Chapter 4: Fighting in the Boxing Ring Again

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

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

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

The predecessor used to hang out nearby, and Link was quite familiar with this area.

When the car arrived at the western section of Bar Street, he suddenly remembered that there was a boxing bar nearby, which used boxing matches as its selling point and invited boxers to compete on stage from time to time. Each match would attract hundreds or even thousands of people to watch.

Link decided to take a detour and take a look.

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

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

There are veteran boxing champions Jack Dempsey, Joe Louis, Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Michael Tyson, Evander Holyfield, Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr., etc. wait.

There are also new boxing champions and boxing stars who have emerged in recent years, such as Terrence Crawford, Andre Ward, Edison Miranda, etc.

Compared with the 1970s and 1980s when there were numerous famous fighters, the American boxing world today is stagnant and there are almost no rookies worthy of attention. Most of the people active in the boxing ring are veterans in their thirties or forties.

The reasons are very complex and have to do with the times, the current entertainment consumption situation, publicity and promotion methods, and boxing rules. However, the main reason is that they are generally weak in strength and lack a powerful character who can unify the four major organizations. .

Link looked at the photos on the wall and said to James and Daniel at the hot dog shop,

"Do you believe it? My photo will be hung here in the future."

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

James pushed his shoulders and walked inside.

"Link, secretly posting a photo of your face 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. A huge wave of sound hit his face along with the smell of heat and alcohol.

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

"Mario, don't retreat anymore, punch him quickly! Fake Fake, you don't know how to box at all!"

"Mario, you softie, stop fighting and go home to nurse!"

When the three Links walked into the bar, a match was going on in the boxing ring. Two sturdy boxers hugged each other, hit the fence, and were separated by the on-site referee.

There were about a thousand people around the boxing ring, mostly adult men. After drinking, they would have very bad tempers. Once the boxers passively avoided the fight, they would curse and vent their dissatisfaction at will.

"It's so lively, we should have come here earlier. Mario, get out of here!"

James started yelling after him before he even recognized who it was.

"Stop yelling."

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

Both are Latinos, weigh around 90 kilograms, and are heavyweights.

One is a boxer with a ferocious appearance, a fat body, and a big belly, like a roly-poly. This person is the weak Mario whom the audience scolds. His opponent is a muscular bald man.

During the game, the bald man kept attacking and played vigorously. Mario kept dodging and changing positions, often using hugging tactics, and only occasionally attacking. His playing style was very conservative.

This is also the reason why the audience is dissatisfied with him. In places like bars, everyone prefers to watch the excitement. The more exciting the fight, the more everyone buys into it. Defensive tactics are not popular here.

However, in Link's view, Mario advanced and retreated in a controlled manner and defended properly. He had obviously received professional boxing training, while the bald man's fighting style was relatively amateurish. He had no rules and tactics, and just kept squandering his own strength.

If nothing unexpected happens, 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 and failed to get up.

Mario wins this game.

"In the second game, who is going to challenge Mario on stage?"

The ring referee took the microphone and shouted to the audience.

The rules of the boxing bar are more interesting.

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

If drinkers want to watch a boxing match, they put money into the cash box. Every time the cash box accumulates $1,000, the bar will announce a boxing match.

Boxers who win three consecutive games that night will have the opportunity to clear the prize pool. Regardless of gender or weight, the strong one will take the money and leave.

"I come!"

A sturdy black man took out a hundred dollars and threw it into the cash box. With the help of the bartender, he put on braces and boxing gloves and went on stage.

At the beginning of the second game, the strong black man was obviously well prepared. After touching gloves with Mario, he waved his fist and blasted Mario in the head.

In the first round, Mario was knocked down twice. In the second round, Mario insisted on not falling. In the third round, the black man's strength gradually failed. In the fourth round, he was knocked down once by Mario. In the fifth round, Mario won. Contest.

The black man was carried off the ring.

"Who else wants to challenge Mario Joao in the third match?"

The referee shouted.

After two matches, the drinkers knew that Mario was not a softie, and those who were originally preparing to go on stage were hesitating.

"Hey, who wants to challenge me?"

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

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

Mario raised his fist and laughed.

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

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

James asked in confusion.

"I want to go up and fight."

Link pointed to the box.

“Are you crazy？”

James widened his eyes and said, "You wouldn't think that practicing sit-ups at home and playing with skipping rope would lead to boxing, right? 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 mobile phone and said pretendingly.

Link glanced at the two of them. He originally wanted to ask them to bet on him to win and earn some pocket money, but the two of them looked like they deserved a beating, so forget it.

Link pushed through the crowd to the stage, threw a hundred dollars into the cash box, took off his shirt, put on a bandage and boxing gloves, and stepped onto the ring.

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

"Is he going to send money?"

"Hey, man, come down here, don't be embarrassed by going up there."

The audience roared loudly.

Link shook his fist at the ring and told 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 can, too." Link said with his fist raised. "Hmph, stubborn kid, I'll let you know the consequences of bragging in a moment." Mario bared his teeth and said viciously. "Place your bets! Place your bets! Bet on the handsome white-faced kid to win, ten times the odds, ten times the odds! Guys, don't miss this great opportunity to make a fortune." The dealer of the bar shouted. "Ten times the odds? Bet one dollar and you can earn ten dollars, James, should we bet?" Daniel from the hot dog shop said with some excitement. "Who to bet on? Bet on Link? Are you crazy too? Do you think he can beat Mario like that?" James gestured with his hands to show the two men's bodies. Although Link was very fit, with big pectoral muscles and six chocolate abdominal muscles, he was obviously much worse than the fat, tumbler-like Mario on the opposite side. "Try it, just think of it as cheering Link up."

Daniel took out two small bills from his pocket and said.

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

"You can eat one less sandwich."

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