Chapter 022 The Finals Arrive

Palm Beach coast.

Blue sky, vast ocean, white sands, a vast palm forest, and bikini-clad girls playing volleyball—scenery was everywhere.

It felt good to be back.

Link's stroll along the beach turned into a spin on his speedboat in front of his house. After ensuring there were no irregularities, he dove back into preparation for the competition.

Since the Gold Glove Championship finals were held in Miami, locals didn't have to hustle on the road. There were two days of rest before the competition began, but he couldn't rest yet.

The boxers entering the finals came from four regions, five from each, with twenty competitors per rank.

They were all top performers from their respective regions, most having participated in the National Youth Boxing Championships, U19 Championships, Pan American Games, National Amateur Boxing Competitions, Olympic qualifiers, and other competitions, securing top three positions.

They were powerful.

The difficulty of the competition was also greater than that of the regional competitions.

During the regional competitions, Link already found the opponents tough to handle. To secure the Gold Glove championship title and the "100 million US dollar" signing fee, he needed to do even more prep work before the fight.

It's always good to be prepared!

——

"Link! Link, come out quick."

In Baker's Diving Equipment shop, Link sat in front of the TV, watching fight footage frame by frame of a boxer named 'Andrea Berto'.

This man was last year's U19 national champion and an all-American amateur champion—a boxer with a robust composite strength, powerful moves, flexible actions, comprehensive technique, and rich combat experience. He was not easy to deal with.

West suggested he should first watch this opponent's past fights, get familiar with his fighting style, and devise ways to cope with him in the ring.

Link agreed with West's advice.

By watching an opponent's fight footage, understanding his fighting style—whether he's technique-oriented or a heavy hitter, offensive-focused or balanced in offense and defense; the combinations he typically uses, whether it's straight punch + jab + jab or jab + straight punch + jab; stance being traditional right or left stance, whether he has any signature killer moves.

Knowing these characteristics would make it easier to deal with them.

He believed that in these two days, his opponents would also be watching his fight videos, thinking about how to crack his signature moves, heavy punches, strong defense, and stamina.

Both sides were giving each other headaches.

"Link! Come out, we have a gift for you."

James and Daniel, along with Michael from the surfboard shop, called out at the door.

"What gift?"

Link was surprised. These three were preparing a gift for him before a match?

He was a bit excited.

He set down his notebook and walked to the shop front.

"Ding Ding Ding!"

Upon seeing him emerge, the trio of James shouted, stepping aside, flinging their arms out to reveal a cloaked cape shimmering in the brilliant Miami sunshine.

Link shielded his eyes.

The cape was over three meters long, made of chiffon, average in craftsmanship, but what caught his eye were the many words on it.

The first line read 'Baker's Diving Equipment, taking you on an underwater adventure'

The next line was 'Danny's Hot Dogs, fulfilling all your hot dog fantasies'

Further down were advertisements for Michael's surfing shop, a Mexican grill, Miss Lina's ice cream shop, and more, over a dozen slogans and shop signs.

Link squinted, feeling a bad premonition.

"What are you guys up to?"

"Haha, Link, this is the battle cape we prepared for you. When you enter the ring wearing it, you'll definitely be the center of attention. How about it?"

Danny shook the golden cape, proudly smiling as if claiming credit.

"Link, isn't it super cool?"

Michael from the surfboard shop called out.

"Why are there advertisements on it?"

Link asked, his face darkening.

"There will be many media interviewing you on the day of the match. We're just taking the opportunity to advertise. It's called making good use of resources, don't you think so?"

"Yes, Link. Since the cape would otherwise be plain, advertising on it is both economical and practical, and it adds a unique personal touch, don't you agree?"

"...."

Link opened his mouth to object but felt overwhelmed by the absurdity. Deciding to forego a lengthy argument, he simply turned and went back inside the shop to continue watching fight footage.

——

The 2008 Gold Glove National Championship finals were held at the American Airlines Arena in the heart of the City of Miami.

This was originally the home arena of the NBA's Miami Heat, but with the injury woes that year and the trade of Shaquille O'Neal to the Suns, the team tanked the entire season without making the playoffs, turning the American Airlines Arena into a venue for boxing.

Compared to the Hard Rock Stadium that hosted music festivals, this venue was smaller, but boxing championships weren't a major spectator sport, and the number of viewers was limited, making the American Airlines Arena the most suitable choice.

According to the arena's website, by the start of the competition, a total of 3,024 people had booked the two-day tickets by phone or online.

7,320 people had reserved tickets for the second day, the day of the finals.

It was expected that on the first day of the competition, the arena's occupancy rate would be nearly seventy percent, about 12,000 people, and on the day of the finals, the seating might be completely filled by enthusiastic Miami residents, provided that Miami's own boxer, Link Baker, could successfully make it to the finals.

Time flew by, and on the day of the competition, Link arrived at the venue wearing a golden cape. As he walked out of the tunnel, the arena speakers played the theme song of "Rocky III," "Eye Of The Tiger."

Risin' up

Struggling to advance

straight to the top

Climbing to the peak

had the guts

With courage

got the glory

Seized the honor

went the distance

Traveled the long road

now I'm not gonna stop

Ding ding ding!

Just then, Link made a dazzling entrance.

The audience and media reporters immediately brightened up, turning their heads to look at him, at the shining figure he was, instantly becoming the most eye-catching kid on the scene.

"Wow, it's Link!"

"His cape is so cool!"

A wave of exclamations came from the stands.

Link smiled and waved to his fans and boxing enthusiasts in the stands.

"Link!"

Fat James shouted from the stands.

"Champion!!"

Sitting beside him were over two hundred men and women in yellow T-shirts, holding Link posters, who also stood up, waving their arms in a wave-like motion in a somewhat exaggerated performance.

"Link!"

"Champion!!"

Under the direction of James and Daniel, the group stood up and shook again.

These people were all merchants from the vicinity of Ocean Drive, who had made a special trip to the match to cheer for Link, and because everyone was too enthusiastic, Link couldn't politely decline and had to bite the bullet and put on the lucky battle robe they had gifted him.

Link waved to everyone.

"Link, may I interview you?"

A throng of reporters with microphones rushed over and blocked his way.

"Of course!"

Link made a welcoming gesture.

"Link, I'm a reporter from Miami Business Television, why did you make an entrance wearing a gold cape, is there any significance to it?"

A reporter in a blue Polo shirt handed over a microphone and asked.

"Yes, this is a gift from my friends, it's said to be the golden armor worn by the War God Achilles when he battled in the underworld. It symbolizes courage and strength, what do you think?"

Link asked, shaking his cape.

The reporters, playing along with his joke, smiled.

"Mr. Link Baker, after the Southeast District match, you said your goal was the championship final, do you still hold on to that goal?"

A tall, Latina reporter asked with a smile.

"Of course, my goal has always been the championship, that hasn't changed. I also ask all boxing fans to trust me, as I plan to carry everyone with me towards victory."

Link spoke firmly, clenching his fist.

"Link, another question, in previous matches you usually won by knocking out your opponents with heavy punches, will you continue to maintain this style in the upcoming matches?"

The female reporter asked.

Link mused for a moment, the question wasn't easy to answer.

Initially, his goal was to enter the final through a series of knockouts, and now that he had achieved this, continuing to fight this way would be more difficult.

"I will focus on the match itself. If there's an opportunity, I will still use heavy punches to knock out my opponent, but the Gold Glove Championship is the highest level of boxing competition in the world, and the boxers in the final are all of extremely high caliber, with no weak competitors. To be safe, I will aim for the overall championship trophy, and will not deliberately seek knockouts."

Link said diplomatically.

"Mr. Link Baker,"

A thin, dark-skinned reporter squeezed through, and asked sharply, "Am I to understand that you are changing tactics because you lack confidence in the upcoming matches and aren't fully confident in defeating your opponents?"

Link glanced at him and calmly said, "I definitely have confidence, but the excitement of all sports comes from their unpredictability. Let me emphasize once again, my goal is to win all my matches, to keep the championship trophy in Miami, not to knock out my opponents. Excessively chasing a knockout rate is meaningless."

"Mr. Link Baker, you still lack confidence, don't you? In the Southeast District final, it took you nine rounds to defeat your opponent Jones, winning the match by luck. Going into the final, the opponents are even stronger; you're afraid of losing, you don't have the confidence to knock out your opponents, that's why you're forced to change tactics, right? Please don't evade my question."

The skinny reporter interrogated excitedly.

"Link, aren't you confident about your upcoming matches?"

The other reporters also stared intently at Link, eager to hear his response.

Surrounded by dozens of eyes and microphones, as well as cameras and photographers...Link scanned the crowd with a cool gaze, a slight smirk on his lips, "I am filled with confidence for the match, I even believe I can continue to win by knockouts and take the championship. Stay tuned."

Boom!

Upon hearing his words, the reporters on site immediately grew agitated.

"Mr. Link Baker, do you mean you plan to continue your original style and win the final with knockouts to take the championship?"

"Mr. Link Baker, are you saying you will knock out all your opponents, including the amateur championship winner Andrea Berto?"

"Mr. Link Baker...."

Hearing the big news, the reporters, with phones and microphones, began to ask questions in a rush.

"That's right, as you are thinking, I will continue to kill the matches with knockouts until I claim the championship."

Link waved his arm, pushing away a few microphones that were nearly hitting his nose, and walked briskly into the match site.

An excited cheer from the reporters followed him; they had obtained a valuable piece of news from Link that would surely attract the attention of many audiences and readers when reported.

"Want to knock out Andrea Berto and win? Heh, Mr. Link Baker, you're still too young."

The lean reporter shrugged and snickered.