Struggling sports reporter Erik Kernan (Josh Hartnett) encounters a homeless man who calls himself "Champ" (Samuel L. Jackson) only to determine that he is the one-time boxing champion Battling Bob Satterfield. What begins as a story about resurrecting a once-great man becomes Erik's title shot. In his journey to uncover the truth, Erik has to reexamine his own life and his relationship with his young son.