The Champ

The Champ is a 1979 American neo noir drama sports film directed by Franco Zeffirelli and a remake of the 1931 Academy Award-winning film of the same name directed by King Vidor. It stars Jon Voight as Billy Flynn, a former boxer who attempts to support his son (Ricky Schroder) and reconcile with his ex-wife (Faye Dunaway) by fighting in the ring again. The film is the last featuring Joan Blondell to be released during her lifetime. Plot Ex-boxing champion Billy Flynn lives in the city of Hialeah, Florida, where he is trying to settle down as a horse trainer after giving up his boxing title. A boxer propositions that Billy enter a match with him in the future. Billy shows up at the gym with his son T.J., who calls his father Champ. When he learns the man has not arrived, Billy angrily storms out of the gym, leaving his son behind. T.J. later finds him drunk inside a bar. When he takes him home, neighbor Josie asks about his drunken state on the street, and T.J. tells her that Charlie and his friends bought him four beers as a celebration. The next morning, Billy announces that he won $6,400 gambling and uses it to buy T.J. his own horse named She’s a Lady. Lady is entered in a race, but suddenly collapses, scraping her leg. Annie, Billy's wife from whom he had separated seven years ago, had placed a bet on the horse and arrives after Lady's fall. Billy explains that he told T.J. that Annie was dead and that she had deserted them. Annie invites T.J. to her cruise ship.