Cagney plays a truck driver named Danny Kenny, who starts as a New York boxing contender. Ann Sheridan plays his girlfriend, Peggy. Being successful as a boxer, Danny decides to financially help his brother Eddie (Arthur Kennedy) to become a professional musician. Peggy on the other hand, loses her heart to Murray Burns (Anthony Quinn), a professional dancer, and she turns down Danny’s proposal in order to go for a dancing career. Embittered by Peggy’s refusal, Danny continues to work as a boxer and eventually gets blinded by his opponent during a fight, who has placed some rosin dust onto his gloves. Now partly blind, Danny works as a newspaper stand operator, while Peggy is seized with remorse after her career as a dancer had not come true. The movie ends with Eddie being a successful composer who dedicates his first major symphony at Carnegie Hall to his brother, who is listening to the concert on the radio from his newsstand.–PLOT OF 19540 WEEPER, “CITY FOR CONQUEST’ STARRING JIMMY CAGNEY AS THE FIGHTER (Wikipedia)
That’s the Hollywood stereotype. Rocky Balboa told the same story essentially. Nearly eveyr boxing flick or TV portrayal does the same.
Boy in abject poverty (see Manny Pacquiao sleeping on sidewalks, selling cigarettes on Manila streets) turns to the wicked fight game for a way out.
Which is why I’m not sure why Marco Antonio Barrera Tapia, age 36 and a Mexican ring icon, and Julio Cesar Chavez, age 24 and son of the ultimate Mexican ring icon, are fighting this Saturday night in San Antonio.
Pride of Mexico -Hall Of Famer Marco Antonio Barrera, fighting on at age 36, and Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr., son of the Legend from Culiacan (Top Rank Photo/Chris Farina)
They are 12 years apart, they are 30 pro bouts apart in experience and Barrera is a Hall Of Famer who has gone from division to division copping world titles. He and archrival Erik Morales (also back fighting, of course) were the Twin Towers of Mexican boxing for so long.
Consider this, Barrera turned professional at age 15 or 21 long years ago!
Early on, I worked on the promotion of a few Young Chavez fights.
I viewed The Kid as being a wanna-be fighter, someone trying to please a demanding Daddy Dearest type. I figured him to have ab out 10 bouts, then pack it in when he got a slight cut or even a hangnail.
I figured following in his father’s ring shoes was the fad of the moment for JC Jr. Maybe he would try golf or water polo next.
I was wrong, 100 percent wrong.
Even if he were to lose to the limited Irish John Duddy in Texas (but he won’t), Chavez has proven himself a solid pro, so much so that Coach Freddie Roach has opted to handle his training.
Maybe Roach sees some inner toughness in The Son and maybe he believes The Son Also Rises.
So why do they fight?
Sure, they take the money. Sure, they don’t give Bob Arum any refunds nor should they.
But what they have in common besides their heritage is that both come from an affluent background, Barrera in Mexico City and JCC Jr. in drug battleground Culiacan.
Is it the fame if not the fortune? I’ve heard no rumors of MAB being broke.
Let’s hope neither Barrera nor Chavez finish up like the blinded Jimmy Cagney did in weeper, “City For Conquest” (Move Still)
It’s no wonder they don’t make movies like “City For Conquest” anymore.
A well off guy like Barrera keeps on fighting, despite knowing he’s way past his prime.
A well off Chavez fights on, despite knowing he can never come anywhere close to matching his father’s level of achievement.
Barrera and Chavez, Chavez and Barrera.
They’re not steretypical boxers fighting for stereotypical reasons.
I’d say they’re both hungry.
It’s what each hungers for that I can’t fathom.
Can you?
