Boxer Midge Kelly rises to fame...mainly by stepping on other people.

Hitchhiking west with his lame brother Connie, Midge Kelly is hustled unprepared into a pro boxing match. Though he's severely beaten, manager Tommy Haley finds him promising. In California, Midge and Connie find nothing but a menial job from which Midge gets relief by seducing Emma, a lovely young waitress. One shotgun marriage later, ambitious Midge falls back on the only option he knows: boxing. Seduced by cheering crowds, money, and a succession of blondes, Midge becomes more and more of a hero in public...and a heel in private.—Rod Crawford <[email protected]>

While traveling to California in a cargo wagon, clandestine Michael "Midge" Kelly and his crippled brother Connie Kelly are robbed and thrown off the train. They hitchhike and get a lift from famous boxer Johnny Dunne, who is traveling with his mistress Grace Diamond to Kansas City for a fight; they explain that they have bought a share in a restaurant. In Kansas City, Midge gets in trouble while seeking a job and is invited to fight box for 35 dollars. He takes a beat and the promoter pays only 10 dollars to him, but the trainer Tommy Haley invites Midge to go to his gym in Los Angeles to be trained in box. When the brothers arrive in California, they learn that they have been cheated in the business and the owner Lew Bryce hires them to work in the restaurant waiting tables and washing dishes. Soon Midge seduces Lew's daughter Emma Bryce and when her father finds out, he forces them to marry. But Midge flees after the wedding, leaving Emma alone, and seeks out Tommy. He learns how to fight with Tommy and defeats several fighters. When he is scheduled to fight Johnny Dunne, the organized crime orders him to lose the fight. However Midge defeats Dunne and is blacklisted and cannot fight any more. But Grace convinces him to leave Tommy and be managed by Jerome Harris, who is connected to the crime world. Now Midge begins a successful career betraying his friends and stepping on women, including Harris' wife Palmer. How far will he go to make money and be champion?—Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Scrappy Michael "Midge" Kelly (Kirk Douglas), on the run from a shotgun marriage and needing to help support his handicapped brother, Connie (Arthur Kennedy), angles his way into a short-term job as a boxer. His life of hard knocks has given Midge a fiery temper and a will to win that quickly makes him one of the most popular fighters on the circuit. But when he gets instructed to take a dive in a championship bout, his bosses learn that no one tells Midge Kelly what to do.—maschzentertainment