46

"You know that even if you lose, I'm very proud of where you've come, Mouse..."

"Don't worry, Mr. Blacker. Whether I can win or not will be decided in this round."

"You're two down, boy. Even if you're fresher, don't be overconfident..."

"Sometimes, to win, you have to lose."

"Did Marcus tell you that?"

"Ha ha ha, for once I understood it myself..."

Blacker wasn't worried that Mouse didn't win, but it was true that despite the blows he had received in those two rounds, the boy's condition and Rubio's were not comparable. At least not in the way he breathed and moved, in the defeated posture of his shoulders, and above all in his expression.