It’s late at night and a man breaks into a boxing gym. The man cuts a hole in the punching bag and places an explosive inside. The next morning Ray (a world champion wrestler) and his trainer Louie arrive at the gym. Ray is about to get to work when he runs into Earl (a homeless guy who usually stays at the gym. Ray gives Earl some money to get something to eat. Before leaving Earl hits the punching bag and it explodes.
Monk heads to the police station since Stottlemeyer called him in. Stottlemeyer is currently working on a case of some stolen artwork. Stottlemeyer then tells Monk that he is going to have to pass a physical since after another consultant sued the department, all consultants need to pass a physical in order to work for the department. Monk needs to be able to run a half mile, climb stairs, and climb a wall in an alloted time. Natalie takes Monk to the track to give him some training and Monk quickly gives up since he can’t even make it once around the track before he passes out.
They can’t continue the training since they head to the bombing at the gym. The gym quickly realizes that the bomb was for Ray. Ray doesn’t know who would want to kill him though since he doesn’t have any enemies. The police get some DNA off a string that was used to sew up the punching bag. When Monk arrives he is not in a good mood since he thinks it will be his last case since he thinks he has no chance of passing the physical. Monk doesn’t find much at the crime scene. When Monk heads to his therapist he is so upset that he has decided to quit the force and go on welfare. His therapist tries to tell him that once he quits he will always quit.
The police head back to the gym and they ask Louie if they are in trouble with the mob since the DNA that found belongs to a high profile hitman named Charles. Louie claims once again that they don’t have any enemies. The police tell him that they need to try and find the killer before the fight since they think the killer will strike again during the fighter.
While at the gym Monk notices a picture on the wall. He heads over to a film studio where Ray is currently providing voice work for his latest commercial. Monk interrupts them and they take a break. We get to see an outtake from one of the shoots and the owner of the house that the commercial is being filmed in is far from happy about the commercial being filmed in his house. Monk talks with Ray and tells him that he know that he (Ray) threw his last big fight in order to get some money in order to pay some medical bills for Louie’s daughter. Monk tells Ray that he isn’t going to tell anyone. Ray thanks him by offering to help train him for his physical. The next morning Ray gives Monk a good workout and helps him get back in shape.
While Monk is getting into shape the police talke with Frank (who is the leader of one of the crime families. He doesn’t really tell them a whole lot except that he heard that the person who put out the hit wanted Ray dead by the end of the month, not by the fight. It’s time for the police and Stottlemeyer forces Ray to have a police officer on guard near Ray at all time. Ray decides to chose Monk to be his cornerman. Ray starts off slow but quickly turns the fight in his favor.
During one of the breaks in the fight Monk notices a sniper in one of the skyboxes. Monk tells Natalie to tell the police. Monk then proceeds to use his physical training to get up to the skybox in time to stop the shooter. Stottlemeyer and Disher show up and shoot the hitman when he turns his gun on them. Ray is safe but the police have no idea who hired the hitman in the first place. Monk then remembers the commercial that Ray was doing voicework for. He also remembers Stottlemeyer’s case witht he stolen art pieces. Monk solves the case. The house owner (where the commercial was shot) hired the hitman. In the commercial his art pieces were in the background. The art pieces turned out to be the stolen pieces Stottlemeyer was looking for. He hired a hitman in order to kill Ray so the commercial never aired.
Monk stops by Ray’s gym. Monk is in a great mood since he passed his physical. Monk is in such a great mood that he challenge Ray to a fight. Ray refuses and accidently knocks Monk out. Ray carries Monk to his car as he recovers.
