Gary Lockwood got it right the first time. He has been kidnapped. He finds himself in a mansion built along a seaside cliff. There is no exit or outside contact. He has just won the world heavyweight championship and is on cloud nine, until he takes a shower and emerges in this nightmare. What is missing from the scenario is a "why?" Apparently, the chisel faced Chuck Conners has been fighting great opponents going back to the early days of boxing. Why? Why is he trapped where he is? Lockwood has no options, so it makes his character rather hopeless. If your protagonist is simply a pawn in a game and has not hope there is really no story. Of course, we are taken along for the ride as he puzzles through things, including Mrs. Blanco's efforts to get him to throw a fight so he can go about his business. If he loses he is not really the World Champion. At least in the silent world he now frequents. Hence, winning becomes more important than the loss of his very being. Anyway, Connors is a good villain but when all is said and done, there is that same question.