Chapter 21 : I Will Save Boxing

  "How much?!"  

Mario opened his eyes wide and looked at him in shock.

"One hundred million US dollars? Are you crazy? Mr. Duval came to negotiate with you with sincerity, and you responded to Mr. Duval's kindness with such an insincere number?

  Link, stop joking, let's be serious and sincere. I heard that Mr. Duval has contracts with more than ten boxing champions, so he is very busy. "

  "One hundred million dollars?"

  Even West and Reggie, who were drowsy from the sun, opened their eyes and listened to their negotiations attentively.

  So money is a good thing, it is refreshing.

  "Link, one hundred million dollars?"

  The smile on Franco Duva's face turned into a bitter smile, as if Link's words had touched his gallbladder, and even his smile became bitter.

  If any fans of Franco Duva saw his smile change, they would definitely blame Link for being reckless.

  Link glanced at Mario, who had no stance. This bastard had thrown away even the most basic dignity and moral integrity in order to get Franco Duva to take in a piece of trash like him.

  But he didn't think about it. With his qualifications, he would be disliked for being a sparring partner for a boxing champion. What's the point of going to a major event company?

  Link smiled slightly and slowly wiped the corners of his mouth and fingers with a tissue. "Mr. Duva, do you think 100 million US dollars is a lot? Or do you think I am not worth 100 million?"

  "Is there even any need to say this, Link? Look at yourself. Even if you have won a few matches now, these are amateur matches. You are a newcomer who doesn't even have the title of boxing champion. How dare you offer a sky-high price of 100 million?"

  Franco spoke indignantly on Mario's behalf.

  It seemed as if Link asking Franco for 100 million US dollars was such an outrageous thing, and he was acting on behalf of the heaven by speaking his mind.

Link looked at Franco Duva and smiled, "Mr. Duva, do you think so too?"

  "That's for sure."

  "Shut up!!"

  Link looked at Mario coldly.

  "Mario, go sit over there! You have nothing to do here!"

  West scolded with a dark face.

  Mario curled his lips, licked his face and smiled at Franco Duva, moved his butt to the seat on the opposite aisle, but stretched his neck over. If he could use his face to reserve a seat, his seat would have remained basically unchanged.

  Link smiled and looked at Franco Duva, "Mr. Duva, do you think so too?"

  When Franco Duval was thinking about something, he liked to lower his head slightly, and a vertical wrinkle would appear between his eyebrows. When he raised his head, the vertical wrinkle disappeared.

  He said: "Link, you are very strong, have excellent appearance, and have great commercial value, but you are a newcomer after all. One hundred million US dollars, even if Holyfield is in his fifth year of debut and has won the WBA gold belt, he will not offer such a huge clause to my father."

  Link heard him pause when talking about his father Lou Duva, with a respectful expression on his face, and said with a smile: "Mr. Duva, you were willing to come to see me and want to sign me before I became a boxing champion. You were optimistic about my potential, which is no different from Wall Street pitchers buying a large number of shares of those small companies with potential before they go public.

  As an investor, if I asked you to pay $100 million for 20% of Microsoft in 1980, would you be willing?

  If I asked you to pay $1 billion for 80% of Apple in 1985, would you be willing?

  If I asked you to pay $100 million for 30% of Google in 2003, would you be willing?

Now I ask you to pay $100 million for my event promotion contract, but you are unwilling to do so. Why is that?"

  Mario and Reggie were stunned. They had heard Link ask Franco Duval if he could go back to the past and buy a large number of shares in Microsoft, Apple, and Google if he had money.

  They are also wondering if they would invest in a few Internet giants if they had money and opportunities.

  The result of thinking is, of course I am willing to do so. If I invest 100 million and earn back 100 billion, I would be a fool if I am not willing to do so.

  But then Link changed the subject and asked Franco why he was unwilling to spend $100 million to get his contract?

  Isn't this nonsense?

  There are tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of big companies in front of you, and you are just you. How can a boxer like you compare with a big company worth hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars?

  Mario rolled his eyes, thinking that Link's brain might have been soaked in sea water too much and was a little damp.

  Franco Duval was stunned for a moment, and a hint of a bitter smile appeared on his lips. He spread his hands politely, "Link, your commercial value is huge, but 100 million US dollars is indeed beyond our budget. What do you think of 10 million?"

  "Ten million?! Link is worth ten million?"

  Mario stared at Franco Dua with wide eyes, as if asking, "Respected President Dua, have you accidentally been infected with Link's madness because you were too close to him?"

  When West and Reggie heard that Franco Duva offered a 10 million contract, they looked at Link in surprise, wanting to see his reaction? Shock? Excitement? Surprise?

  Link just waved his hand calmly, "If it was in 1980, on this train, Bill Gates was sitting opposite you, and he wanted to sell you 20% of Microsoft shares for 100 million, you would definitely refuse if you had no memory of the future.

  In 1985, when those stupid shareholders of Apple drove Jobs out of the company, and then messed up Apple, and were ready to sell it to you for 1 billion US dollars, you would definitely refuse.

  In 1999, when the two founders of Google were trying to attract investment for a new project and wanted to sell you 30% of the shares, you would still refuse.

  It's not that you don't have investment vision, but that you didn't do a serious investigation. You don't know where the three companies and I are really valuable? You don't know how much potential we have and how much value we can create in the future.

  If your company's assessment of my career is that I will only become a boxing champion like Holyfield in the future, then there is no need to sign me. My value does not lie in this."

  "Only a boxing champion like Holyfield? Only?"

  Mario stared at Link with eyes wide open in disbelief. If he hadn't been frightened by Link's cold eyes, he would have wanted to grab Link's collar and shake him hard a few times, asking him if he knew who Holyfield was.

  Evander Holyfield is the most successful heavyweight boxer in terms of honors and business after Tyson. He has won the WBA heavyweight championship four times, the IBF heavyweight championship three times, and the WBC heavyweight championship three times. He is the second boxer to win the world heavyweight championship three times after Muhammad Ali.

  To be like Holyfield is the dream of every boxer, but in Link's mouth, it is just?

  "Someone is crazy! Someone is really crazy!"

  Mario muttered quietly as he looked up at the ceiling of the train.

  Franco Duva looked at Link with a strange look. He felt that this young man had become so arrogant after defeating more than a dozen opponents and being hyped up by the media that he even looked down on Holyfield.

  Still smiling, he asked in a more polite tone, "Link, can you let me know your career plan, or what you think is the most valuable thing about you?"

  "Certainly!"

  Link smiled with the corners of his lips raised. If he just said that he would be better than Holyfield in the future, that would be bragging, and others would laugh at him with contempt, which was not his intention at all.

  He pointed to the fruit basket on the table and said, "Since the beginning of the last century, when boxing began to be commercialized, the heavyweight division has always been the most profitable field, but it has not been profitable in recent years, and this is indeed the case in the North American market.

  In the absence of a heavyweight champion, smaller boxers such as Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr., De La Hoya and Pacquiao began to divide the heavyweight market.

  Why is this happening? Because you can't find someone in North America who can replace George Foreman, Tyson, Holyfield and others to continue to attract audiences and pay for boxing matches.

  If there is a person who has the ability to unify the four major heavyweight organizations and regain the heavyweight market and audience, would you be willing to sign him with $100 million?

  I think you will definitely not let it go.

  With this person, your company will be able to earn 10 billion, 100 billion in the future. What is a mere 100 million US dollars? And I am such a person. "

  Without waiting for Franco Duval to speak, he raised his hand to politely stop the other person from speaking, "Since the 1940s and 1950s, most of the boxers active in the boxing world are Ali, Tyson, Holyfield, Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr., these dark-skinned people.

  My appearance will break this pattern. My goal is to unify all world boxing titles and gold belts in the five major weight classes and four major organizations. How can Holyfield compete with me? "

  Link looked at Franco Duva seriously, "Boxing is about to undergo earth-shaking changes, and I am the one who will change the boxing world.

  One hundred million US dollars! Mr. Duval, I am offering this as a friendship price because I see that you are sincere and I respect Mr. Duva very much. Is it a lot?"

  Franco Duval wiped the sweat from his forehead with a patterned tissue.

  If Link said before that he didn't take Holyfield seriously, he was too arrogant, like a bubble floating in the sky.

  And what Link said just now about his plan to regain the heavyweight market and bring changes to the North American boxing world was like a thunderbolt from the sky that made his scalp numb.

  Even Ali, Tyson, and Holyfield dared not say such things, so how could an amateur boxer dare to say them?

  But if you think about Link's words carefully, you will find that although there is some bragging in Link's words, it is not impossible.

  There is a lack of young boxers in North America right now, especially in the most lucrative heavyweight division. As boxing champions like Tyson and Holyfield are getting older, the new heavyweight champions are generally not very strong.

Even if they are capable of becoming the champions in the domestic boxing world, they will soon be beaten back to their original form when they encounter foreign opponents. There is not much value in investing in their training.

  If there really is someone in the current boxing world who is capable of unifying the heavyweight championship belts of the four major organizations, this person will undoubtedly have great commercial value.

  If it is a handsome light-skinned boxer, the commercial value will be immeasurable.

  One hundred million dollars is really nothing.

  But is this person Link?

  Link is just a newcomer who has debuted for less than ten days, a newborn baby. Even if he is very strong, who can guarantee that he will always be strong?

  The difference between promotion companies and those people on Wall Street is that they invest in specific "people".

  However, when the object of investment is "people", there are too many variables and risks.

  Making an investment decision often requires great courage.

  "Throughout history, those who get the biggest piece of the pie are often those who dare to take risks.

  Mr. Duvall, although what I said just now may be a little crazy, I will use my fists to prove that what I said is not bragging.

  And you are facing a choice: continue to be a spectator and marvel or regret my future achievements, or place a bet in advance and become my partner, and we can eat the cake together. The choice is in your hands. "

  Link picked up a tangerine and handed it to Franco Duva.

  Franco Duva looked at the tangerine in his hand, remaining silent, but two vertical lines appeared between his eyebrows.

  Mario looked at Link stupidly. He could barely follow what he said at first, but what he said later sounded like the mumbling of a lunatic and made him dizzy.

  But what he couldn't understand was that Mr. Franco Duva, a famous figure in the promotion industry, heard Link's crazy words, but instead of slapping him in the face, he listened very seriously? !

  He didn't understand whether he was abnormal or the world was crazy.

  When the train arrived at Miami Station, Link woke up West, who had fallen asleep again, and took his luggage to get off the train.

  "Mr. Link Baker, your statement is very interesting. We will seriously consider your proposal. Good luck in the finals!"

  Franco Duva said, holding out his hand.

  "Good!"

  Link smiled and shook his hand.

  ——

  "Link is out!"

  When Link and his group appeared at the train station, dozens of reporters from the media heard the news and rushed towards him, including Miami Business TV, Miami Tribune, American Express, Beach Pictorial and other media.

  The media, like fans, are a group that needs to be constantly maintained and dealt with seriously.

  Link's goal is to become a boxing superstar and a boxer with great commercial potential, which requires him to deal with the media.

  Although they are annoying and unscrupulous sometimes, as long as they are handled properly, the positive effects they bring will definitely outweigh the troubles they cause.

  Link stayed in the square in front of the Miami station for more than ten minutes and answered more than twenty questions about the game and personal life, fully satisfying the curiosity and writing needs of the group of reporters, and they generously let him go.

  "Hey, Link, here!"

  Across the street from the station square, Fat James was riding a scooter and waving happily at him.

  Link said goodbye to West and the others, crossed the traffic, and walked to the other side of the street. He looked at the small mount under the fat man's butt, the Honda Rebel, and nodded his index finger and said, "I'm returning from the battlefield full of honor, and you use this little thing to welcome me?"

  "What's wrong? If not this, what else can I use to pick you up? Are you worried that there won't be enough room? It's okay, I'll squeeze forward."

  As James spoke, he moved his butt forward, and the small motorcycle squeaked and screamed under his pressure, which was a horrible sight.

  Link covered his forehead with his hands. He had just been discussing a business deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars with others on the train. He thought he was a big shot, but when he got off the train, he had to ride a scooter to go home. It felt like a dream.

  Forget it. I don't have a sports car now, so I can only ride this for the time being. Don't complain about it.

  He stretched out his long legs and squeezed behind the scooter, which immediately sank with a squeak!

  James started the car, and the small motorcycle rumbled, emitting black smoke, and merged into the busy traffic.

  The photographers quickly raised their cameras and pressed the shutter button several times at Link on the scooter.

  Click! Click!

  (End of this chapter)