Jobless sportswriter Eddie Willis is hired by corrupt fight promoter Nick Benko to promote his current protégé, an unknown Argentinian boxer named Toro Moreno. Although Moreno is a hulking giant, his chances for success are hampered by a powder-puff punch and a glass jaw. Exploiting Willis' reputation for integrity and standing in the boxing community, Benko arranges a series of fixed fights that propel the unsophisticated Moreno to #1 contender for the championship. The reigning champ, the sadistic Buddy Brannen, harbors resentment at the publicity Toro has been receiving and vows to viciously punish him in the ring. Eddie must now decide whether or not to tell the naive Toro the truth.
Humphrey Bogart
as Eddie Willis
Rod Steiger
as Nick Benko
Jan Sterling
as Beth Willis
Mike Lane
as Toro Moreno
Max Baer
as Buddy Brannen
Jersey Joe Walcott
as George
Edward Andrews
as Jim Weyerhause
Harold J. Stone
as Art Leavitt, TV sportscaster
Carlos Montalbán
as Luís Agrandi
Nehemiah Persoff
as Leo
Felice Orlandi
as Vince Fawcett
Herbie Faye
as Max
