Ringside focuses on self destructive boxing promoter Gus Palladino as he attempts to climb back to the top of the fight game after years of scraping along the bottom. While majority of our action will take place in the present time, we will also flashback to the mid 1990's at the height Gus's power. The generational divide of the era, the cultural awareness of boxing and the booming – but bubbling – American economy will all help shape how Gus sees and acts in the present day.
When we first meet Gus, he's a non-entity in the sport he once dominated. He operates a run down gym in East Los Angeles and has a handful of “tomato can” fighters – the biggest name of the bunch is more concerned with cultivating his online presence than perfecting his jab. Gus has bottomed out but he still has that competitive fire in his belly. He knows he's only one real fighter away from breaking back into the sport and Gus thinks he's found that fighter. Problem is, he doesn't rep the young man...yet. Complicating his plans even further is that Gus will be going up against the big time promotion companies to try and land the fighter. It's a gamble but Gus has never shied away from a dangerous bet.
The boxer in question is Ciro “Panzón” Ramos – a middleweight that has the skills to be a top flight fighter but many people question his heart and drive. Though he's only 22 and at the start of his career, Ciro is seen as a risky prospect thanks to a shady history. Two years earlier he had a shot for big time exposure but because of an unfortunate injury to his hand, he had to withdraw from the fight. The injury came from his involvement in a criminal act and, while he wasn't caught by the police, the rumor mill got a hold of the story and he became persona non grata in the professional world. It's taken him to years of staying clean and training to get another shot but he's still seen as a gamble.
The reason for being seen as a risk is because of Ciro's brother, Dacio “Calavera” Ramos. Dacio is a high ranking member in a Los Angeles gang and his infamy has tainted his brother's rise. Dacio seems to have a unique psychic hold on his younger brother. It's also generally believed that if you get in bed with Ciro, you're also getting caught up in Dacio's business. That fact coupled with the rumor of Ciro's injury and his perceived “lack of heart” has kept Ciro's career in purgatory.
But landing Ciro is just the beginning of Gus's transformation. Gus is going to have to face down his demons – gambling and drinking – and learn to work with them instead of just trying to ignore them. Gus is willingly going to be falling back into old habits but he thinks he can handle them this time instead of them handling him. This will put his attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter Adrianna in a dangerous place. Gus's bad behavior drove her away in the first place. His actions will be a massive risk but, in Gus's mind, he was only successful when he danced along the razor's edge.
Most of the action in the series will take place in present day but we will occasionally flashback to the early and mid 90s to show the rise and fall of our characters. It's important to understand how past decisions and traumas will help inform present situations – especially with characters prone to shooting themselves in the foot.
At it's heart, Ringside is about getting a second chance and trying not to commit the same mistakes all over again. In a perfect world, everyone would turn that proverbial corner and do the right thing but we don't live in a perfect world. Gus has too much of that gunslinger mentality in him and Ciro can't seem to shake the idea that he isn't tough enough to please his brother. They are self destructive men and if they want to survive, they'll need each other to do it.
When we first meet Gus, he's a non-entity in the sport he once dominated. He operates a run down gym in East Los Angeles and has a handful of “tomato can” fighters – the biggest name of the bunch is more concerned with cultivating his online presence than perfecting his jab. Gus has bottomed out but he still has that competitive fire in his belly. He knows he's only one real fighter away from breaking back into the sport and Gus thinks he's found that fighter. Problem is, he doesn't rep the young man...yet. Complicating his plans even further is that Gus will be going up against the big time promotion companies to try and land the fighter. It's a gamble but Gus has never shied away from a dangerous bet.
The boxer in question is Ciro “Panzón” Ramos – a middleweight that has the skills to be a top flight fighter but many people question his heart and drive. Though he's only 22 and at the start of his career, Ciro is seen as a risky prospect thanks to a shady history. Two years earlier he had a shot for big time exposure but because of an unfortunate injury to his hand, he had to withdraw from the fight. The injury came from his involvement in a criminal act and, while he wasn't caught by the police, the rumor mill got a hold of the story and he became persona non grata in the professional world. It's taken him to years of staying clean and training to get another shot but he's still seen as a gamble.
The reason for being seen as a risk is because of Ciro's brother, Dacio “Calavera” Ramos. Dacio is a high ranking member in a Los Angeles gang and his infamy has tainted his brother's rise. Dacio seems to have a unique psychic hold on his younger brother. It's also generally believed that if you get in bed with Ciro, you're also getting caught up in Dacio's business. That fact coupled with the rumor of Ciro's injury and his perceived “lack of heart” has kept Ciro's career in purgatory.
But landing Ciro is just the beginning of Gus's transformation. Gus is going to have to face down his demons – gambling and drinking – and learn to work with them instead of just trying to ignore them. Gus is willingly going to be falling back into old habits but he thinks he can handle them this time instead of them handling him. This will put his attempts to reconnect with his estranged daughter Adrianna in a dangerous place. Gus's bad behavior drove her away in the first place. His actions will be a massive risk but, in Gus's mind, he was only successful when he danced along the razor's edge.
Most of the action in the series will take place in present day but we will occasionally flashback to the early and mid 90s to show the rise and fall of our characters. It's important to understand how past decisions and traumas will help inform present situations – especially with characters prone to shooting themselves in the foot.
At it's heart, Ringside is about getting a second chance and trying not to commit the same mistakes all over again. In a perfect world, everyone would turn that proverbial corner and do the right thing but we don't live in a perfect world. Gus has too much of that gunslinger mentality in him and Ciro can't seem to shake the idea that he isn't tough enough to please his brother. They are self destructive men and if they want to survive, they'll need each other to do it.
