Chapter 04 : Back in the Boxing Ring

In the afternoon, Mike from the surfboard shop next door came over and said that today was the second anniversary of his shop's opening, and he invited the neighbors to the bar to have fun. Link and James readily agreed.

Bar Street is one of the liveliest places in Miami's Palm Bay district. It is surrounded by the largest Latino community in Miami, with a permanent population of over 200,000. There are also two holiday villa areas nearby, with a population of around 50,000.

There are many dance halls, casinos, nightclubs, clubs, restaurants, etc. on Bar Street, with dense buildings and large flow of people.

Link was familiar with this area since his predecessor used to hang out nearby.

When the car arrived at the western section of the bar street, he suddenly remembered that there was a boxing bar nearby that used boxing matches as its selling point. From time to time, it would invite boxers to compete on stage, and each match would attract hundreds or thousands of people to watch.

Link decided to take a detour to take a look.

James and Daniel from the hot dog shop next door heard his proposal and rode their bikes to the boxing bar.

The sign at the door of the boxing bar is a huge red boxing glove that emits red light at night, and there are many photos of boxing champions posted on the entrance aisle.

There are veteran boxing champions such as Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Michael Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr. and so on.

There are also new boxing champions and boxing stars who have emerged in recent years, including Terence Crawford, Andre Ward, Edison Miranda and others.

Compared to the 1970s and 1980s when many famous boxers emerged, the current American boxing world is in a period of transition. There are almost no rookies worthy of attention, and most of those active in the boxing ring are veterans in their thirties or forties.

The reasons are very complicated. They are related to the times, the current entertainment consumption situation, the publicity and promotion methods, and the boxing rules. However, the main reason is that the strength is generally not strong and there is a lack of a powerful figure who can unify the four major organizations.

Link looked at the pictures on the wall and said to James and Daniel from the hot dog shop, "Can you believe it? My picture will be hung here in the future."

"Haha, stop dreaming, this is not your living room."

James pushed him inside by the shoulder.

"Link, secretly posting mug shots doesn't count, I can do that too."

Daniel from the hot dog shop teased.

"Just wait and see."

Link waved his fist and pushed open the glass door of the bar, and a huge wave of sound accompanied by heat and alcohol rushed towards him.

"Hit him! Don't let him hold you!"

"Mario, stop retreating, punch him! Fuck, you don't know how to box!"

"Softheart Mario, stop fighting and go home to get your milk!"

When Link and his two companions walked into the bar, a boxing match was going on in the ring. Two burly boxers hugged each other, crashed into the fence, and were separated by the referee.

There were crowds of people around the boxing ring, about a thousand of them, mostly adult men. After drinking, they would become very irritable. Once the boxer tried to avoid fighting, they would start swearing and venting their dissatisfaction.

"It's really lively. We should have come here earlier. Softie Mario, get off!"

James started yelling before he even realized who Mario was.

"Don't shout."

Link picked his ears, sat on a chair next to the bar, and looked at the two boxers in the ring.

Both of them are Latino, weighing around 90 kilograms, and are heavyweight fighters.

One is a boxer with a fierce look, fat body, and a big belly, like a tumbler. This man is the softie Mario that the audience calls him. His opponent is a muscular bald man.

During the game, the bald strong man kept attacking and fighting vigorously, while Mario kept dodging and changing positions, often using the hugging tactics, and only attacked occasionally, playing very conservatively.

This is also the reason why the audience is unhappy with him. In a place like a bar, everyone prefers to watch the fun. The more exciting the fight, the more people will buy into it. Defensive tactics are not welcome here.

However, in Link's opinion, Mario was well-controlled in his advance and retreat and in his defense, and it was obvious that he had received professional boxing training, while the bald strong man's fighting style was more amateurish, with no rules or tactics, and he just kept wasting his strength.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Mario will win this game.

Sure enough, in the fifth round, Mario succeeded in a sneak attack and knocked the bald man to the ground with a jab. The bald man struggled for a few times but was unable to get up.

Mario wins the game.

"In the second round, who wants to challenge Mario on stage?"

The boxing referee held a microphone and spoke to the audience.

The rules of the boxing bar are quite interesting.

The bar owner placed a cash box on the boxing ring with $200 in cash in it.

If drinkers wanted to watch a boxing match, they would put money into the cash box. Every time the cash box accumulated enough money to reach $1,000, the bar would announce a boxing match.

Boxers who win three consecutive games that night have the opportunity to clear the prize pool, regardless of gender or weight class, and the stronger one takes the money and leaves.

"I'll do it!"

A burly black man took out a hundred dollars and threw it into the cashier. With the help of the bar staff, he put on braces and boxing gloves and went on stage.

At the beginning of the second game, the black man was obviously well prepared. After touching gloves with Mario, he swung his fists and bombarded Mario's head wildly.

In the first round, Mario was knocked down twice. In the second round, Mario held on and did not fall down. In the third round, the black man's strength gradually declined. In the fourth round, he was knocked down once by Mario. In the fifth round, Mario won the match.

The strong black man was carried off the boxing ring.

"In the third match, who else wants to challenge Mario Joao?"

the on-field referee shouted.

After two games, the drinkers all knew that Mario was no wimp, and those who were originally preparing to go on stage were hesitating.

"Hey, who wants to challenge me?"

Mario had won two games in a row and his morale was high. He stood on the corner post, shaking his fists and yelling at the audience.

"You call me a wimp, why don't you dare come up? Haha, you are the wimps, you are all wimps."

Mario laughed, holding his fist in the air.

Link glanced at him, then looked at the cash box full of change and took out a hundred dollar bill from his pocket.

"Link, what are you doing, that's not a donation box."

James asked confused.

"I'm going to go up there and box."

Link pointed to the boxing ring.

"Are you crazy?"

James widened his eyes and said, "You don't think you can learn boxing just by doing sit-ups and skipping rope at home? Boxing is not as simple as you think."

"Link, go ahead, I'm calling an ambulance for you."

Daniel from the hot dog shop took out his cell phone and said pretentiously.

Link glanced at the two of them. Originally he wanted to ask them to bet on him to win so that he could earn some pocket money, but the two of them looked like they deserved a beating, so he gave up.

Link squeezed through the crowd and came to the stage, threw a hundred dollars into the cash box, took off his shirt, put on hand bandages and boxing gloves, and walked onto the ring.

"Wow, it's a white-faced boy."

"Is he going to deliver the money?"

"Hey, man, come down quickly, don't go up there and embarrass yourself."

The audience roared.

Link waved his fist at the people below the ring, telling them to shut up.

"Hey, kid, are you sure you want to fight me?"

Mario crossed his arms, looked him up and down, and said, "My fists can kill people."

"Mine will, too."

Link said, raising his fist.

"Humph, you stubborn boy, I'll let you know the consequences of bragging later."

Mario bared his teeth and said viciously.

"Place your bets! Place your bets! Bet on the handsome white-faced boy to win, ten times the odds, ten times the odds! Guys, don't miss this great opportunity to make a fortune."

The dealer in the bar's gambling stall shouted.

"Ten times the odds? You can earn ten dollars for every dollar you bet. James, should we take a chance?"

Daniel from the hot dog shop said with some excitement.

"Who to bet on? Link? Are you crazy too? Do you think he can beat Mario like that?"

James gestured with his hands to compare the two men's bodies. Although Link had a muscular body, with big pectoral muscles and six-pack abs, he was obviously inferior to the fat and tum

"Try it. Just think of it as cheering Link up."

Daniel said as he took out two small bills from his pocket.

"Okay, I'll bet two dollars and I'll have one less hot dog tomorrow."

"You can have one less sandwich."

Daniel from the hot dog shop took his money to the gambling den to place his bet.

(End of this chapter)