The Old Lady and The Boxer (1970)

Set in the mid-80's, Baltimore, The Old Lady and The Boxer follows former Texas roughneck and current amateur boxer - Joe Saturn as he battles his ghosts and searches for respect. He spends his days being punished in the ring, and his celebrated coach, 'Alley-Oop' Simpson is losing confidence in him. Alley cancels Joe's future matches, derailing his dreams of going pro. Joe tries to change Alley's mind by working even harder, but Alley's opinion is set. The neighborhood's scrappy, foul-mouthed old lady, Audrey, spends her days and nights drinking Irish whiskey on her front stoop. She takes an interest in Joe, and they forge a friendship built on sarcasm, boxing and an unspoken desire to be understood. But when Audrey also loses confidence in him, Joe decides he doesn't have much to lose. He participates in a street fight in hopes of finding his fire and to everyone's surprise, it works. After his win and promise to stay in the legit ring, Alley and Audrey are back in his corner.