Chapter 115: Plans and Ideas

"When I was in school, I was the center of the basketball team. I originally planned to play basketball, but ended up training for boxing instead," Paul said, looking wistfully at the sign of Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You weren't tall enough. Even if you made it to the NBA, you'd just be guarding the water cooler. Boxing suits you better," Mayweather said with a smirk.

"That's nonsense. I'm strong and agile. If I played basketball, I'd be an excellent forward," Paul said, punching the air.

"How's your shooting percentage?" Richard asked as he handed over their tickets at the entrance.

"Um, it's great. My three-point percentage is 80%," Paul said with his head held high.

"Got it!" Richard chuckled as they walked into the arena, which was vast and could hold over 23,000 people for a boxing match.

By 4 p.m., the arena was packed, with most people standing around the ring due to the lack of seats.

"Our seats are here," Richard said, pushing through the crowd to reach their spots in the front row.

"Richard, why did Roy Jones give you tickets and arrange such good seats?" Paul asked, looking around.

"It's probably to show off," Richard guessed. Two days before the match, Roy Jones Jr. had sent him a front-row ticket, inviting him to watch the fight.

"I think it's to show off too. Showing off is a strategy!" Mayweather agreed.

"So, he's planning to put on a show tonight?" Paul asked with a laugh.

"Very likely!"

"Damn, you all put on shows in your matches, while I don't. Now I understand why I lose. It's not my skills; it's my lack of showmanship," Paul said in frustration.

"Come on, you howl before each match. The nickname 'Werewolf Paul' is pretty cool," Mayweather joked.

Paul grinned. "I wanted to be called 'Wolf King Paul,' like Garnett. But since I didn't become the boxing king, I settled for 'Werewolf.'"

"Look, they're coming out!" The commentator's loud voice rang out as the two champions emerged from the tunnel. WBC champion Roy Jones Jr. and WBA champion Del Valle, both wearing robes—one black, one blue—each with short hair.

Roy Jones Jr. was darker-skinned and more muscular than Del Valle. From their physiques, it was clear that Roy Jones Jr. was a power puncher, while Del Valle was a technical fighter.

In boxing, Black fighters generally rely on physical prowess, with powerful punches and strong builds, while White fighters typically focus on technique and speed, often having leaner physiques.

Richard's build was well-balanced, strong where it needed to be, and sizable where it counted.

Roy Jones Jr. and Del Valle entered the ring and faced off with a bit of heat.

"Hey, Richard Brad, watch closely!" Roy Jones Jr. suddenly called out, waving his fist toward Richard.

"Okay!" Richard responded with a raised fist and a smile.

Ding, ding, ding~

The match began.

In the first round, the fighters were cautious, with only three exchanges as they felt each other out.

In the second round, Roy Jones Jr. launched an attack, and Del Valle counterattacked fiercely. The two fought intensely, starting with mid- to long-range exchanges and ending in clinches with sneaky shots to each other's heads and livers until the referee separated them.

In the third round, Roy Jones Jr. suddenly launched a fast attack, landing a hook to Del Valle's cheek, causing him to stumble and nearly fall.

"That punch was impressive—fast and powerful. Even I might have trouble with that," Richard said, arms crossed.

"It was impressive, but I don't believe you'd have trouble. Your speed isn't much slower than mine, and you're faster than him. How would you be at a disadvantage?" Mayweather asked.

"You never know. Even lions have lazy moments," Richard replied with a smile.

"Hey, Richard, I have a question for you."

"Go ahead. No need to be so serious."

"Since you got back from Italy, you seem faster than before. How did that happen? I train every day without rest, while you were filming and traveling in Italy. How did your speed improve instead of decline?" Mayweather asked with a furrowed brow.

"Yeah, I want to know too. Why does someone like you, who is so distracted, keep improving, while I train hard every day and see no progress? Is it that being distracted helps you become a champion, while hard work gets you nowhere? That's so unfair," Paul grumbled.

Richard chuckled. "Don't complain. Do you think I didn't train? My scenes in the movie were few and spaced out, so I had plenty of free time. Whenever I had a break, I trained. You know how I trained? Besides hitting the heavy bag, I swam in the ocean every day, battling the waves until I was exhausted."

"Swimming in the ocean? Does that really help?" Mayweather asked curiously.

"It does. Besides fighting the waves, I found a shark to spar with in the sea."

"A shark? You mean O'Neal? You're just making stuff up. We can't verify it anyway," Paul said, rolling his eyes.

"It was a blue shark, less than two meters long. It held a grudge after I punched it a few times. Every time I went swimming, it came to bother me, so I fought it seven or eight times before we moved to another location. I kind of miss it now," Richard said wistfully.

"Are you serious?" Both men stared at him wide-eyed.

"You can ask Mike."

"Sparring with a shark?" Mayweather shook his head. "That's too dangerous. One mistake and you're shark food."

"I think I'll try it. Sparring with a shark sounds thrilling," Paul said, punching the air excitedly.

"You better not. There are fewer sharks in the Mediterranean, and they're less aggressive. The sharks off New York's coast come from the Atlantic and wouldn't hesitate to eat you," Richard laughed.

Paul shrugged. "I was just talking. Do you think I'm as reckless as you?"

Richard smiled but then noticed a change in the ring.

In the fourth round, after landing a punch on Valle, Roy Jones Jr. retreated to a corner, hands behind his back, head forward, inviting Valle to hit him. This move, showing his head as a target, was akin to suicide and a blatant disrespect.

"Wow!" The crowd gasped, with many cheering loudly for Roy Jones Jr.

"Is he putting on a show?" Paul asked excitedly.

"Obviously. He wants to end the match early," Richard replied with a smile.

"Richard, do you think Valle will attack him?" Mayweather asked.

"Of course. This pose is a provocation and an insult. No one can resist it. Watch!"

In the ring, Valle swung at Roy Jones Jr., who nimbly dodged to the side and suddenly swung his right hand, hitting Valle's temple with a thud.

Valle staggered to the left and fell to the canvas. KO!

"Wow!"

"Roy!"

"Champion Roy!" The crowd went wild, cheering loudly.

In boxing, some fighters have high skill levels but aren't good at creating buzz, leading to dull matches and fewer fans. No fans mean no ticket sales and fewer people willing to pay for live broadcasts.

Others, like Ali the anti-war warrior, Tyson the brawler, Lewis the dreadlocked, and Foreman the ageless, were good at stirring things up.

Stirring up drama brings attention, which attracts more viewers willing to pay, resulting in more prize money.

Roy Jones Jr.'s performance today caused a sensation.

"That punch was high-level!" Richard said softly.

"Yes, very fast, almost as fast as me. Richard, you need to step up," Mayweather said.

"Okay!"

"The winner is Roy Jones Jr.!" The referee raised Roy Jones Jr.'s hand in victory.

"Roar!" Roy Jones Jr. pounded his chest excitedly.

The crowd joined in, shouting and cheering.

Next, World Boxing Association (WBA) President Mendoza walked into the ring with a gold belt, which he placed on Roy Jones Jr. Now Roy Jones Jr. had two gold belts, the most prestigious ones.

"Roar!" Roy Jones Jr. stood on the turnbuckle, holding the WBA gold belt high, waving it in Richard's direction, shouting, "Richard, can you do this?"

"He's so arrogant. Richard, can you take it from him?" Paul asked.

"Of course!" Richard smiled.

After the match, Richard went to the gym to discuss something with Alvin.

"Alvin, did you watch the match?" Richard asked.

"I did. It was high-level," Alvin replied, glancing at Richard. "Are you losing confidence?"

"Of course not. Watching Roy Jones Jr.'s performance, I had an interesting idea," Richard said with a smile.

"What idea?"

"To show him some real skill. Roy Jones Jr. is strong, but winning in three rounds will be tough. I plan to train intensely, boosting my speed and strength. In my match with Roy Jones Jr., I want to win more impressively," Richard said, clenching his fists.

"How do you plan to train?" Alvin asked.

Richard explained his plan.

Alvin shook his head. "That's too dangerous. It's not necessary."

"No worries. There's risk, but also reward. Besides, I have plenty of insurance," Richard said with a smile.

"Insurance? You have no family. If something happens, who

 benefits?"

"Uh, don't worry. Nothing will happen."

The next day, Richard left New York again, reappearing over a month later.