Chapter 006: Come On, The Boxing Ring Needs You

Leaving the boxing bar, James laughed loudly on the street, having just bet two US Dollars on Link and won twenty US Dollars.

In the second round, Link's odds fell to 1:2; he continued to bet on Link, turning twenty into forty, an easy gain of forty US Dollars, and Daniel did the same.

However, Link earned the most that evening. The base prize money for the competition was 1000 US Dollars, with a total of eight people competing, bringing the prize pool to 1800 US Dollars.

In less than half an hour, he had earned 1800 US Dollars. Although that couldn't match Tyson earning 20 million in 90 seconds or Mayweather making 250 million in 36 minutes, it was a good start.

"Hey, Mr. Link Baker, please wait a moment!"

Hearing someone shout, Link stopped his car and turned to see an elderly, thin man stepping out of a car, wearing a baseball shirt. The old man was a short, lean, Hispanic black man with sunken cheeks and age spots on his cheekbones, but a kindly face.

Although the old man was advanced in age, he was sprightly and spoke with a loud voice.

Following him was a fat man with a face full of fleshy folds, none other than Mario, who had just been knocked down by Link in the ring. Seeing Link, Mario snorted heavily and turned his face away.

"Mr. Baker, can we have a chat? My name is West Corian, and I'm a coach at the West Fight Club," he said.

West Corian handed him a business card.

Link took the business card and said hello.

"Link, which club do you train at? Who is your coach? Maybe I know him," West asked.

"I don't have a coach at the moment; I practice on my own at home."

"Haha, nonsense! You mean to say you achieved that performance practicing on your own, and the rest of us from fight clubs are just rubbish?" Mario said, rolling his eyes.

James chuckled, "I can testify that Link just practices casually, jumping rope and doing sit-ups. He's never been to a fight club or even on a ring before. Today was his first time. And Link managed to beat you on his first try, so you really are a bit..."

Mario's face fell, and he shut his mouth, not speaking any further.

West Corian, looking even more eager upon hearing this, said, "Link, it would be a real waste if someone with your talent didn't pursue boxing. I would like to invite you to my gym to train. What do you think about that?"

Link saw from the business card that West's Fight Club was also located in Palm Beach, not far from the coast, and thought that training there might be a good option.

Coach West, what are the fees at your boxing gym?"

"Two thousand US Dollars per month, plus separate charges for equipment and food. Fees should be paid at the beginning of each month without any delay," West explained.

Mario snorted.

"No no, no charge, not one cent," said Coach West, pushing Mario aside.

"What are you saying?!" Mario exclaimed, his eyes wide with dissatisfaction. "You said I had good potential and need to pay a thousand each month. Why doesn't he have to pay anything?"

"Shut up!" West shot a glance at him and, smiling, asked Link, "What do you think?"

"Sounds good, I'll come check out your gym tomorrow."

"Good, I'll be there all day tomorrow; you come anytime. I'll wait for you," Coach West said, grabbing Link's hand and shaking it vigorously, his attitude very sincere.

Link and his friends had to rush to a party, so they said goodbye and rode off on their bikes.

Mario's voice of discontent rose again.

"Why? Why can he train for free and I can't? West, this isn't fair."

"Don't complain. He's a genius. He managed to knock you out, someone who's trained for three years, just through self-practice. He deserves special treatment."

"Genius? Hmph, wait till he comes to the gym tomorrow. I'll beat him so bad he'll be crawling on the floor looking for his teeth, then you'll see who the real genius is," Mario said, clenching his fists.

West shook his head, opened his car door, and said, "If Link decides to join the gym, you'll be his sparring partner."

"What?!"

Mario's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at West, unable to accept what he was hearing. When he had joined the fight club, he had quickly become its pillar, West's own son, with other boxers merely his sparring partners. Now that Link had arrived, he was reduced to being a sparring partner?

Is this what life is? So cruel?

"Yes, Link is very skilled, his speed and power are at the professional boxer's level. You being his sparring partner will speed up your improvement. Don't forget, champions John Ruiz was once a sparring partner for Lewis, McCall for Tyson, and Larry Holmes for Ali. Being his sparring partner isn't a demotion, it shows how much I value and want to train you."

"Hmph, why can't he be my sparring partner?"

Mario complained.

West glanced at him and said ominously:

"Link's punches are quite heavy, you probably can't handle them. Maybe I should consider finding him a more skilled sparring partner."

Mario opened his mouth to speak, okay, so I don't even qualify to be his sparring partner.

——

Link, James, and Daniel went to the Pink Lover's Bar for the surf shop's second anniversary celebration, where a group of people drank, hooked up, and got high. They had a blast.

Link didn't want to harm his body, and so he declined drugs, alcohol, and junk food. He felt somewhat out of place at the party and went home to sleep before nine o'clock.

Ding-dong! Just as he lay down in bed, he received a MSN message from the newly added Taylor.

"Did you go to sleep yet?"

"No, I just came back from the bar."

Link talked about the surf shop's celebration next door, and Taylor shared about her rehearsals at the Hard Rock Sports Gym, saying rehearsals were exhausting, even more so than the live performance, but the thought of singing on stage made her happy.

Link laughed, he felt the same way on the boxing ring.

The next day, he got up early to run on the seaside boulevard, and around nine, Taylor waved at a middle-aged woman on the seaside boulevard, carrying a natural wood guitar and walking across the sandbar.

She had changed into a white strapless dress with a light blue belt, her tall and slim figure blossoming, her hair tied into a loose ponytail, swaying as she walked. Seeing him at the door, she smiled and waved.

"Link, are you waiting for me here?"

"Yes, I guessed you'd come around this time,"

Link said with a smile.

Taylor smiled faintly and began to teach him how to play the guitar.

The two sat on a blanket facing the sea. One patiently taught, and the other grimaced as he learned, both earnest but making slow progress. Taylor initially managed to keep her annoyance in check, but later gave up and punched him in the shoulder muscles.

"Wow, so sweet, are they dating?"

Danny from the hot dog stand came over licking an ice cream and asked.

James looked up from the Playboy magazine, glanced at the man and woman on the beach, and said with a sneer, "No, they're just having guitar lessons."

"Doesn't look like it. Taylor almost leans into Link's arms. Could it be a teacher-student romance?"

The two exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

Link had no time to worry about the teasing behind his back, his focus entirely on the six guitar strings and dealing with Taylor to avoid her criticism.

After two or three hours, he roughly understood the difference between the strings and the positions of the CDEFGAB notes, but he was far from being able to play a complete song.

During practice, he noticed something odd—Taylor seemed to be moving closer to him intentionally, initiating some physical contact, which made him somewhat uncomfortable, not knowing whether he should accept Taylor's advances.

Taylor was beautiful and a major star; having her as a girlfriend would likely be great.

But after Taylor became famous, she'd had a prolific romantic life; her ex-boyfriends could form a soccer team, comparable to being a sea queen.

Link didn't think he was her match in that aspect, so he was extra careful in how he interacted with her.

In the afternoon, Taylor's mother, Mrs. Andrea, came to pick her up for rehearsals. Seeing Link, she gave him a deep look that made his scalp tingle; dealing with these women felt more challenging than fighting for a championship in a steel cage.

After sending Taylor off, Link also rode his scooter to West's fight club to check in.