Chapter 187: [Charity Fundraising Event]

"If there is no second Apache in London who would accept the boxer's challenge, it would be me," Ma Shao said with a smile.

Joule's smile faded a little: "I know you are a martial nation. In fact, the British are also very martial. Some people are even willing to sacrifice their lives for it. But I still want to remind you that boxing is a high-risk activity, at least much riskier than physics."

Ma Shao nodded: "You are right, but I am not participating in boxing, but Apache fighting skills."

"Apache fighting skills?" Joule frowned slightly.

Ma Shao: "I'm going to participate in a competition soon. You can come and watch it, Joule. I believe you will soon realize that this sport is completely different from boxing."

Joule: "Okay."

Gideon helped Ma Shao rent an open-air arena as the competition venue, not far from the hotel where they were staying.

It is called an arena, but if compared with the professional fighting arenas of later generations, it is no different from an open space. The only difference is that the ground is cleaner, so if you fall on the ground you won't get too dirty.

The UK is not a large country, and with the widespread use of railways and telegraphs, it can be said that it is the region in the world where information dissemination is the fastest.

The games in the past few days have earned Ma Shao considerable fame. His next opponent is also well-known locally, so many onlookers and reporters gathered early on.

Hundreds of people were watching, making the not-so-spacious space seem a bit crowded.

"Here he comes! Here he comes!"

"That Apache God of War is coming!"

With the appearance of the horse whistle, there was a commotion among the onlookers, followed by a few shouts.

"No pushing, no entering the competition venue!"

In addition to the onlookers, there are naturally many people maintaining order, including security guards employed by Ma Shao and local public security police.

According to the law, the police should stop the activities here.

But the police do not strictly enforce the law, especially when it comes to boxing matches that are popular among the entire nation. As long as they do not obviously involve gangs or crimes, they often choose to turn a blind eye.

Of course, they generally don't take the initiative to help maintain order in boxing matches.

The reason they are here is first and foremost because this is a "charity fundraiser."

There's another reason, and it may be more important - they're provided with free beer.

In name, it was to assist in charity fundraising activities, but in reality, it was to drink beer and watch boxing matches... Is there a more beautiful police job in the world?

"Thomson, you are here too." Joule saw his old friend.

Thomson smiled and said, "Of course I'm here. I came here with Ma Shao. I have to say, Apache martial arts is much more interesting than boxing. I don't even want to go to Cambridge anymore."

Joule: "The meeting is in three days, right?"

"Yeah, so we've got two more days of racing to watch," Thomson said.

"The game is about to begin!" John Gideon appeared in the center of the venue as the host. He was wearing a neat suit and had a loud voice.

"First, please welcome the challenger - Nicholas Ward!" He gestured with his hand and looked at the challenger on one side of the venue, a strong man in his thirties.

"Today's game will definitely be exciting!" The crowd became agitated again.

"I'm curious whether Ward will show his 'unique understanding' of the rules again. Although he is a strong boxer, his reputation has never been very good..."

"This is not boxing, but Apache fighting style, a real man's fight. Ward's previous way of playing is useless!" People were talking about it.

There were some people around Ward, obviously his friends. Among them was a familiar face, the rogue Abe who provoked Ma Shao a few days ago.

"He looks like a big fool." Ward said as he looked at Ma Shao who was taking off his shirt.

"I thought so at first," Abe said, "but in fact he is very flexible and strong... Ward, I believe you are the only one who can deal with him, but you have to be careful."

In the increasingly heated atmosphere, Gideon announced the rules of the competition: "Apache fighting advocates martial ethics. The basic principle is to respect the opponent and respect life."

"There is no doubt that the following actions are serious violations, including kicking the crotch, poking the eyes, hitting the back of the head... Any serious violation will be directly judged as the loser."

"The match ends when one side surrenders or is unable to resist."

"According to the agreement, the challenger who wins will receive a prize of five hundred pounds and a one-pound deposit will be returned. If he loses, the deposit will not be returned, and all unreturned deposits will be used as part of charity to help the unfortunate Irish people who are suffering in the famine."

After introducing the rules, Gideon raised his voice and said excitedly: "Let us welcome the god of war from America, the invincible fighter, the Apache chieftain!"

The crowd then erupted in enthusiastic cheers.

"Apache, Apache!" Some people admired the powerful and handsome foreign fighter.

Some people also unconditionally supported the local boxer: "Ward, beat up this country bumpkin!"

"Ward, you are not fighting alone. You represent the British Empire and all the boxers in London. Don't lose to this savage from America!"

Amid the boiling noise, Ma Shao slowly walked to the center of the field, his upper body naked and his lower body wearing loose white trousers that looked like Taekwondo trousers.

This was one of the rules he set, contestants could be topless but their lower body should be decently dressed.

After all, chest muscles and abdominal muscles can be beautiful, but two big hairy legs are bound to be an eyesore, even though Indians have almost no leg hair.

If fighting wants to get rid of the label of "barbaric", some formal work needs to be done.

Ward also followed the rules and was shirtless but wore long pants on his lower body.

"Hello, challenger." Ma Shao stepped forward and saluted, with his hands spread out on both sides, like a welcoming gesture, but also like he was slightly holding up something.

This is a etiquette he set up specifically for competitions, which means openness and respect. Both parties in the competition must perform this etiquette to each other before the fight can begin.

The decent clothing and etiquette, these intuitive designs add a lot of color to "Apache Fighting Skills", and immediately distinguish it from the barbaric impression of boxing.

Laymen are particularly enthusiastic about this and are scrambling to imitate it. Ma Shao's simple white trousers have become a hit and are sold in many clothing stores in London.

The boxers may not care, but since they have participated in the competition and want the 500-pound prize, they naturally have to abide by the rules.

So like all challengers, Ward also saluted by imitating the horse whistle.