Kid Monk Baroni Reviews

A parish priest (Richard Rober) tries to reform street punk Paul "Monk" Baroni (Leonard Nimoy), whose nickname comes from his disfigured face (the weird ears would come later), by teaching him how to box and involving him in church activities. His plan appears to be working, until Monk hits the priest during a gang fight and flees town, becoming a successful professional fighter under the direction of Hellman (Bruce Cabot) and eventually undergoing plastic surgery. As usually happens in these films, Monk's ego swells and he becomes involved with a gold digger who cuts out when he stops winning the big purses because he spends too much ring time trying to protect his new face. Still, a happy ending is in store, and Monk wins on brownie points when he returns to his old neighborhood to become the church's athletic director.