Chapter 50: Another KO

"Link, Andre lost!"

"Lost? Is Aragon that strong?"

In Havana, Cuba, at the Social and Cultural Center Gymnasium, the venue for the current Olympic qualification tournament, Link had just come down from the boxing ring when his teammate, the dreadlocked Morales, came over with the news.

In the first round of eliminations, Andre Berto faced Cuba's Lorenzo Aragon.

The score was 14:31.

Andre Berto suffered a defeat.

Lorenzo Aragon is the top amateur boxer in Cuba's super middleweight division.

He is 25 years old, 190 cm tall, has an arm length of 194 cm, is black, and has excellent boxing skills.

He represented Cuba in the men's 69 kg boxing event at the 2004 Athens Olympics, fought his way to the finals, and met Kazakhstani boxer Artayev in the final match. Unfortunately, he was defeated and took home a silver medal.

Four years have passed, and Aragon has moved his weight up to 75 kg, aiming for the Olympic gold in the super middleweight category.

Drawing such a strong opponent in the first round was indeed unlucky for Andre Berto.

"That bastard Aragon is just like you, dodging here and there during the match, slippery as an eel. Andre couldn't land a punch on him."

Morales cursed angrily.

"Sounds really tricky," Link nodded.

"Link, how did you do?" Jones Flores squeezed through the crowd, looking serious.

He used to compete only domestically and thought the best boxers in the world were all concentrated in the U.S. He believed that making it to the top five in the Golden Gloves Championship meant he wouldn't fare badly abroad either.

However, upon arriving at the Americas Zone competition and watching matches from Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, and other countries, he was astonished and had his horizons broadened.

Cuban boxing: following the Russian style, with fast and fierce punches and a good sense of attack rhythm. Additionally, most Cuban boxers are black, with good flexibility and quick movement, similar to the guerrilla tactics of the Cuban Revolutionary Armyâ€"hit and move, with flexible tactics.

Mexican boxing: combining modern Western boxing techniques with local characteristics, it is extremely fierce, fearless, and relentless. During matches, it's like they are fighting for their lives, willing to get hurt to take a piece of their opponent.

Brazilian and Argentine boxing: leveraging local strengths such as quick movement, they fight with flexible and varied moves, often throwing punch after punch with continuous aggression, making them very difficult to deal with.

Other Central and South American countries like Haiti, Jamaica, and Guatemala see boxing as a means of survival and a way to achieve a better life. Their determination and tough fighting style make them formidable opponents.

Compared to these countries' boxers, American boxing only has advantages in terms of technique, experience, and physical fitness; in other areas, it does not hold much superiority.

Jones Flores, after watching various countries' matches, was greatly impressed and even subconsciously restrained his initial pride upon arriving in Havana.

Seeing Link come down, he hurried over to inquire. With the defeat of the U.S. team's second super middleweight boxer, all hopes rested on Link.

Link's first-round opponent was Mexico's second-ranked Matias Ezequiel Vargas Martin, a very strong opponent.

If Link also failed, the U.S. super middleweight team would have to pack up and go home.

"KO! I won," Link smiled lightly.

"KO?!"

"Another KO?" Morales and Jones exclaimed in surprise.

Their surprise was understandable, given how impressive this result was.

The Olympic qualification matches differ from the Golden Gloves Championship.

A match consists of only four rounds, each lasting two minutes, with a one-minute rest in between. The limited time makes achieving a KO significantly more challenging.

There are three ways to achieve a KO in Olympic series matches:

1. Directly knock out the opponent, making them unable to get up.

2. In one round, if one side is knocked down three times and counted by the referee three times, the referee can declare a KO victory for the other side; or in four rounds, if one side is knocked down four times and counted four times, the referee can declare a KO victory for the other side if the disparity is deemed too great.

3. Cause a serious injury to the opponent, prompting the referee to stop the match for safety reasons.

During Link's match against Mexico's second-ranked Martin, he knocked Martin down four times in the first three rounds, but Martin tenaciously got up each time, showing immense willpower.

Link had to increase his power and keep punching, landing 47 heavy punches in the fourth round, ultimately knocking Martin down completely and winning the match.

"Let's go check on Andre!" At Link's suggestion, the four headed to Ring 6.

Due to the short qualification period of only five days and numerous events, the Social and Cultural Center Gymnasium set up eight boxing rings, sometimes holding eight matches simultaneously. The venue for each match was determined by a draw conducted by the team coaches before the matches.

Link was at Ring 2, while Andre and Cuban boxer Lorenzo Aragon were at Ring 6.

When Link and the others arrived, Andre was talking to the team coach and translator.

Since Cuba is part of the Latin language group, over 90% of the population only speaks Spanish and some local dialects. Schools do not teach English, supposedly to prevent people from immigrating to the U.S.

Therefore, the U.S. and Canadian teams need to have translators with them for the competition.

Other American countries generally speak Spanish or Portuguese, also part of the Latin language group, so they are collectively referred to as Latinos.

Link's hometown, Miami, has the highest proportion of Latinos in the U.S., with more than half the population speaking Spanish. Link Baker speaks Spanish, and so does Link.

"Link, how did the match go?" Andre Berto called out as he looked over.

"It was great!" Before Link could respond, Andrew excitedly recounted the match details. Hearing that Link had won another KO, everyone cheered happily.

"Link, well done!" Andre and the coaching staff applauded.

"Thanks!" Link shrugged and smiled.

"Link, I lost. The upcoming matches depend on you," Andre Berto said, patting Link on the shoulder.

Link nodded. With only two spots left in the super middleweight category and Link winning the first place, the U.S. team's second place was out of the competition. They could now participate in the experience exchange matches.

Link would have to face all the remaining boxers who advanced from the first round.

This Americas Olympic boxing qualification tournament featured teams from 28 countries and regions, with a total of 325 boxers participating.

In the super middleweight category, 18 countries participated, and 18 boxers advanced from the first round, all top boxers in their respective countries.

"Link, look over there. That's Lorenzo Aragon," Andre Berto said, pointing to the opposite corner.

There stood a lean, dark-skinned young black man with a blue tattoo on his shoulder. At 190 cm, he was 4 cm taller than Link, with arms 2 cm longer. He had participated in two World Championships and one Olympics, bringing extensive experience and appearing formidable.

"Next to him is his coach, Felix Savon," Andre Berto pointed to the middle-aged black man beside Lorenzo Aragon.

"Felix Savon?" Link's expression became serious.

Felix Savon is the third boxer in Olympic history to win gold in boxing in three consecutive Olympic Games (1992, 1996, and 2000).

The first was Teofilo Stevenson, a legendary Cuban boxer.

The second was Laszlo Papp, a legendary Hungarian boxer.

For various reasons, they did not enter the professional boxing arena, but in the amateur boxing world, no one could match their achievements and honors.

Felix Savon is also a leading figure in the new generation of Cuban boxing.

Lorenzo Aragon is his disciple, and naturally, his skills are formidable.

Link felt a bit of pressure.

(End of chapter)