Mick Maguire and his family are boxers; boxing is not only their past-time but also their livelihood. They own a gym and train themselves. Mick is the eldest of his siblings, and had been the family's top fighter until he busted his shoulder. Even though his shoulder has healed, Mick is not what he used to be. When Mick's younger sister Jilly beats him in a sparring match, Mick's father reveals to him that during the match in which Mick busted his shoulder, Mick's father had bet on him and lost. The family is seriously in debt and could lose the gym, and now Mick's father is particularly worried: he has doubled down on Mick's upcoming match, and Mick has looked unpromising in his training sessions. On Friday, Jilly wins her match, but Mick loses. Now the Maguires are in even more debt, and Mick's father and Mick meet with Tony Dukarski, a mob member, who has bought the family's debt and says they can have their debts back if Jilly and Mick both throw their upcoming fights. They make the deal, but just after they do, a reporter with whom Mick is friendly warns Mick that Dukarski will break his end of the deal, because he is in serious debt himself: he has his own agenda, and is using the Maguires to publicize the man Mick will fight, Toro. Dukarski plans to earn money from Toro's future winnings to pay off his own loans. Mick and his father come up with their own plan: Jilly will win her match, and Mick will cancel his last minute, so that Toro remains a no-name fighter who will make Dukarski no money. The night of the matches, Jilly defeats her opponent with a first-round knockout. Instead of cancelling his match, however, Mick warms up: he knows this is likely his final fight ever, and he's not backing down.