![\""They](\"https:\/\/blackamericaweb.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2026\/07\/17829680572156.jpg?w=1024&strip=all&quality=80\")
In\u00a0They Fight<\/em>, the boxing ring is not simply a place where young men learn how to throw a punch. It is a sanctuary, a classroom and, for some, the first place where someone sees what they might become.<\/p>\n The powerful new sports drama, streaming on Hulu<\/a> July 17, centers on Walt Manigan, a formerly incarcerated man trying to rebuild his life, reconnect with the mother of his young son and prove that his future does not have to be dictated by his past. When he returns to a Washington, D.C., youth boxing gym, he finds an unexpected path forward: mentoring a group of teenage boys with battles of their own.<\/p>\n Starring\u00a0Andr\u00e9 Holland<\/strong>\u00a0as Walt,\u00a0Wendell Pierce<\/strong>\u00a0as veteran coach Slim and\u00a0Samira Wiley<\/strong>\u00a0as Ketta, the mother of Walt\u2019s son,\u00a0They Fight<\/em>\u00a0is based on the acclaimed 2018 documentary of the same name. Directed by\u00a0Sheldon Candis<\/strong>\u00a0and co-written by Candis and\u00a0Andrew Renzi<\/strong>, the film follows Walt as he tries to earn his way back into his family\u2019s life while helping a group of young fighters prepare for a national championship.<\/p>\n TRENDING STORY: \u2018Michael\u2019 Movie Becomes Highest Grossing Biopic of All Time<\/a><\/p>\n TRENDING STORY: Danny Glover Reveals Alzheimer\u2019s Diagnosis At 79<\/a><\/p>\n The story is grounded in boxing, but its emotional weight comes from what happens outside the ropes: the difficulty of reentry after incarceration, the precariousness of second chances and the life-altering value of a mentor who refuses to give up on a young person.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really is a relationship with the kids,\u201d Pierce told Radio\/TV personality\u00a0Jazmyn Summers<\/strong>\u00a0who covered the film for Radio One at the Tribeca Festival premiere. \u201cThis is a very special movie about redemption and how kids should have the agency to exercise their right of self-determination.\u201d<\/p>\n That idea of self-determination runs through every corner of\u00a0They Fight<\/em>. Walt is fighting to reclaim his place as a father and partner. The young men in the gym are fighting for confidence, direction and a future larger than the circumstances around them. And Slim, the steady coach at the center of the gym, represents the kind of community figure whose belief can become a lifeline.<\/p>\n Pierce said that was precisely what drew him to the role.<\/p>\n \u201cThe importance of mentorship,\u201d he explained. \u201cThe fact that our community, we care for each other and no matter how difficult things may be, no matter how many mistakes you make, you are valued, you are redeemed, you are redeemable, and there\u2019s redemption.\u201d<\/p>\n He continued, \u201cWhile we go through trauma, we ultimately can get to a place of joy because of that.\u201d<\/p>\n Those words give the film its emotional spine.\u00a0They Fight<\/em>\u00a0does not romanticize the obstacles facing men returning from prison, nor does it suggest that grit alone can erase the barriers that make reentry so difficult. Instead, it asks what happens when a community makes room for people to come back, contribute and be seen as more than the worst thing they have done.<\/p>\n Candis, who adapted the film from Andrew Renzi and\u00a0Michael Hanson<\/strong>\u2019s documentary, said the story reached him first through a\u00a0Washington Post<\/em>\u00a0article about the recreation center and the boys whose lives were connected to Walt Manigan.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw it. I was just deeply moved by it,\u201d Candis shared. \u201cI was like, \u2018Oh wow, this is going to make a really wonderful movie one day.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n For Candis, the film carries a particularly urgent message for people returning home after incarceration.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the importance [is] communicating to especially the souls of Black folks,\u201d he said, \u201cbut really this idea of fighting for your dream and what it is to literally identify what it is that you\u2019re most passionate about and just work every day towards it.\u201d<\/p>\n He added, \u201cWalt Manigan is someone reentering society, is coming home from prison. And I just have a special place in my heart for those brothers because they can come back home, the community doesn\u2019t embrace them, the workforce doesn\u2019t embrace them. So this movie is for them. And this idea of don\u2019t give up.\u201d<\/p>\n Holland brings a quiet gravity to Walt, a man whose desire to do better is constantly tested by pain, history and the distance between where he has been and where he wants to go. Tribeca described his performance as the emotional anchor of an aspirational story about \u201credemption and forgiveness,\u201d while the dynamic between Holland and Pierce gives the film much of its warmth and authority.<\/p>\n The younger cast brings the story\u2019s pulse. Anthony B. Jenkins<\/strong>\u00a0plays Peanut, while\u00a0Toussaint Francois Battiste<\/strong>\u00a0plays Quincey, two friends whose journey eventually leads them toward a high-stakes showdown in the ring.\u00a0Tory J. Malone<\/strong>, who plays Twin, described his character as a welcome source of brightness amid the film\u2019s heavier emotional currents.<\/p>\n \u201cTwin is amazing. He\u2019s a light in the movie,\u201d Malone told Summers. \u201cMost of the characters have sad scenes, but Twin is just a light. He just has fun doing what he does. He follows boxing.\u201d<\/p>\n Malone also reflected on what boxing changes for his character.<\/p>\n \u201cBoxing brings joy at him,\u201d he said. \u201cI feel like he would\u2019ve just been a normal dude\u201d without that outlet.<\/p>\n It is a simple observation, but it gets to the heart of what makes\u00a0They Fight<\/em>\u00a0resonate. The gym does not magically solve every problem. It does, however, offer discipline, belonging and a place to put pain into motion. For the boys in the film, boxing becomes less about violence than it is about learning how to stand up, breathe through fear and recognize their own worth.<\/p>\n The film made its world premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Festival, a fitting stage for one of the festival\u2019s standout stories of perseverance and possibility. Now in its 25th anniversary year, Tribeca continues to serve as a vital launchpad for films that pair major talent with urgent, human-scale stories, creating a space where audiences can discover work that might otherwise be overlooked in the blockbuster noise.\u00a0They Fight<\/em>\u00a0was selected for the festival\u2019s Spotlight Narrative section, placing it among the event\u2019s high-profile world premieres.<\/p>\n LIKE US ON\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>FACEBOOK<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. FOLLOW US ON<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0INSTAGRAM<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>TWITTER<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>YOUTUBE<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n STAY INFORMED! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER!<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Actor\u00a0Malik Yoba<\/strong>, who attended the premiere in support, summed up the importance of the moment simply: \u201cTribeca Film Festival. So we need that in New York. We need the energy. Let\u2019s go Wendell and Andre. I\u2019m fans of my brothers.\u201d<\/p>\n That energy was palpable around a film that asks audiences to look beyond the headline version of people\u2019s lives. A formerly incarcerated man is not only an ex-con. A young boy from a hard neighborhood is not only his circumstances. A boxing gym is not merely a building with a ring in the middle of it.<\/p>\n In\u00a0They Fight<\/em>, each becomes a site of possibility.<\/p>\n The film\u2019s title suggests combat, but its deepest fight is for dignity: the right to return home, the right to be mentored, the right to dream and the right to decide that one\u2019s life can still move in a new direction. As Pierce put it, \u201cYou are valued. There are those who do not have your best interests at heart, but that does not mean you can\u2019t exercise your right of self-determination.\u201d<\/p>\n That is the bell\u00a0They Fight<\/em>\u00a0leaves ringing long after the final round.<\/p>\n Article by\u00a0Jazmyn Summers.\u00a0\u00a0Photos and video by\u00a0<\/em>7Spontaneous<\/em><\/a>\u00a0of\u00a0The Revenue Entertainment\u00a0You can hear\u00a0Jazmyn\u00a0every morning on \u201cJazmyn in the Morning \u201con Sirius XM Channel 362\u00a0<\/em>Grown Folk Jamz<\/em><\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0Subscribe to\u00a0J<\/em>azmyn<\/em>\u00a0Summers\u2019 YouTube<\/em><\/a>. Follow\u00a0her\u00a0on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/em><\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>Instagram.<\/em><\/a>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n LIKE US ON\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>FACEBOOK<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. FOLLOW US ON<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0INSTAGRAM<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>TWITTER<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. SUBSCRIBE TO OUR\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>YOUTUBE<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n STAY INFORMED! CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER!<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\nGrounded in Boxing<\/h3>\n
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