Bud Gordon, portrayed by Corey Stoll, is a once-renowned boxing champion who has fallen from grace, now leading a life shrouded in disappointment alongside his girlfriend, Ellen Doyle, played by Marin Ireland. The bitter taste of his last match's unexpected defeat clings to him, rendering him a figure of ridicule in the boxing world, forever marked by the humiliating title of "glass chin". In a desperate attempt to regain his footing, Bud takes on the role of mentor for Kid Sunshine, a promising young welterweight contender, portrayed by Malcolm Xavier, as they prepare for an upcoming fight.
Things take a dramatic turn when Bud encounters JJ Cook, a shrewd and ruthless Manhattan entrepreneur and crime lord, brought to life by Billy Crudup. JJ offers Bud a seemingly lucrative partnership: he is to act as a debt collector alongside Roberto Flash, played by Yul Vazquez, an adept enforcer working for JJ. However, as Bud and Roberto embark on their grim assignment, things quickly spiral out of control. When Bud is tasked with discreetly entering a debtor's apartment with Roberto, his partner goes missing, leaving Bud alone and vulnerable in a treacherous situation.
The fallout from this job unveils a shocking reality; the debtor has been murdered, and Bud finds himself ensnared as the prime suspect. Upon contacting the seemingly absent Roberto, Bud realizes he has been merely a pawn in JJ's malicious scheme. JJ possesses damning evidence, which he threatens to use against Bud, coercing him to manipulate the outcome of Kid Sunshine's upcoming match — to ensure a loss, or face severe consequences.
As Bud wrestles with a moral dilemma, his once-solid relationship with Ellen begins to unravel amidst the pressure. It becomes evident that JJ orchestrated Bud's previous fight, leading to his humiliation. Outside Kid Sunshine's locker room, Roberto passionately urges Bud to do the right thing, stressing the importance of letting his protégé lose, but the sands of time may have already slipped away.
As the fateful fight commences, the sounds of the commentators fill the air, and against all odds, Kid Sunshine manages to survive the first round. While Bud listens anxiously from the confines of his limousine, the piercing wail of police sirens breaks through the tension, prompting him to mutter an ominous phrase: > "Right hand lead."
