Any Which Way You Can

After throwing his fight with Tank Murdock at the end of Every Which Way But Loose, Philo Beddoe is still fighting in underground bareknuckle boxing matches to make money on the side. Philo decides to retire, however, when he realizes that he has started to enjoy the pain. Philo and Orville decide it's time to end his career.The problem is Jack Wilson—a new breed of East Coast brawler who mixes martial arts with boxing and is so effective at maiming his opponents that his handlers cannot book him a fight. During a conversation after a fight between a mongoose and a rattlesnake, one of the handlers realizes that Philo, the king of the West Coast brawlers, might not only agree to the fight with Wilson—it would be the biggest draw in the history of modern bareknuckle fighting. The Handlers, in conjunction with the mafia kidnap Philo's former love interest Lynn Halsey-Taylor in order to coerce Philo into agreeing to the fight.Wilson is a prize fighter with a sense of right-and-wrong, however. After learning of the plot and helping Philo and Orville in rescuing Lynn, he decides that they really need not fight to prove who is the best. On the other hand, the personal pride of both fighters cause them to wonder who actually would have won the fight. The long brawl between the two characters does end up taking place, but it is punctuated by pauses and personal reflections on their mutual admiration for each other. Near the end of the fight, Wilson breaks Philo's arm and offers to end the fight, but the two men end up continuing the brawl. At the end, Philo knocks Wilson out long enough to qualify for a win. Wilson helps Philo to the hospital to have his arm looked at, and the fighters and their friends end up sharing beer at a bar.As for the Black Widows, a biker gang that has a grudge against Philo, they make their return in a row with Philo, still wanting revenge for the destruction of their bikes last time. However, Philo bests them when they, in an effort to chase him, run through an asphalt machine during a road paving project, resulting in them losing their hair and wearing wigs and penciled-on eyebrows to camouflage their appearance, which is so galling that rather than scare people, they end up getting laughed at and ridiculed.Despite the rivalry, the Black Widows bet everything they have on Philo as they know he is the better fighter. When the mobsters decide to kill Philo once he gains the upper hand, the Black Widows protect their investment by beating up the mafia men. After collecting their winnings, the Black Widows declare a truce with Beddoe.