Tom Garrick had a heart of gold, a jaw of iron, and heavy artillery in both fists. This orphan from the Windy City returned from the Korean War, determined to battle his way up the welterweight ranks, inspiring speculation about a title bid. Then he slugged it out with a top contender, who humiliated him over eleven rounds, cutting short his victory march.

Popular opinion was that he had been exposed as a lucky pretender. The newspapers dubbed him 'Tomato Can' after watching the blood splatter around the ring like tomato juice from a tin can being battered by a tire iron.

Now, for some mysterious reason, 'Tomato Can' Garrick is lacing up his gloves again, hoping for a shot at redemption. He has no promoter, no manager, and not even a sparring partner. The only one in his corner is a buddy from the war, who has never been inside a boxing ring before.

There's a punch-drunk pantheon of bums, brawlers, and cutthroat contenders just waiting to pound him into Palookaville...a lonely war widow with her claws in his heart...and a regimen of dubious training methods which may do more harm than good to his chances at success. But Garrick isn't going to go down in history as "the Tomato Can" - at least, not without a fight.