sporty!
-Leo.
Why don't you go see what
Doc Bieler's blood pressure's like.
-What do think?
-Well, apparently all three
judges have us in good shape.
All we need is.
-Get off the ropes!
Take it to him, Sonny!
Take it to him!
Take him when you're ready!
Three, four, five, six,
seven, eight, nine, ten.
That's it.
-Ladies and gentlemen,
we have the time.
One minute, 37 seconds
in round number ten.
The winner by way
of knockout, and still
undefeated, Sonny Ruiz.
-Congratulations, Sonny.
-Oh, thanks, Mr. Gleason.
-Listen, if you don't
have any plans,
uh, we're having a little get
together at the house later
on tonight.
-Hey, that's great.
-Unfortunately, we
do have other plans.
Thanks a lot, but no thanks.
Come on, Sonny.
-OK, let's go back.
I'll introduce you to Benny.
-All right.
-Come on.
-As soon as the locker
room clears we'll go in.
-You're all right, Sonny.
You'll live.
Benny, the eye's OK.
Got a great physical
specimen here.
Gonna go places.
-Hey, nothing can stop me now.
I'm on my way.
-That's what I like to hear.
-I told you we could take
Sanchez, didn't I, Benny?
-Yeah.
Yeah, you did.
-Now we got Gleason
banging down our door.
That's the big time.
-Yeah, Gleason's
got Cyclone Williams,
number three
contender in his stable.
I must be doing
something right, eh, Benny?
-Yeah.
You're feeling pretty good
now, aren't you, Sonny?
-Yeah.
-13 and 0 as a pro.
You know what a
real pro would have
done to you in
that corner tonight?
He would have murdered you.
What I'm saying, Sonny, is
that it's not just hooks and jabs,
it's headbutts, it's
elbows, there's 1,000 tricks
that you haven't even
begun to learn yet.
-Gleason's one of the top
promoters in the country.
-You know what the Gleason's
of this world are looking for?
They're looking
for a big pay day.
Kid, he'll use you,
he'll abuse you,
and he'll drop you
like a bad habit.
-I just won a damn big fight.
How about a little support?
-Well, um,
congratulations fellas.
See you next week.
-Take a good luck
in the mirror, pal.
You're trying to live
your life through the kid.
Well, it won't work.
You had your turn,
now it's Sonny's.
-Hey, Benny.
Great fight.
-Hi, Nicky.
-Rick Hunter, Benny Schafer.
-Hi, pleasure.
I saw you fight Iron
Man Johnson years ago.
-Yeah, it was a long time ago.
You a fight fan?
-Well, yeah.
Yeah, a little bit.
-Sonny, this is Nicky
Blair and Rick Hunter.
-Yeah, how you doing, guys?
-Pleasure, hi, how are you?
-Great fight, Sonny.
-Yeah, congratulations.
I understand you got a
shot at Cyclone Williams.
-Sure hope it happens.
-Cyclone Williams, he
used to flight out of your gym,
didn't he, Ben?
-Yeah.
Sonny will fight him one day.
-Benny, Marta's waiting.
I'll talk to you tomorrow.
-Uh, would you like
to go to my place
and get something to eat, Ben?
-Thank you, Nicky, but
gimme a rain check, will you?
-Sure.
-Pleasure.
-My pleasure.
-You'll call me, huh, you'll
call me by the end of the week?
-Yeah, I'll call you.
-OK.
-Congratulations.
-Thank you.
-I don't think
Benny's gonna show.
-Yeah.
Ray, what's the problem?
-Benny thinks an awful
lot of that kid, Mr. G.
-So do I. We all want
what's best for the kid.
-Benny wouldn't like
to see the kid get hurt.
-Doc, is the kid gonna get hurt?
-Kid's in great shape.
He's 13 and 0.
13 and 0.
His reflexes are sharp.
He's got a punch like a mule.
No physical problems
as far as I can see.
-And the fight went the way
we talked about, right, Ray?
-Come on, Mr. G, the
kid's a hell of a fighter.
He could've taken
Sanchez anyway.
You know Sonny's like
blood to me and Benny.
-Ray, to me he's like gold.
I just can't take any chances.
I need him.
I need him to move my
fighters worth the big money.
Now along the way, he'll
pick up a nice pile for himself.
Who knows, maybe even
a title shot down the road.
Ray, you are into the
bookies for over $100,000.
I can't keep them off
your back any longer.
-I'm doing the best I can.
-Do better.
-End of meeting.
-Hey, where's my money?
-Relax, Ray.
You'll get paid.
It takes time.
-I need it now.
I can't think straight till I get
these bookies off my back.
Look, give me my share
now and lend me the rest.
-Listen Ray, once Sonny
moves into Gleason's camp
your problems are solved.
-Benny won't go along with it.
Anyway, I don't like the way
this whole thing's going down.
-It's too lay now, Ray.
-Oh, yeah.
What do you think Gleason's
gonna do when he finds out what
you've been pumping
into Sonny, huh?
And maybe I'll go to the
commission with it, too.
-You'd do that, wouldn't you?
-You can make book on it.
-Oh, did you see me
in there tonight, baby?
I mean I had it!
I mean, I walked
into that ring and I,
I felt a fine-tuned machine
working on all eight cylinders.
And I come up to this
kid and knocked him out,
O-U-T. Not bad for an underdog.
-Benny says you
were lucky tonight.
-What do you mean?
Because of this?
He's just afraid to unleash me.
Ray thinks I'm ready
for Cyclone Williams.
Do you know what I tell Ray?
I say, why don't we move it
and wait and take on Sugar Ray?
-What's happening to you, Sonny?
Huh?
You're really talking
crazy you know that?
-Crazy?
The only thing I'm
crazy about is you.
Come on.
Let's go to Gleason's.
-I don't wanna go to Gleason's.
-Come on.
I just won a fight. You
wanna be a couch potato?
Let's go party.
-Not with Gleason.
-You know, you're
starting to sound
just like Benny after the fight.
-What's wrong with
sounding like Benny?
I mean, what is
happening to you, Sonny?
I mean, ever since Gleason
all you talk about is you.
What about us?
Our dreams, our goals,
remember, Sonny?
-Baby, baby, I love you, and
I love Benny, and I love Ray,
but right now I'm on a roll.
I mean, I can feel it every
time I walk into a ring,
I can feel it.
You know what that feels like?
And I just get out there.
-Ray?
Ray?
-That's it.
Teach him that spin.
Spin on your right foot.
-Fellas, hey.
-Hey, what are you doing here?
-Oh, come on.
Slow down.
I just wanted to convey
best wishes from Mr. Gleason.
I'd like to talk to your boy.
-Oh, you would, eh?
Well you can't because this is
my gym, these are my fighters,
and I want you outta here.
-Take it easy.
-Hey.
You ever touch him again,
I'm gonna break your nose.
-Yeah, right.
Buzz off.
-I, I'll talk to
you girls later.
-OK, now what the
hell's going on here?
-Just take it easy.
-Don't give me that
take it easy stuff.
You too, Ray.
I'm sick and tired of this.
You get it straight
or I'm outta here.
You understand me?
I'm outta here.
-What's going on?
-What have you
been telling Gleason?
-You know what I've
been telling Gleason.
-Well, I'm telling you
it's no good for Sonny.
-Look Benny, I'm sick and
tired of these crummy club
fights with no pay off.
Just once, just once in
my life I wanna big pay day.
-And if you get a
big pay day you'll
have to turn it over
to the bookies, which
is what you've been
doing all these years.
If you hadn't you'd
have money today.
-Benny, what's the
matter with you?
What's happened to us?
We used to be like brothers.
Won't you listen to
me just this once?
Just this once, please?
I'm begging you.
-Come on, Ray, you'd,
you don't have to beg me.
Look, all I'm
saying is we finally
got a kid with a future, huh?
And if we're good to
him, he'll be good to us.
But we've gotta be straight
with him and don't let him down.
-Yeah.
You're right, you're right.
-Huh?
-You're right.
You're right.
-Good.
Come on.
Faster than you.
I'll see you tomorrow.
-Sure, boss.
-All right.
All right.
Go back to the bags.
-What the hell are
you doing here?
-What time did you and
Benny leave the TKO Bar?
About um, 10:00 or 10:30.
I just can't believe it.
Not, not Ray.
-Where'd you go after that?
-Come on.
Ray and I were like family.
Don't.
I went to my girlfriend
Marta's house.
You can check it.
-Benny, do you any idea what
Ray was doing here so late?
-I don't know.
Maybe he wanted to be alone.
-Do you have idea
who would do this?
-I wish I knew.
-Well, if you were me,
where would you start?
-Bookies.
I mean all of them.
Cause he in hot up to his butt.
Maybe, maybe one of
them just pushed a little hard.
-Now, see that doesn't
make sense, Benny.
Because if a bookie kills
him he doesn't get paid, right?
-Well, it's the best
I can come up with.
-Well, if you can
think of anything else
why don't you come
on down to the station
and we'll have
a nice little chat.
-If I think of
anything I'll call you.
I hate station houses.
It's a hang up
from my childhood.
-I hope you're happy, Benny.
-How's the kid doing?
-I think he's pretty shaken up.
His girlfriend's Marta Gomez.
I'll go over and talk to her.
-Yeah.
-What'd Benny tell you?
-He told me Ray was in
deep with every bookie in town.
-Tell you what.
I'll run it by Sporty,
see what he can dig up.
-Yeah, good. He's
always able to find things.
Talk to you later.
How you doing?
-Yeah, hi, Rick.
I appreciate you coming.
He's been here for a couple
hours and he's really down.
Let's go take a look.
-OK.
Sure thing.
He's a wreck.
I've known him
for 20 years, Rick.
And I've, I've never
seen him like this before.
I'm, I'm really worried.
-Well, let me have
word with him by myself.
-OK.
I'll, I'll be in the kitchen.
-Yeah, good.
Thanks.
-I don't know where to start.
-Listen Benny, an
awful lot's happened
over the last 24 hours.
Why don't you
relax, take your time,
and start at the beginning.
-It's a lot of
years ago, Hunter.
Ray and I go back over 20 years.
When Sonny's father
died we took the kid in.
Well, we trained
him, looked after him.
I brought up that kid
like he was my own son.
He won't make a
move without my say so.
-You and Ray ever argue?
-Yeah.
We argued.
He always pushed
the kid too fast.
-Well, what's wrong with that?
-You too, Hunter?
Look, the only thing
Ray was interested in
was a big pay day.
And Gleason he
offered him the moon.
-So with, uh, Ray
gone now there's
no way you'd ever turn the boy
over to Gleason, is that right?
-Hunter, whoever
killed Ray is trying
to put a wedge
between Sonny and me.
Now if something happens
to me, then the kid's
got no place to go
except to Gleason.
And I ain't gonna
let that happen.
-Let me just tell you
something, Benny.
You relax about Gleason.
Let me worry about him.
OK?
-All right.
-I want you to be available
to me if I need you.
You understand me?
-All right.
All right.
You know what the
Gleason's of this world
are after?
One big pay day.
They'll use you, abuse you,
and drop you like a bad habit.
-Make it you good.
There's a big pay day.
Look sharp.
-Marta Gomez?
-Yes.
Sergeant McCall, LAPD.
-Sonny?
-No, I just need to ask
you a couple of questions.
He's fine.
-God.
-Listen, could we go
inside and talk for a little bit?
-Yeah.
-Let me help you with that.
-Thanks.
-Where should I put these?
-Uh, just on the
coffee table, please.
Just have a seat on the sofa.
-Thanks.
-So how can I help you?
-Ray Sullivan's been murdered.
Talk to me.
-Look, ever since this guy
Gleason's been around,
Sonny only has time for Sonny.
-Leaves you
feeling left out, huh?
-You're a good cop.
-Well, I understand.
How's Sonny taking Ray's death?
-Not well.
-Tell me about Gleason.
-Gleason wants
Sonny to fight for him.
He wants to promote Sonny.
He wants to manage Sonny.
But Benny doesn't
think he's ready yet.
Ray did.
-Sounds like Sonny's
under a lot of pressure.
-Sonny's possessed.
I mean, Sonny will do
anything to be a champ.
-What do you mean?
-Just wait right here a second.
He's been taking these for
the last 6 and 1/2 months.
-He's taking anabolic steroids?
-Yeah.
-Sergeant Hunter,
good afternoon.
Can I offer you
something to drink?
-Uh, no thanks, Mr. Gleason.
-I presume you're here
because of Ray Sullivan's death.
Am I a suspect?
-Oh, I don't know.
You tell me.
-I've been accused
of a few killings
in my time, Sergeant Hunter.
But those were all financial.
-Well, I can greatly
appreciate that, however,
I'm here to discuss a homicide.
What was your relationship
with Ray Sullivan?
-Ray Sullivan was a
small time fight promoter.
I was trying to help him
with some financial problems.
-How's that?
-We were talking
about buying one
of his fighters, Sonny Ruiz.
-I see.
-Oh, I won't pretend it
was nothing in it for me.
Kid's a helluva fighter.
-Another, uh,
financial killing, huh?
-Sergeant Hunter,
I have a stable full
of fighters including the
third rank middleweight
Cyclone Williams.
Sonny Ruiz is just
another property.
See, I don't dirty my
hands with the Ray
Sullivans of this world.
-So he was in a different
league, Ray, huh?
-Just another business
deal gone south.
I won't lose any sleep over it.
-No, you'd need a
conscience for that.
You don't want any
part of me so sit down.
-Sit down, will you.
-OK, Mr. Gleason.
I appreciate your hospitality.
We'll all be chatting soon.
-Excuse me.
Can I help you?
Excuse me?
Physical therapist to 4 West.
-Hey, Kelly, there he goes.
-So you say this happened
about, uh, two o'clock, huh?
-That's right, I, I
was sitting at my desk
and this guy came
running in here.
I asked him if I could
do something for him,
but he just ignored
me and ran past
me and got into the elevator.
Got off on two, so I came
back and called security.
-OK.
Now, that's the
guy you saw, right?
-Yeah, that's the guy.
-You're sure about that?
-Yeah, that's him.
-OK.
Good.
Thanks very much.
Listen, if you think
of anything else,
please call me at that number.
One on the bottom
right-hand corner's my office.
-OK.
-Thanks.
-I interviewed the guard.
His description of the
suspect matches Sonny to a t.
He also got the license
plate number off the car.
L-Y-T-E-S-O-U-T.
-Lights out.
-Yeah, and the car's
registered to Sonny Ruiz.
-Hmm.
The, uh, receptionist
ID's him as well.
What did you hear
from headquarters?
-They confirm that both of
Gleason's men, Dino Morelli
and Leo White have real
strong alibis for the night
that Ray was killed.
-OK, look, it's
about time you dig
up, see what
Sporty has to offer.
I'll go find Sonny.
-You weren't
supposed to kill a guy.
I just wanted to find out
what Ray and Doc were up to.
Now I'm gonna have Hunter
walking all over my business.
-I keep telling you it
was just an accident.
-Who told you to hit him?
-I slapped the guy
a couple of times.
He fell and hit his head.
Look, the guy's dead.
All right?
But we're better off.
He told me he killed him.
Said he was going
straight to the boxing
commission about our business.
-Maybe you're right.
You're still sloppy!
And you think you can do
this without having an accident?
Talk to Benny.
Tell him we don't sign
Sonny, we waste the kid.
Can you do that
without killing anybody?
-Don't worry.
It's covered.
-And Dino, you tell Benny
that kid doesn't fight for us,
he doesn't fight for anybody.
-Capisce.
-So where'd you put
your money, Sporty?
Hector Sanchez or Sonny Ruiz?
, what's the difference.
I lost.
My man went in the tank.
-What makes you
think it was a fix?
-Look, wagering
ratios altered drastically
in last few moments.
Sonny's odds went from
six to one to three to one
in the last 10 minutes.
-So what does that mean exactly?
-Well, in the parlance of
the gaming community,
a bet on Sonny is smart money.
Rumor has it that there's a guy
who lay down $50,000 on him
in the last 10 minutes.
-50 g's?
-Mhmm.
-Who's that?
-A fight doctor by
the name of Bieler.
-Doc Bieler?
-Mhmm.
-You think Benny and
Ray knew it was a fix?
-Well, whoever knew
made a lot of money.
-Heh, you're not kidding.
-Gee, was that?
Don't they know we're closed?
What the hell are
you doing in here?
-Leo, take him in the back.
-Benny.
-Have him show you one of
those beautiful cannolis he's got.
-What does it take
to get through to you,
for you to get the message?
I do not want a
deal with Gleason.
-We just want Sonny's
name on a contract.
-You've got no chance of that.
And it's no deal.
-You do know Sonny's
popping steroids, don't you?
Oh, yeah, Ray and Doc
turned the kid onto the stuff.
Now didn't anybody
tell poor old Benny?
You get the kid
delivered to Gleason
or you won't have any kid.
You try living with that.
-You'd kill Sonny, wouldn't you?
Just like you killed Ray.
-Ray was stupid.
We didn't kill Ray.
Doc killed him.
Ray was about ready
to sing to the boxing
commission about the drugs.
-So you killed Doc.
-That was an accident.
And if you don't want any
more accidents, deliver the kid.
Leo, let's go.
Don't be stupid.
There's a lot of money in this.
-Benny, what happened?
-But Sonny, I don't get it.
I still don't understand
why you went there.
-I told you.
Something was going
on with Ray and the Doc.
That's why I was there.
-Yeah, what?
What was going on?
-I don't know.
Something.
-Was it Ray's gambling again?
-No.
Maybe.
Hell, I don't know.
I mean, everything's
going so fast.
First it was Ray, then the Doc.
I mean, Benny might be next.
-Sonny, Sonny, listen to me.
Please go to the police, Sonny.
-Oh, baby, are you crazy?
The woman in the
building saw me.
Doc Beiler was beaten to death.
The cops are gonna
think it was me.
-Sonny, if you think
Gleason killed Ray,
go see Sergeant McCall.
She'll help us.
-Marta, the cops
can't help people
like me, not against
guys like Gleason.
He's got all the
juice in the world.
-No, but, Sonny...
-No, Sonny, enough.
Don't you understand?
Gleason's the only one
that can help us now.
He's my only answer.
You understand me?
-Yeah.
-And if I don't sign with
Gleason, if I don't sign
with him, something bad's
gonna happen to Benny.
-Benny, get a hold
of yourself, will you?
Stop talking crazy, huh?
-You don't understand, Nick.
The Gleason's of
this business has
been picking my pockets
for the last 20 years.
-Take it easy.
Stop talking like that.
-I've given this game
everything I've got.
First Ray, now they want Sonny.
No way.
-Sonny's a good kid.
He won't do anything
to let you down.
-You don't know Gleason.
He's gotta be stopped.
He's gotta be stopped before
he messes up Sonny's life.
-Benny.
-McCall, come in here on double.
I got something good for you.
Sergeant McCall
will be right in.
-Thank you.
-Captain.
-This is Ann Smith.
Sergeant McCall.
-Yeah, I remember you.
You're the reception
a Dr. Bieler's building.
-Right.
-Miss Smith, tell Sergeant
McCall what you just told me.
-Well, when Sergeant Hunter
interviewed me at Dr. Bieler's
building I told
him that all I saw
was a guy run in and run
out a few minutes later.
What I forgot to tell him was
is I'm six months pregnant.
And that i arrived
earlier than I usually do,
which is 9 o'clock.
Well, I had an 8:00
AM appointment
that morning and my
doctor's in the same building.
So when I came
through the parking lot,
I saw a man
parked in a gray car.
-Did you get the license number?
-No.
-So what happened?
-Well, when I walked
passed him, he
quickly put on a
pair of sunglasses.
It seemed kind of strange to me.
It seemed like he was
trying to hide his face.
I really didn't think
too much about it
until after Sergeant
Hunter left.
-If you saw this
man again do you
think you could
recognize his face?
-She already has.
-It's Dino Morelli.
It's one of Gleason's boys.
-Excuse me, captain.
Uh, Sergeant McCall,
you wanna take
an urgent call from
a Mr. Nicky Blair?
-Yeah.
-He's on line two.
-Hey, Nicky.
Thanks.
He says that Benny
just left his restaurant.
He seems real
upset and he thinks
he's on his way
over to Gleason's.
-Get on it.
I'll call Hunter and
I'll get some backup.
-So Sonny, you throw
the punches, I do the rest.
Right?
-You saw me handle
Sanchez, right?
-Like an ace.
Listen, let's go in here.
We'll have a little visit, sit
down, talk a little contract.
You want a drink? Do you drink?
-I don't drink.
-Oh. All right.
Well, have a little fruit juice.
Yeah, Sonny.
Sit down.
Take it easy.
Now, let's talk.
Sanchez was fighting with
two thirds of his hand speed
in his prime.
If it was Cyclone.
Maybe, but not yet.
First, we gotta get you a, see?
So we're gonna put you on
a prelim card with O'Connor.
-O'Connor, I could take
that guy with one hand.
-Sonny, I pick the
fights, you do the boxing.
-OK, no problem.
Just don't hurt Benny.
Put it in writing and
I'll sign anything.
-You don't have to sign nothing.
-Benny, what are you doing here?
-I can't let you go
through with this, kid.
Now get outta here.
-Now let's all calm down.
Benny, you're taking
this much too personally.
It's strictly business.
-Business, huh?
Business like when
you killed Ray?
That was business
too, wasn't it?
-Now you know I had
nothing to do with that.
-Yeah.
Yeah, I forgot.
You had nothing to
do with Doc either.
Write Dino?
Kid, these guys
will stop at nothing.
-Benny, listen to me.
I'm giving Sonny what he needs,
big paychecks, big cable deals.
You wanna jump on for
the ride, you're welcome.
-Now let me tell you
something, Gleason.
I've been caving
in to guys like you
much too long,
but not this time.
-Benny don't do it.
Don't do it.
Look, just get out of here.
-You don't understand, Sonny.
If it's not today,
-Then it'll be tomorrow.
-Freeze it right there, Benny.
-Take Mr. Schafer outside.
You promised me you
weren't gonna hurt him.
-Nobody's talking
about getting hurt.
Take him outside
and let him cool off.
And then take him home.
All right.
Now Sonny, you wanna help Benny?
Let's finish our business.
-Freeze, police!
Right there!
Don't even think about it.
-Benny!
-I got it covered.
-Don't move.
Hold up!
Police!
-I didn't hurt him.
-Come here.
That's right.
Come right over here.
Over here.
You all right, Sonny.
-Yeah, Benny.
I'm OK.
-Drop the gun, Benny.
-Stay out of this, Hunter.
-Benny, I mean it.
Come on.
Give me the gun.
-No.
It's payback time for all
the small-time promoters
that he has rolled over.
-You don't worry about him.
He'll pay for it.
-Benny, don't blow
it on this scum.
It ain't worth it.
-He's right, Benny.
Give me the gun.
Come on.
That's right.
Thatta boy.
Eight, nine, ten and you're out.
Works for me.