‘They Fight’ Is a Knockout Story of Redemption and Hope

In They Fight, 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.

The powerful new sports drama, streaming on Hulu 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.

Starring André Holland as Walt, Wendell Pierce as veteran coach Slim and Samira Wiley as Ketta, the mother of Walt’s son, They Fight is based on the acclaimed 2018 documentary of the same name. Directed by Sheldon Candis and co-written by Candis and Andrew Renzi, the film follows Walt as he tries to earn his way back into his family’s life while helping a group of young fighters prepare for a national championship.

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Grounded in Boxing

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.

“It really is a relationship with the kids,” Pierce told Radio/TV personality Jazmyn Summers who covered the film for Radio One at the Tribeca Festival premiere. “This is a very special movie about redemption and how kids should have the agency to exercise their right of self-determination.”

That idea of self-determination runs through every corner of They Fight. 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.

Pierce said that was precisely what drew him to the role.

“The importance of mentorship,” he explained. “The 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’s redemption.”

He continued, “While we go through trauma, we ultimately can get to a place of joy because of that.”

Those words give the film its emotional spine. They Fight does 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.

Candis, who adapted the film from Andrew Renzi and Michael Hanson’s documentary, said the story reached him first through a Washington Post article about the recreation center and the boys whose lives were connected to Walt Manigan.

“I saw it. I was just deeply moved by it,” Candis shared. “I was like, ‘Oh wow, this is going to make a really wonderful movie one day.’”

For Candis, the film carries a particularly urgent message for people returning home after incarceration.

“I think the importance [is] communicating to especially the souls of Black folks,” he said, “but really this idea of fighting for your dream and what it is to literally identify what it is that you’re most passionate about and just work every day towards it.”

He added, “Walt 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’t embrace them, the workforce doesn’t embrace them. So this movie is for them. And this idea of don’t give up.”

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 “redemption and forgiveness,” while the dynamic between Holland and Pierce gives the film much of its warmth and authority.

The younger cast brings the story’s pulse. Anthony B. Jenkins plays Peanut, while Toussaint Francois Battiste plays Quincey, two friends whose journey eventually leads them toward a high-stakes showdown in the ring. Tory J. Malone, who plays Twin, described his character as a welcome source of brightness amid the film’s heavier emotional currents.

“Twin is amazing. He’s a light in the movie,” Malone told Summers. “Most of the characters have sad scenes, but Twin is just a light. He just has fun doing what he does. He follows boxing.”

Malone also reflected on what boxing changes for his character.

“Boxing brings joy at him,” he said. “I feel like he would’ve just been a normal dude” without that outlet.

It is a simple observation, but it gets to the heart of what makes They Fight resonate. 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.

The film made its world premiere at the 2026 Tribeca Festival, a fitting stage for one of the festival’s 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. They Fight was selected for the festival’s Spotlight Narrative section, placing it among the event’s high-profile world premieres.

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Actor Malik Yoba, who attended the premiere in support, summed up the importance of the moment simply: “Tribeca Film Festival. So we need that in New York. We need the energy. Let’s go Wendell and Andre. I’m fans of my brothers.”

That energy was palpable around a film that asks audiences to look beyond the headline version of people’s 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.

In They Fight, each becomes a site of possibility.

The film’s 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’s life can still move in a new direction. As Pierce put it, “You are valued. There are those who do not have your best interests at heart, but that does not mean you can’t exercise your right of self-determination.”

That is the bell They Fight leaves ringing long after the final round.

Article by Jazmyn Summers.  Photos and video by 7Spontaneous of The Revenue Entertainment You can hear Jazmyn every morning on “Jazmyn in the Morning “on Sirius XM Channel 362 Grown Folk Jamz.  Subscribe to Jazmyn Summers’ YouTube. Follow her on Facebook and Instagram. 

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