"Richard, go for it!" In the audience, Anthony stood next to the cheerleaders and shouted loudly, "Richard, you must go for it! My last bit of money for pleasure is all bet on you. If you lose, I really can only solve the problem by hand."
"Anthony, what were you talking about with Richard just now?" Norman squeezed over and asked.
"Nothing." Anthony stared nervously at the boxing ring. The referee was checking the equipment of both boxers, and the match was about to start.
"Stop pretending, I heard it all. He mentioned betting. Tell me, what's your conspiracy?" Norman put his arm around Anthony's shoulder.
"Really nothing." Anthony shook his head.
Norman stared at him for a moment. "I have many friends, including many acquaintances in the entertainment industry. Tell me, and I'll help Richard get a leading role."
"Really?" Anthony blinked his small eyes.
"Of course, just as compensation for last time, how about it?" Norman smiled slightly.
"Okay, but it must be a big production, with an investment of over 35 million."
"Em~ Deal!" Norman extended his fist.
Anthony bumped his fist against Norman's. "Actually, it's nothing. Richard asked me to bet on him to win by KO in the last three rounds."
Norman was stunned for a moment. "The last three rounds? And a KO victory? Is Richard that confident?"
"Of course, Richard may lack money or women, but he never lacks confidence," Anthony chuckled.
"But this time his opponent is Vasily. By the way, how much did you bet?"
"I bet 50,000, and Richard bet 50,000."
"Only 50,000?" Norman curled his lips. "I thought it was a lot of money, no wonder he's so confident."
"You don't understand, this is our last asset." Anthony shook his head.
"So poor!"
Clang clang clang~
The match began.
In the ring, the referee separated the two.
"Box!"
The two touched gloves and took a step back, each standing on one side of the ring, constantly moving their feet, their eyes fixed on each other.
"Fight!"
"Richard, knock him out!"
"Vasily, attack!"
The surrounding audience shouted loudly.
Bang bang bang~
In the ring, Richard and Vasily exchanged a few punches, but the fight wasn't intense. They spent more time maneuvering, looking for opportunities to attack.
"Still tentative attacks," the live commentator said to the camera. "They are the same height and weight, Richard is younger and seems to have a slight advantage in stamina, while Vasily has participated in many matches and has an edge in technique and experience, with a more steady style. So at the beginning, both sides chose a defensive tactic. If this continues, it will be a dull match... Whoa~ Richard is attacking, Richard actually took the initiative to attack..."
As the commentator was reporting, the situation in the ring changed drastically.
After a few tentative exchanges, Richard suddenly launched a fierce attack on his opponent.
He threw both fists, fiercely bombarding his opponent's head. He used his best jab, fast, hard, steady, and accurate.
"Whoa, what is he trying to do?!"
"Does he want to finish Vasily in the first round?"
"He's too impulsive!"
The live commentators, boxing promoters, and everyone who knew boxing looked at him in surprise. From the comparison of their strengths, Richard was clearly not as good as Vasily.
According to normal tactics, the underdog should adopt a defensive stance at the beginning and wait for an opportunity to counterattack.
Richard's advantage was his abundant stamina, and the most suitable tactic for him was a delaying tactic. But starting with a quick attack, who made this battle plan for him?
"Not me, I didn't say that." Alvin shook his head.
Richard was a very opinionated person. To avoid disagreements with him, Alvin never made detailed battle plans for Richard during matches, only giving him some necessary reminders.
For example, in this match, he only said that Vasily was experienced and had powerful punches, so it was best to probe for a while.
But Richard only probed a few times before launching a fierce attack, which was also unexpected.
Bang bang~ Bang bang~
Amidst the surprise, doubt, shock, and cheers of everyone, Richard attacked continuously 18 times. His speed was too fast, catching Vasily off guard.
Bang!
After several consecutive collisions, Vasily's left defense suddenly failed, and his left cheek was hit hard by a jab.
Swish~
His hair jerked to the right, and his body staggered, almost falling to the ground.
Bang bang!
Richard quickly followed up and landed two punches on his head.
Vasily swung his fist and blocked Richard's right punch, but failed to block his left punch, taking another punch to the chin.
Bang!
Vasily retreated two more steps.
Just as he was about to fall, he reached out and grabbed the ropes, barely stabilizing his body.
"Kill!" Richard roared and continued his pursuit.
---
"What a pity, he almost knocked Vasily down." Anthony sighed with a frown.
"That's not right, Anthony. Richard asked you to bet on him winning in the last three rounds, which means he wants to fight a protracted battle. Why did he launch a fierce attack at the beginning?" Norman frowned.
"I don't know, only he knows how he wants to fight, no one else knows." Anthony shook his head.
---
"Richard, are you planning to finish the fight in the first three rounds?" At the end of the first round, Alvin asked.
Richard leaned against the post, closed his eyes, and shook his head. "I just hit Vasily five times, you know how heavy my punches are, even then I couldn't knock him down. This guy is very strong, it's difficult to defeat him in the first three rounds."
"You know he's strong, why did you launch a quick attack?" Alvin asked.
"I want to disrupt his rhythm and make him follow my rhythm."
"It's difficult, he has a lot of experience in matches and won't be easily fooled."
"Is that so?"
Bang bang bang~
At the beginning of the second round, Richard continued his offensive stance, jabbing, swinging, uppercutting, and punching straight, delivering a combination of punches, attacking his opponent smoothly.
Vasily's defense was very solid. He kept blocking with both fists, his upper body moved quickly, and his footwork was also very agile, successfully neutralizing Richard's attack.
The two sides, one attacking and one defending, fought a very exciting match. The cheers of the audience rose and fell, creating a very lively and exciting atmosphere.
"What are your thoughts?" On the second-floor audience seats, promoter Schiller Duva put down his binoculars and asked.
"Richard will definitely lose!" Eddie Hearn wrote on his notebook with a pen.
"Richard is too impatient. His opponent is the experienced Vasily. If he can't win the match in the first three rounds, he will definitely lose," Al Haymon said, stroking his chin.
"Richard used to fight very smartly, why is he so impatient this time?" Schiller Duva wondered.
"Maybe Vasily is too strong and puts a lot of pressure on him."
"Very likely!"
Clang clang clang~
The second round ended.
"Richard consumed a lot of energy in this round, he's sweating all over, and his footsteps are a bit unsteady. Vasily only needs to hold on for another round, and he can probably win the match in the fifth round."
"Yes, Richard is getting closer and closer to defeat."
---
"Vasily, hold steady in the first three rounds. The more impatient your opponent is, the more stable you need to be. First, defend tightly and consume his stamina. His attack can only last until the fourth round at most," Vasily's coach, Scott, said loudly.
"I understand!" Vasily nodded.
---
"Richard, when you sparred with me before, your punches were so powerful, why do they seem to have no effect on Vasily? Are you deliberately holding back?" In the corner, Paul asked suspiciously.
"Of course not, Vasily has a strong ability to withstand blows," Richard said, extending his arm for Old Tang to massage.
"Is that so? Then use more force. I've bet all my money for marriage, having children, and my future children's education on you. If you lose, you'll be in trouble." Paul splashed water on his head and face.
"Yes, Richard, I've also bet my coffin money on you," Old Tang said.
"Haha, don't worry, I will definitely win!" Richard stood up.
(End of Chapter)