The movie starts off showing Jack La Motta as an over weight former boxer reflecting on his life. He starts his flash in the ring as he knocks out his opponent. As the referee counting to ten, the bell ring to end the round and the fight. La Motta's opponent was saved by the bell and won the fight by point. This threw Jakes in to a rage that he took out on his first wife. She finally got feed up with his abuse and left Jake. .
As Jake was training for his next fight his manager and brother Joey try to help out his fight career by bring in mobsters. Jake with the pride of a lion tells his brother not to bring them back because he wants to do it his way and at one point in the movie looks like doing it his way would not work.
On a day off of training, Joey and Jake when to a local swimming pool of a dip. Jake looks over to see a beautiful blonde haired girl named Vikki. Jake asked who she was and Joey told him she was just a girl from the neighborhood. Joey when on to tell Jake that he had taken her out once and that she was only fifteen years old. Jake was so overwhelmed by her beauty that he had to have a date with her. Joey went over to Vikki and set up a date with Jake. Vikki and Jake soon went on a date. Jake to her for a ride in his car and then he took he to play putt-putt golf. After the date there relationship grows into romances. .
In 1943 Jake fought Sugar Ray Robinson twice. In the first fight of 1943 Jake beat Robinson in 10 rounds. In the second fight of 1943 Robinson beat Jake. After these fights Jake started to set him self up for a run at the title. He fought twice in 1944, once against Zinic which he won and once against Edgar he also won that fight. In between these two fights Jake got married to Vikki. Joey also got married but he did it after the Edgar fight.
In 1947 Jake was set to fight Genrido a pretty boy up and comer who has not been beaten. Jake is not happy having to fight this guy.