Meanwhile, crusading television journalist Mitchell Kane (Jeff Goldblum) has finally gathered enough evidence to disgrace the unethical Sultan, but at the last moment, Kane is seduced by power and joins the Sultan's squad. As the Sultan's ego grows, Kane sees an opportunity to usurp him in power. Though Conklin was never believed to stand a chance in the fight, Kane recognizes that Conklin may actually win, and has Conklin sign with him, rather than the Sultan. Throughout all this, the true top contender to the heavyweight title, Marvin Shabazz (Michael Jace), and his manager Hassan El Ruk'n (Jamie Foxx) are repeatedly denied the rightful chance to a fight, and they proceed to cause a headache for everyone involved in the hype scam.