Chapter 16: The State Championship Champion

"Link! Go!"

"Link! You're the champion!"

As Link stepped onto the boxing ring, his fans cheered loudly for him.

Link waved his fists and looked at his opponent in the finals, John Stevens, who was walking towards him. John was a bit taller than him, with dark, shiny muscles and seemingly hard bones. Link couldn't help but sigh, it was going to be another tough fight.

"Hey, I know you. You're Link Baker, right?"

On the boxing ring, the black boxer John casually swung his arms and said.

"Hello, I know you too."

Link nodded politely.

"Haha, good that you know me. You fought fiercely in the last match, but I'm even fiercer. Today I'm going to defeat you and make them my fans."

Black John pointed at the girls holding Link's posters under the stage and grinned, revealing his white teeth.

Link shook his head and smiled, "Mr. Stevens, that's impossible. Even if you defeat me, they won't become your fans."

"Holy crap, what are you saying? Are you trying to say they're white girls and won't like me, a black man?"

Black John said with dissatisfaction, as if he would report Link for racism on the spot if he dared to admit it.

"No, no, of course not. It has nothing to do with skin color. They like me not only because I fight fiercely but also because I have a handsome face. I think not only them, but in the future, when I become a champion, there will be many hot black girls who will like me and become my fans because I'm really handsome, don't you think?" Link said with a smirk.

Ptui!

Black John spat on the ring, thinking this guy was shameless. He bared his teeth and said coldly, "Kid, don't get cocky. Today I'm going to knock you down and let your fans know that under my fists, you're just a crying wimp. Let's see if they'll still like you then."

Link shook his head and glanced at him disdainfully. This look was more damaging than words, and Black John was instantly enraged. He cursed "Fuck" and swung his fist, ready to fight.

"Gentlemen, please get ready."

The referee separated the two, checked their gloves, and announced the rules of the match. There were more rules in amateur matches than in bar fights, but time was limited, so the referee only announced a few main rules and asked if they understood English and if their ears were okay, emphasizing that they must obey the referee's commands during the match.

"Boxing!"

The referee cut his hand, signaling the start of the match.

Link raised his fists, his feet began to move, his eyes fixed on his opponent's shoulders. He took two steps forward, closing in on Black John.

John also stared at his position, keeping a distance of one meter, not engaging him directly.

Link guessed that the opponent had probably watched his matches and understood his fighting style. At the same time, the opponent was not angered by the pre-match argument and was a relatively calm and experienced opponent.

Very tricky!

Not easy to deal with!

Link glanced at the opponent and simply dropped his hands, his arms hanging naturally at his sides, swaying constantly as he jumped forward, approaching the opponent.

By dropping his arms, he was essentially giving up defense. Daring to approach the opponent without defense was a serious provocation and contempt in the boxing ring.

Although John had been instructed by his coach before the match not to risk attacking and to focus on defense in the first three rounds, he was also angered by Link's actions. He took a step back and, as Link followed, suddenly lunged forward, throwing a punch at Link's face.

The headgear in amateur matches could perfectly protect the forehead and cheeks, but the middle of the face was unprotected, which was also the key area for boxers to attack.

The distance between them was close, and John's punching speed was relatively fast. As Link turned his head, John's fist quickly slammed into the side of his face guard. Link's face almost got hit, but his backhand punch also caught up at this moment, fiercely hitting the black boxer's forehead.

The distance between them was too close, and Black John noticed Link's move, trying to do a strategic lean back, but Link's arms were 192 cm long.

Bam!!

A fierce hook, like a flail, slammed into Black John's face.

Black John's head was hit, and he involuntarily fell to the side and back, hitting the ground with a thud.

"Wow! Awesome!"

"Good job!"

This punch was surprising, dangerous, fast, and powerful, full of highlights, instantly igniting the passion of the audience. The more than 5,000 spectators at the scene shouted loudly.

"Link! Champion!"

The fans under the stage excitedly shouted his name.

The media and thousands of spectators at the scene also focused their attention on this boxing ring.

"This boxer is interesting."

In the audience, a gentle-looking brown-haired man stroked his chin and nodded slightly.

"Franco, do you like him?"

The woman next to him asked, holding her child.

The brown-haired man shook his head, took out his phone, and called his assistant, asking him to investigate a boxer named Link Baker.

Less than two minutes later, his assistant sent Link's information to his email. The brown-haired man read it once, a surprised expression appearing on his face. He called his assistant and asked, "Simon, are you sure he won all of his previous 7 matches by KO? This is an amateur competition with headgear protection, and he can still win by KO?"

"Yes, boss, all KOs. In the Miami qualifiers, all three matches ended in one round. Yesterday, he knocked down his opponents an average of four times per match in three matches. He's a heavy hitter." Assistant Simon commented.

"No, no, he's not just a heavy hitter. His speed, technique, and boxing awareness are all excellent, not inferior to professional boxers. Interesting, very interesting."

The brown-haired man put down his phone and looked at Link with shining eyes. A handsome, strong, and good fighter with light skin, his commercial value was considerable.

"Franco, do you want to sign him? He looks very promising."

The woman in the dress asked.

The brown-haired man stared at Link, seeing him knock down the black boxer again, couldn't help but clench his fists and tap his knees, saying, "Wait, wait, let's see his next performance. I hope he can bring me more surprises."

--

Bam!

On the boxing ring, in the second round, both sides exchanged over thirty punches, with wins and losses for both.

With only five seconds left in the second round, Link found an opening in his opponent's defense, quickly closed in, used a combination of punches to break through the defense, and knocked down Black John in the corner.

Second KO!

"Hey! Good morning, Mr. Cohen, this is Carl."

In the audience, a black-haired middle-aged man with a camera saw Link knock down the black boxer again and couldn't help but take out his phone to call the top promoter of a top promotion company, Greg Cohen, solemnly recommending the boxer Link Baker from Miami.

"Carl? Where are you? Orlando? What boxer won 8 matches with 8 KOs? Tell me again."

Hearing Cohen's reply, the black-haired middle-aged man smiled slightly. He knew his words had piqued Greg Cohen's interest, so he explained in detail Link's participation in the Golden Gloves amateur competition.

"Sounds good, Carl. Keep an eye on this boxer named Link. If he can make it to the Golden Gloves national finals, I'll personally go meet him."

"Understood, Mr. Cohen. I'll keep following his matches."

The black-haired man smiled and hung up the phone. He was a scout, specializing in finding young, talented, and commercially valuable boxers or athletes for boxing promotion companies.

Today, he heard on the news that there was a boxing match at the Amway Center, so he came over to take a look, hoping to find some talent.

The boxers in the first few matches performed averagely, with no noteworthy targets. But when Link entered the ring, he saw Link first give up his defense to lure the enemy, then easily dodge the opponent's punch, and simultaneously counterattack with a hook.

This punch was quite strange, quite stunning, and quite shocking.

Carl was immediately impressed.

This kind of fighting style had only been seen in professional boxing matches. For a newcomer to dare to do this, and do it so beautifully, made Carl curious about this boxer named Link.

He called his friends to inquire about Link's information. After obtaining Link's previous match data, he further confirmed that this boxer named Link was worth investing in, so he called the promoter of the top promotion company.

As long as the top promotion company was willing to sign Link, he could also get a considerable commission in the future.

"Link Baker, go for it, keep winning, and the entire American boxing world will be shocked by you."

Carl, holding an e-cigarette, smiled as he watched Link knock down his opponent