Plot

A washed-up trainer takes a self-destructive young boxer under his wing.

Hector, a young Mexican national and border-crossing migrant farm laborer, has boxing abilities just like his late father had. He could perhaps be good if he learned to think along with his pummeling, then he could do better for his ailing mother than pull in a few side dollars from small-time, illegal gambling fights. Getting on the bad side of racist Texas farmer Big Al and his cocky, pugilist son Robert, puts Hector in touch with an alcoholic trainer named Billy who, nevertheless, can teach him to be better. It all comes down to an arranged, high-stakes match between Hector and the 20-pounds more muscular Robert in which Hector's only hope is to demonstrate he can keep his head in the game.—statmanjeff

HECTOR VILLA, physically tough, but emotionally self-destructive, is one of the millions of illegal migrant workers vying for a new life in the U.S., and will do everything he can to rise above picking fruit in the dirt. Hector dreams of being a boxer, like his father before him, but finds he has to fight just to survive the grim reality of living on a Texas Ranch. During the day Hector works long hours under the scorching sun. But at night, he trades his work gloves for boxing gloves, fighting in the surrounding bars and converted barns, where a five dollar entrance fee and a few rounds in a makeshift ring can score the winner more than a days pay in the sweltering fields.

But when his mother ROSA becomes ill, Hector's forced to take as many fights as he can to pay for her expensive heart medicine. He takes on all comers and starts to win big, becoming a local hero to his migrant co-workers, but only one man says who can and can't fight in this town. BIG AL STEVENS owns the Ranch, the land, and everything on it, including the local boxing arena where his son ROBERT reigns as the undefeated champ, and Big Al plans to keep it that way. He's not going to let one of his pickers take the shine off his son's rising star. Hector is severely beaten by Big Als men and dumped in the Mexican desert. He wakes up homeless and penniless, and is forced to live on the desperate streets of Mexico, fighting in any venue he can for food and lodging. And when he hears of his mother's death, only the fierce hunger of facing Robert in the ring keeps him alive. Things take a turn for Hector when his finds BILLY JENKS, the grizzled, down and out ex-boxer that trained Robert. Billy dumped Robert after learning that he was on the juice, but refuses to help Hector in his impossible quest to beat Robert. A fight he knows Hector can't win. Billy thinks Hector's good, but not good enough, and besides, Big Al would never agree to such a fight. But Billy is surprised to learn that Big Al has changed his mind, through the "persuasive" help of Hector's migrant picker friends. Billy begins to train Hector, teaching him that it will take more than anger to go up against Big Al and challenge Robert's dominance in the ring. Fight Night becomes a battlefield of heart wrenching emotions. A bloody clash of love, honor and loyalty, powerfully envisioned by fight coordinator turned director, Jimmy Nickerson (Rocky, Rocky II, Raging Bull, Fight Club).