on the plot.
Following the death of his ex-girlfriend, Charlie Kenton (played by Hugh Jackman) is given temporary custody of his son Max (played by Dakota Goyo) who he has not seen in many years. Charlie is a former professional boxer who now makes a living as a small-time robot boxing promoter. Robot boxing has become the new sporting craze and replaces human boxing. Charlie travels from venue to venue with his robot, the outdated "Ambush," taking on challengers with other robots.
After witnessing his robot being destroyed, Charlie is left with a large debt to the robot owner and decides to leave town with Max. However, Max convinces Charlie to buy a discarded sparring robot, which they name "Atom," and they start repairing and training it.
Max becomes a natural at controlling Atom and, coupled with Atom's unique capacity to emulate human boxing moves, they rapidly ascend the ranks of robot boxing. With their continuous performances and the support of Bailey Tallet (played by Evangeline Lilly), the owner of the dilapidated gym that Atom trains in, the team advances to the championship bout against the ultimate robot boxer, Zeus.
In the championship bout, Atom is outmatched against the far superior Zeus but gains the support of the audience before nearly defeating Zeus. The movie ends with Max and Charlie reconciling their relationship and agreeing to continue their partnership as Atom's trainers.