At Fairview Middle School in Tallahassee, Fla., Buster waits nervously for the school bell. The bell rings and students start packing up. Buster leaps to his feet and is out the door before the teacher even finishes talking.
Buster is the first kid out the door. He hops on his bike and speeds away. Richie and three other bullies give chase. They chase him through a trailer park.
Buster glides his bike into the driveway of a run-down trailer. Buster hops off the Huffy and lets it crash to the ground. Richie and the other bullies arrive and hop off their bikes, surrounding Buster. Buster runs towards the front door, but one of the bullies blocks his way. Richie punches Buster in the face. He falls to the ground. Mason comes out with a shotgun and scares the bullies away.
Mason steps inside and locks the door behind him. Buster stands nearby. Mason puts the shotgun down and smacks Buster upside his head. Buster shrugs. Mason punches him in the chest. Hard. Buster recoils and starts to cry. Mason punches him in the head. Buster stares at the boxing match, zoning out. Mason punches Buster in the head again. Buster falls and hits his head on the wall. He’s unconscious. Mason calls the paramedics.
Mason tells the cops the bullies assaulted Buster.
Buster stands at his locker. Richie and the bullies walk down the hall. Buster looks up and makes eye contact with Richie. Richie flinches, Buster notices and smiles to himself as he closes his locker. Richie goes down another hallway to get away. He overhears a school resource officer saying that Mason was arrested for murdering Richie's mother.
Buster heads out to the bike rack after school, to find Richie waiting. Buster acts tough, but Richie makes fun of his dad for being arrested. Richie says Mason was arrested for killing Buster's mom. Buster throws a right cross, cold knocking Richie out.
Buster goes home to find his dad gone and his Aunt Amy is there. She confirms that Richie's taunts were true. Buster will keep living at the trailer and Amy will pay the bills and bring food.
Buster watches boxing on TV and takes notes. Amy arrives with groceries.
In the kitchen, Buster puts away the groceries. Amy comes in and gives him some Betamax tapes with popular movies from the 80s and before.
Buster watches Burglar. He’s really into it and learns that stealing from big corporations is okay.
Murray walks Buster into the gym. A dozen kids in Fairview jerseys practice basketball. Buster tries out for the basketball team. He plays terribly and the other players start ignoring him. He and the coach both realize basketball isn't for Buster.
30 kids play “bust meat.” Buster gets the ball. Bullies try to cheap shot him, but he's too tough. When one bully hits him, he hits back. Coach Jackson sends them to the principal's office.
Buster hops on his Huffy and speeds away from the school. He pulls into his driveway. He hops off the bike and lets it crash. Richie and the bullies hop out of various hiding places and surround him. Buster punches faster than Richie can react, landing a blow on his nose and drawing blood. Richie screams. The others are stunned into inaction. Buster runs for the front door. It’s locked, but broken. He yanks hard enough and it opens anyway. He rushes inside. The bullies rush towards the door. Buster comes back out, pointing the shotgun at them. Buster fires the shotgun over their heads. The other bullies run, but Richie lingers. Buster threatens to kill him.
Buster walks out to the covered carport, which is a literal junkyard. He's cleaned out half the garbage when he finds a weight bench. Later, after he's swept the place, he lifts weights.
Buster watches Rocky, taking notes. It gets to the final boxing match. Buster stands up and shadow boxes, copying Apollo Creed’s every move.
Buster has cleaned and fixed up the trailer. It has a new paint job, the grass is cut, everything’s very clean. Coach Murray pulls into the driveway and parks behind Mason’s old truck. Murray gets out of his pick-up and walks for the front door. As he does Amy pulls up.
Buster, Amy and Coach Murray sit in the living room chatting. Murray has heard rumors and wanted to check in on Buster. Murray tells Buster to stop by his office on Monday.
Murray talks to Amy outside. He's trying to figure out what's bothering Buster. Amy questions his qualifications. Murray is afraid that if he doesn't help Buster, no one will. Amy says she's helping him. He asks what she's doing about Buster's growing anger problem. She denies he has one. Murray asks if she lives in the house with Buster. If not he will call child protective services. She explains a judge already signed off on his current situation. She says he's doing okay, Murray is skeptical.
Buster sleeps in his bed. A ski mask-wearing thief breaks in. Buster wakes up and reaches for the shotgun. He gets up silently and tiptoes down the hall. Buster aims the shotgun low and fires. A man screams.
Buster stands in front of his trailer, talking to a reporter. Buster is 10-years-old.
Buster sits in Coach Murray’s office. He suggests that Buster try boxing. He knows a guy who runs a gym that could train Buster. Buster is interested, but broke. Murray says he'll take care of it.
Coach Murray and Buster enter Frank's Gym. They meet the owner, Frank, who questions Buster, getting to know him. Frank tells him to come back.
Buster arrives at the gym early, eager to get started. Frank gives Buster cash and tells him to eat a good breakfast at the diner across the street.
After they eat, Grady tells Buster the diet he needs to be on and his exercise routine. Buster runs the nearby streets, bench presses 125 pounds, jumps rope, works the speed bag, works the heavy bag, and again running the streets.
Buster walks into Frank’s office, sweaty and breathing hard. He towels himself off. Frank says Buster's been doing good. But he says it takes years of hard work. Frank says his first trainee was Buster's father. He has a box of Mason's things to give him. Mason was a contender, but he fell in with the wrong guys and they talked him into throwing a fight. He got a lifetime ban. He went to prison for it and came out a different man. And that's when he started drinking heavily. Frank introduces Buster to Grady, who is going to train him.
Buster is jealous of the boxers in the fancy gym. He steals an old, ripped speed bag from the dumpster. He duct tapes the speedbag and hangs it in the carport.
A year later, the carport is now a full boxing training area. Buster practices on a speedbag. He’s noticeably more muscular now. He’s intense and focused, but he’s uneven and not at all fluid in his motions. He can only keep it going for a few seconds before he loses rhythm and has to start again. But he doesn’t give up.
He trains at Frank's Gym: bench press, jump rope, speed bag, running on the streets, overhead press and working the heavy bag.
One year later, Buster works the speed bag and is much better. He wants to get in the ring, but Grady says he's not ready.
Two years later, Buster trains: He lifts more weight, he jumps rope faster and with more complex routines, he's smoother and faster on the speedbag, he runs faster, his heavy bag form is better.
Buster works the heavy bag, smashing the hardest punches he’s ever thrown. Grady watches, impressed. Buster asks if he can get in the ring, Grady says yes.
Buster's first amateur bout is against Rollins in Tallahassee. Buster struggles, getting knocked down before getting the knockout in the 6th. He knocks out 5 more amateurs and Grady says he needs tougher competition.
Three years later, the carport boxing gym is still around, but everything has been updated and is much nicer. Buster practices with new gloves and a new speedbag. He’s leaner and his form is perfect. His cell phone rings. He’s annoyed and ignores it. It keeps ringing. He stops and rips off the glove. He struggles, but he gets it off and answers the phone. It's Grady, who is now his manager. Grady says Buster got an offer for a match, Freddy Gonzalez in Tampa. Grady says he can get Buster plenty of bouts in the Tampa area.
Buster fights Freddy Gonzalez in Tampa. Freddy is more active and efficient early. Buster knocks him out in the 8th. Record 1-0, Buster wants to fight everybody.
Buster fights Wardell Smith in Tampa. Buster's boots don't feel right, someone stole his real ones. Buster can't maintain his balance. Buster steadies himself on the turnbuckle and gets the KO in the 3rd. Record 2-0.
Buster fights Stephen “Steel” Wallace in Tampa. He gets knocked down in the third. Buster knocks Wallace out in the 4th. Record 3-0.
Buster fights "Mighty” Mike Mitchell in Orlando. He knocks Mitchell down in the first. Buster gets knocked down in the 5th. Buster wins a unanimous decision. Record 4-0.
Buster fights Flash Thomas in Sunrise. Buster is nearly 200 pounds now. Buster gets a TKO in the 6th. Record 5-0.
Buster walks through the Seminole Hard Rock Casino in a designer suit. Some people kinda recognize him. Not enough to approach him, but he gets stares and whispers. He sits down at a blackjack table and sets his chips on the table. When he looks up, he makes eye contact with the player across from him, Nicola. He plays, but loses to Nicola. She rakes in her winnings, which are substantial. She wins again and tips the dealer. She stands up and seductively whispers in Buster’s ear, telling him to bring her money to the bar. She walks away.
Buster and Nicola sit at the bar. Close, legs intertwined. They are the only people left in the bar. Buster holds up his empty glass and shakes it towards the bartender. Nicola sips from a mostly full glass of pinot noir. The bartender refills Buster’s scotch with a single pour. He shakes the glass again an the bartender fills it the rest of the way. She asks if he always drinks this much. He says only at the casino. He buys her drinks. He catches her admiring how well his shirt fits over his muscles. He smiles. She returns his smile and they stare into each other’s eyes.
Later, Buster goes down on Nicola.
Buster fights Carl Jackson in New York. Nicola watches from the crowd. Buster looks at her and Jackson knocks him down in the first. Buster knocks him out in the second. Record 6-0
Later that night, Buster leads Nicola through the city streets. They go to a small Irish pub.
Buster and Nora sit at the bar. Close, legs intertwined as before. They are the last people in the bar. It’s late. She wants to have sex, but Buster says no sex on match day. He says she can stay over, though. And he'll fuck her at sunrise. She does a spit take, then pulls him outside. She asks if he can go down on her and he says yes.
Buster fights Steve Gideon in Atlantic City. Buster looks for Nicola, but she's not there. He takes it out on Gideon, accidentally landing a low blow in the fifth. He recovers and gets a TKO. Record 7-0.
Buster fights Whitt Maximilian in Las Vegas. Buster gets a TKO in the 4th. Record 8-0.
Buster fights Roman Whirry in New York. Buster is rocked in the fifth, but survives. In the sixth, the crowd boos him for running from Whirry. Buster holds on in the tenth to win by TKO. Record 9-0.
Buster gets a CAT scan, revealing he has some brain damage. The doctor says he might recommend Buster quit if it gets worse.
Buster empties the minibar in his hotel room. He wants more to drink, so he goes to a liquor store. He buys whiskey and starts drinking in the store.
Buster goes to Nicola's house after finishing off the bottle.
Buster sits on a stool while Nicola cleans the kitchen. She’s already dressed for bed. She’s a little annoyed, banging dishes and avoiding eye contact. He gets up and opens the fridge. He roots around inside until he finds a beer. Nicola turns and glares at him. She turns back to the dishes. Buster chugs the beer. He asks if she has anything else to drink. She stops washing the dishes and grips the sink in silent rage. She asks what's wrong with him. She tells him to leave. He’s genuinely baffled. She pushes him out the door and slams it behind him. She tells him not to come back and locks the door.
Buster wears a tailored suit as he sits down at a poker table at the Hard Rock. At the center of the table sits Brooks, who is surrounded by three beautiful and sexy women. Brooks eyes Buster carefully. He recognizes the boxer, but plays it cool. Buster puts his chips on the table. He makes eye contact with Brooks, who smiles at him. Buster is embarrassed at first and looks away. Buster looks back and Brooks is still smiling at him. Brooks confirms he's Buster and announces who he is to the ladies. They flirt with him and several of them kiss him. They take him to a hotel room. Brooks tips the dealer and follows them.
Buster joins Brooks and the ladies in his multi-room hotel suite for the after party. They party: drinking, snorting coke, dancing, the ladies making out, Buster having sex with the ladies.
On Sports Central, Inesta Morgan and Major Sumrell discuss Buster.
Buster fights Jose Marquez in Detroit. Buster knocked Marquez down three times in the fifth before the referee stopped the fight. Record 10-0.
Buster fights Colin Fitzsimmons in Miami. Buster gets a first round knockout. Record 11-0.
Buster fights Darrell Dixon in Tampa. Dixon gets a knock down in the 4th, but later gets the KO. Record 12-0.
Buster fights Maynard Gans in Tampa. Buster hits Gans with a low blow. Barkley easily won a unanimous decision. Record 13-0.
Inesta and Major say Barkley currently sits as the #3 ranked contender by the IBF. WNO is probably next.
Buster does an interview with Sports Central reporter Sharon Alligood. Buster is driven to box by anger at his father and others.
Buster and his party fill up a large table in the back of a restaurant. To one side of Buster are Brooks and his ladies. On the other side are Frank and Grady. Buster has an upcoming championship bout and they're celebrating. Buster is already very drunk. Brooks breaks out the coke. Frank and Grady leave.
Frank and Grady walk outside. Frank shakes his head, worried about Buster. Grady says he'll keep an eye on him. Nicola walks up to them. Both men offer a concerned look when they see her. Grady advises her not to go inside. They hug her before she goes in.
Nicola walks in and she stops short. Buster is doing a body shot off of the blonde while the brunette and redhead snuggle up and rub on him. Brooks snorts a line of coke. Buster does his shot, then kisses the blonde’s breast. He looks up and makes eye contact with Nicola. Nicola bursts into tears and runs out of the restaurant.
Coach Murray walks in and stops short. He looks around the remains of the party. Murray asks Buster what he's doing. Buster says Murray doesn't really care. Murray says he doesn't care anymore and leaves.
Buster fights Manny Duran in New Orleans. The first round is even. Duran dominates the second round until Buster lands a low blow tat floors him. Round 4 is relatively even until Buster rocks Duran late. In round 5, Buster lands a low blow and gets a point deducted. In round 8, Buster knocks Duran down. Once he recovers, Duran bloodies Buster's left eye. Duran goes after the left eye. Buster floors Duran with a low blow. The referee disqualifies Buster and declares Duran the winner while he’s writhing in pain on the floor. Buster leaps into the air in disbelief. He tries to get to the referee, but Grady rushes out and pulls him away. Buster accidentally elbows Grady in the face and a group of men grab Buster and yank him back to his corner. Record 13-1.
Buster sits across from a psychiatrist, who goes over Buster’s test results. They say there's nothing in Buster's tests to explain his problems. Whatever it is, it's psychological, not physical. They ask Buster why he thinks he can't stop. Buster gets angry. Buster leaves and doesn’t shut the door.
Buster fights Freddy Gonzalez of Dallas. Gonzalez knocks him down in the fourth. He knocks him down again in the seventh. Buster gets up, but Gonzalez knocks him out. Record 13-2.
Buster’s hotel room is dark. He lays in the bed, drinking and reading hateful Tweets on his phone. He finishes the last of his beer. He picks up the room phone and dials room service and orders champagne. Brooks calls, asking him to go out, but Buster declines. Later, he finishes the second bottle of champagne. Upset, he throws it, cracking the TV. He goes on a rampage, destroying the room.
The hotel manager knocks at Buster’s door. A loud crash inside scares the manager and he runs back to the elevator.
Two uniformed police officers carry Buster towards the front door. He struggles to get away from them, but he’s too drunk and can barely stay on his feet. Buster is kicked out of the hotel. He very drunkenly loads his stuff into a rental car. He gets in and passes out.
The highway is relatively empty as Buster drives along, struggling to keep the car in the right lane. He weaves the car past a cop stationed beneath a billboard. The cop turns on his lights and pulls out to follow Buster. Buster pulls over. The cop gets out and carefully approaches Buster’s window. Buster rolls it down. The officer is a fan and recognizes him. He gets an autograph. The officer says Buster is too intoxicated to be driving, but he's not arresting him. But he does have to walk home or call someone to pick him up. Buster starts walking along the highway. Buster is further along Highway 19. He waves as the officer drives past him. He calls Brooks to come pick him up.
Brooks drives along Highway 19. Buster sits in the passenger seat. Brooks says a couple of opportunities have fallen into his lap. The first is a paid meet-and-greet between Buster and a high roller. The second is a special event with a promoter named Gordon Broun. He gives Buster a business card.
Buster drunkenly pulling into his driveway, smashing a headlight on a trash can. He gets out and stumbles inside. The carport gym is dirty and neglected. Inside, he keeps drinking. He calla Nicola, but no answer. He passes out.
Buster fights Maynard Gans in Quebec City. In the third, Buster falls. Later in the round, he lands a low blow. The ref doesn't see it, but the crowd does. They boo and start throwing things at him. Fights break out in the stands. Amid the chaos, the ref calls the fight and everybody rushes to safety. Since Gans' fans started the violence, he is disqualified. Record 14-2.
Buster fights Caldwell Pope in Tampa. Buster is knocked down in the third. The ref calls the bout. An alert Buster protests, to no avail. Record 14-3.
Buster fights Jeff Green in Ontario, California. In the first round, he refuses to fight and kneels to the canvas. The ref starts to count him out. He dances around for the rest of the round, throwing no punches. The crowd boos. Buster doesn't return to his corner, he walks out of the arena and loses by disqualification. Record 14-4.
Buster fights Porter Wagner in Las Vegas. In the fourth round, Buster is getting beaten badly. A blonde woman climbs into the ring and assaults Wagner with her shoe. Wagner pushes her and Buster jumps on top of him. He bites Wagner's cheek. He's pulled off Wagner and is disqualified. Record 14-5.
Buster stands before a tribunal from the Nevada Boxing Commission. He is banned from boxing in Nevada for a year.
Buster enters the presidential suite at the Hard Rock, joining Brooks, the ladies and Floyd. Floyd is super excited to see him. Brooks introduces them. Brooks waves the ladies out the front door and he goes to the bar. Brooks pours powder from a capsule into Buster’s drink and stirs it in. Brooks hands him his drink. He hands another to Floyd and the men toast. Buster coughs a little as he swallows. Brooks and Floyd exchange a glance. Floyd smiles. He sits, taking another sip of his drink before setting his glass down. He looks drowsy. Buster passes out.
Brooks tosses Floyd a gym bag. Floyd opens it and it contains two pair of boxing gloves. Buster is still unconscious, but he’s now shirtless, wearing boxing trunks and gloves. Floyd is dressed the same way. Brooks holds Floyd’s phone, ready to take pictures. Floyd approaches Buster’s unconscious body, fists raised. He tentatively punches Buster in the face. Brooks laughs nervously. Floyd sets himself and punches Buster harder. Buster’s head falls to the side.
Floyd punches him again. Harder. Then he proceeds to batter the unconscious boxer with blow after blow. Brooks drops the phone to his side. He stops watching the first time Brooks draws blood. Floyd beats Buster in the face and on the body until he’s too tired to go on. Floyd stops, breathing heavily. Brooks turns to see Buster beaten badly. Bleeding from several cuts, skin red nearly everywhere from the repeated blows. Brooks almost vomits. A giddy Floyd poses next to Buster, holding his glove close to Buster’s battered face. The CAMERA stays on Brooks as he starts snapping pics. He takes about a dozen. Brooks pulls out his own phone and calls an ambulance. Floyd boos.
Six months later, Buster calls promoter Gordon Broun. Gordon meets him at Lucky's Pub. Gordon recruits him for a private boxing match.
Buster arrives at Gordon Broun's house in Tampa, where a ring is set up in the back yard. Inside the ring, Buster faces off against a mountainous man, Frantz. Buster smashes Frantz with a powerful overhand right and the giant amateur is out before he hits the mat. The crowd of ne’er-do-wells, hangers-on and influencers goes crazy. The referee helps Buster take off his gloves. Gordon hands him $50. Gordon says Buster can do another fight tonight for another $50, but Buster gets upset and leaves.
Six months later, Buster is reinstated by the Nevada commission. Commissioner Brown warns him that he'll have convince someone to promote him and convince boxers to fight him, but most will say no. Brown suggests the promoter Daniel Clamp.
Buster enters Caesars to watch a boxing match. He’s seated next to Manny Duran. Duran's happy to see him. He's sorry to hear about Buster's family and says he comes from a similarly dark background. Duran says he heard Buster is looking for a bout. He offers to fight Buster as long as he promises no biting or low blows. Buster promises.
Buster sits in Daniel Clamp’s office. Clamp asks how he got Duran to agree to a fight. Buster shrugs. Clamp says the commission doesn’t want this fight in Nevada. Florida is the only state that will sanction the bout. Buster has to keep it clean. If he wins, he get $4 million and you will be licensed in any state. If he loses he only gets $100k. If he can't keep it clean, his career is over. Nobody will take him. Buster isn’t happy about the deal, but he takes it.
Buster fights Manny Duran in Paradise, Nevada. In round 1, Buster fights well, earning Duran's respect. In the third, Buster lands a low blow. The audience boos him. The referee deducts a point.
Time freezes for Buster. He looks around. Sees disappointment on Duran’s face. He sees Grady shake his head in disgust. He sees disdain on the referee’s face. In the audience, he sees a variety of reactions--anger, pity, even fear. He sweats as he looks from face to face. He nearly panics and almost runs.
The referee brings the fighters together and Buster snaps back to reality.
Buster apologizes and Duran accepts. The fight continues.
In round 4, Duran staggers Buster, but he survives the round.
In round 5, Duran knocks Buster down, but he's able to get up.
In round 7, Buster knocks Duran down, but he gets back up.
In Round 8, Duran hits Buster with a cheap shot. Buster swings wildly and almost lands a low blow, but he stops himself. Duran floors him. Buster struggles to get up, but makes it in time.
In Round 9, Duran staggers Buster. He keeps pushing and has Buster on the ropes. Duran leaves an opening and Buster lands an overhand right that makes Duran stumble backwards and fall through the ropes onto the scorer's table.
But Duran leaves an opening. And Buster lands and overhand right and Duran is counted out.
A fan hands Buster a half empty champagne bottle. Grady shakes his head, but Buster doesn’t see it. Buster takes a deep look at the bottle. He shrugs. He takes a sip. Then another. Grady closes his eyes and looks down. Record 15-5.