Any Which Way You Can

Two years after throwing his fight with Tank Murdock, Philo Beddoe is still fighting in underground bare-knuckle boxing matches. He still lives in a house with Clyde, his pet orangutan, on the property of his best friend Orville Boggs and Orville's mother. He decides to retire when he realizes that he has started to enjoy the pain. One evening, Philo encounters his ex-girlfriend, country-western singer Lynn Halsey-Taylor, singing at his favorite bar. Lynn apologizes to Philo, and he forgives her. They become a couple again and move in together. The Black Widows, the biker gang with a grudge against Philo, return. However, he bests them in a chase that runs through an asphalt machine during a road-paving project. Meanwhile, Jack Wilson, a new breed of fighter from the East Coast who mixes martial arts with boxing, dominates the bare-knuckle circuit. After a fight between a mongoose and a rattlesnake, one of the handlers realizes that if Philo, king of the West Coast brawlers, agreed to fight Wilson, it would be the biggest draw in the history of bare-knuckle boxing. Philo agrees to the fight but after much prodding from Orville and Lynn, withdraws. The handlers, led by handicapper Jimmy Beekman and backed by the Mafia, kidnap Lynn to coerce Philo to show up for the fight. The fight is to take place near Jackson, Wyoming. The Black Widows follow Philo there. Wilson, however, is a prize fighter with morals. After he learns of the plot and helps Philo and Orville rescue Lynn, he and Philo call off the fight. However, both men's pride makes them wonder who would have won. The brawl takes place, but it is punctuated by pauses and reflections on their admiration for each other. Meanwhile, the Black Widows bet everything they have on Philo. When the mobsters try to kill Philo once he gains the upper hand, the Black Widows protect their investment by beating up the Mafia men. Wilson breaks Philo's arm and offers to end the fight, but the men continue the brawl. After a long fight, Philo knocks Wilson out long enough to qualify for a win. Wilson helps Philo to the hospital, then they have a drink at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. On their way home, Philo and the Black Widows (who are now rich) declare a truce and part amicably. Beekman, whose attempts to rig the fight for Wilson failed, cannot pay the mob bettors and is marked for death. After reaching California, Philo and Lynn are pulled over by a cop who lost money betting against Philo; he promises to endlessly harass them as punishment. Lynn calls out, "Right turn, Clyde!" Clyde knocks out the cop, and they drive away.