If you missed Tuesday’s airing of Lights Out, you missed the first appearance of the man who may end Patrick “Lights” Leary’s title hopes at the starting line, Javier ‘El Diablo” Morales.
Ever wonder if all press conference brawls are real? The show starts with Morales and “Lights” Leary meeting the media for the first time. Although Morales is portrayed as a Sonny Liston-like bully with a hand-wrap scandal like Antonio Margarito, his personality is more akin to Ricardo Mayorga. He taunts Leary as an old man and presents him with a walker. At the staredown, Morales pushes and throws a punch, causing Lights to duck and respond with a sharp counter. Later, we see the pair shake hands and laugh about the “fight,” happy it came off without a hitch for the cameras. It’s just business, but Morales does get serious and gives our protagonist an ominous warning for their match.
“You can’t last two minutes in my world, bitch,” Morales deadpans. “Tell your daughters to pray for you.”
There’s no shame in what you’re going through.
Lights’ training starts off disastrously. An overzealous sparring partner thumbs him in the eye, causing double vision. Leary hides the extent of the damage from his hard-nosed dad and trainer, Pops. To compound matters, the promotional campaign for the fight of “good vs. evil” is in jeopardy due to local reporter Mike running a story on Lights’ underground, MMA cage fight from episode #4. Being a struggling journalist, Mike is of course pushing for a big story on Lights’ financial and marriage issues, which are now in question due to him training away from home and staying at a seedy motel. Leary’s pride is strong, but he agrees to meet with Mike the following morning to shed light on the rumors.
The old days are gone, Johnny
What was supposed to be a relaxing a night out for Lights and brother Johnny nearly turned into another PR disaster. After some moments of weakness, Lights decided against sleeping with a call girl hired by Johnny. When he tried to drive her home, Lights’ bad vision from the thumbed eye caused him to hit a tree. Johnny was there with money to buy off the EMTs and other hospital officials to prevent another bad story from leaking nationally. However, Mike still was able to get enough from his contacts to run another damaging expose. This forced Lights to tell his none-to-pleased estranged wife Theresa what she may find in tomorrow’s headlines.
Luckily for Lights, there’s many hands vested in his future. When Mike’s paper fact checks his potential story, all the hospital and police records from the crash have mysteriously vanished. Mike is abruptly fired, but holds no animosity towards Lights and accepts his apology. He sums up Leary’s mentality with the below quote, which will either be the former champion’s saving or dooming trait.
You never quit. You don’t know how.
Mentally, Patrick “Lights” Leary is a mess. The marital issues have robbed him of the his focus, and the damaged eye has tore away his confidence. Pops isn’t having it. Good or bad eye, he reminds his son that a champion succeeds no matter the adversity.
“During the fight you would find a way,” he states.
On the home front, Lights’ sister Margaret meets with Theresa to plead his case. The beleaguered wife holds her ground until Margaret makes a profound point about Lights’ sacrifice of retiring with millions of dollars still on the table. She reminds Theresa that she married a fighter, and that warrior’s mentality is what made her fall in love with him.
“Haven’t you missed him?” she asks Theresa. “He’s been climbing the walls for five years, Theresa. Let him out!”
We’re left with Lights in the gym alone, learning slowly how to modify his punching technique and stance while still suffering from double vision. He’s going through with the fight no matter what.
Tune in to FX next week (February 22) at 10 PM ET for Light’s big showdown and first match back against Javier “El Diablo” Morales.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 