Conflict Depicted In Robert Lipsyte's The Contender

I think that most types of conflict is used to show the theme, what it means to become a ‘contender’ (by working hard, never giving up, and self-improvement) in Robert Lipsyte’s The Contender because Alfred learns this message and does the work to become a boxer. Evidence of this is when, "You have to start by wanting to be a contender, the man coming up, the man who knows there's a good chance he'll never get to the top, the man who's willing to sweat and bleed to get up as high as his legs and his brains and his heart will take him" (Lipsyte, 25). This shows a character vs. self conflict because Alfred is training everyday and making sure that he works as hard as he physically can. Alfred is so determined to help Aunt Pearl and the rest