Chapter 40 Journalist Interview

The sun shines on the awning in front of Baker's shop, creating a cool shade.

On the beach table are two cups of scented tea, a recorder, a notebook with a pen, and a Canon camera.

"Link, you are really a professional diver."

Reporter Simmons took Link's diving license and looked at it, with a surprised expression on his face.

As far as he knows, to get a diver's license, you need to go through multiple assessments and accumulate more than 1,000 hours of diving time before you can get a diver's license issued by the Miami Diving Association. It is difficult for ordinary people to get it.

Link smiled lightly. He got the diver's license by his strong physical fitness after crossing over.

Originally, he wanted to survive on this, but because of his living habits, unwillingness, regrets in his previous life, and other factors, he returned to the old path of his previous life.

"Mr. Simmons, I didn't expect you to be a reporter."

In the morning, he got up and ran back. He was eating breakfast when Simmons came to visit and said that he wanted to go diving in the sea and asked him to be a diving coach.

Link would not refuse the money offered by the other party, and he took Simmons for a swim in the sea.

As soon as he returned to the store, Simmons revealed his identity, claiming to be a reporter from the Miami Herald, and wanted to interview him.

Since the Miami Herald was a newspaper that clearly favored him, he had praised himself in the newspaper many times.

Raphael Varane, the editor-in-chief of the sports edition, had written comments praising him many times.

After the "fake punch storm" broke out in the past two days, the Herald also published several articles to defend himself.

He could not refuse the interview for both emotional and rational reasons, and he would not refuse the interview with the reporter.

After all, his future plan was to become a professional boxer, to appear in the news continuously, to deepen the audience's impression of himself, and to be extremely beneficial to his future development.

"Link, how about we start the interview?"

Simmons said, picking up the notebook.

"Okay, I hope your questions are not too difficult."

Link stretched out his hand and made a gesture of asking.

Simmons laughed, glanced at his notebook and said, "Link, first of all, congratulations on defeating Andre Berto in the Golden Gloves Championship and winning the super middleweight championship. Are you satisfied with yesterday's game?"

"Of course, I am the winner."

Link said with a fist.

"As for your opponent, Andre Berto, you have fought him. What kind of boxer do you think he is?"

Simmons asked.

Link thought for a while and said, "There is no doubt that he is excellent! In terms of technology, strength, speed, and boxing awareness, he is at the first-class level. He is a very strong and comprehensive opponent with almost no flaws in all aspects. He is very difficult to deal with."

"But you KO him in just five rounds." Simmons laughed.

Link smiled lightly, spread his hands and said: "His comprehensiveness and lack of flaws are relative. For ordinary boxers, he is a perfect and terrible opponent, but for me, his speed, strength, technology, boxing awareness, and even tactics are not as good as mine. This is why I can beat him, but others can't beat him."

"Can this sentence be understood as, you think you have the strength to crush him in all aspects?"

"Crush? No, I think suppression is more appropriate."

"Haha!"

Simmons looked at him and laughed: "Yesterday at the American Airlines Arena, facing hundreds of reporters, you said that you were too strong and couldn't keep a low profile. Why are you so humble today?"

"Because now there is only you, bragging to you alone, not only you will be embarrassed, I will be more embarrassed." Link spread his hands and said.

Simmons laughed, adjusted the wig on his head, and continued to ask: "Yesterday before the game, in the interview with the HBO host, you suddenly announced that you would knock out Andre Berto in five rounds. Was it a tactic set in advance or a sudden decision?"

"Sudden decision!"

"Oh, why did you make such a sudden decision? Is it because Andre said in the interview that you were faking a fight, which angered you?"

"Not entirely!"

Link took a sip of tea and said, "Before the game, I watched Andre's game videos repeatedly. He is an opponent who is difficult to find flaws, and he was ranked first in the super middleweight class at the time. Before the game with him, I was not even sure that I could beat him, let alone knock him out."

"Link, you said you were not sure of beating him before the game?"

Simmons was very concerned about this question, so he straightened his back, held the pen, and listened to his answer attentively.

"Yes, he is very strong and the best in his class. Before I fought him, I was not 100% sure that I could beat him, but I was confident in my strength. This may sound a bit contradictory, but the victory or defeat of a game is sometimes more determined by personal confidence than imagined.

Because I believe in my own strength, in order to push myself, I set a goal for myself, not only to beat him, but also to knock him out within five rounds.

I am more demanding of myself, so I will give up defense and take the initiative to attack, and then I will burst out all my potential at the critical moment. If you have watched the game, you should know that in the first four rounds, I punched an average of 100 times per round, and 467 times in five rounds.

You should know that in professional boxing matches, most boxers punch around 500 times in 12 rounds, and boxers with good physical fitness.

For example, James Toney and John Ruiz only threw about 600 punches. In five rounds, I threw nearly 500 punches, which almost exhausted all my physical strength.

That match was too difficult.

I almost tried my best, but fortunately I won the match and fulfilled my promise. "

Link shrugged his shoulders and said.

Simmons couldn't help clapping his hands, "Yes, you are very good, we can all see it.

In the last match, you played very actively. Andre Berto defended comprehensively, but he couldn't defend against your strong attack. In the end, he was forced to exchange punches with you and was knocked down by you many times. All this was the result of you forcing yourself.

Link, if you didn't force yourself and set a demanding goal for yourself, could you beat him? "

Link crossed his fingers and smiled, "Of course, I said my goal is to be the champion. Even if I can't KO him in five rounds, I can KO him in ten rounds.

I will plan ahead and set a more demanding goal for myself. I want to use this method to motivate myself and lock in the victory in advance.

This is also a habit of mine. Set a demanding goal for yourself, and then work hard to achieve it. The fruits of victory will be sweeter. "

Simmons smiled and nodded, wrote a few words in the notebook, and continued to ask: "You didn't change your goal, but made it more demanding. So at the press conference before the game, you told reporters that all those who questioned your strength, including Bernard Hopkins, Chris Bird, and Roy Jones Jr., as long as they dared to challenge you, you would defeat them within three rounds. Is this one of the 'demanding goals' you set for yourself? "

Link shook his head gently, "It's not."

"Oh? Isn't this goal demanding?" Simmons asked in confusion.

"No, among these boxing predecessors, except for Valuev who is a little difficult to deal with, he is 213 cm tall and it will be a bit difficult to fight. The other boxing champions are all over 35 years old. No matter their physical strength, skills, and speed, they are far behind their heyday. It's enough to defeat them in three rounds. This is not a demanding goal. "

Link spread his hands calmly.

Simmons reached into his wig and scratched it, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help twitching. This guy just said that it would be embarrassing to brag in front of him alone. Now, isn't this considered bragging?

You should know that the boxing champions and former boxing champions just listed are all boxers in the first echelon of boxing strength in today's boxing world. In the four major professional boxing organizations WBA-WBC-IBF-WBO, they are ranked in the top ten.

Although they are a little older and not as strong as they used to be, they still have the strength to challenge the world champion.

But in Link's mouth, defeating them in three rounds is not a demanding goal at all?

Simmons' eyes turned, and he decided to publish these interviews in the newspaper to see what the boxing champions would react after seeing it.

"Link, if they are not demanding goals, then who is a more demanding goal in your eyes?"

Simmons asked.

"The Klitschko brothers. ”

The Klitschko brothers are the current owners of the heavyweight gold belts of the four major organizations.

The eldest brother, Vitali Klitschko, is 202 cm tall and has an arm length of 203 cm. He is the WBC heavyweight champion.

The youngest brother, Vladimir Klitschko, is 199 cm tall and has an arm length of 206 cm. He holds three heavyweight gold belts, WBA-IBF-WBO.

The two are not only tall and have long arms, but also have good physical strength and comprehensive skills.

Another important point is that defeating the older or younger brother often leads to revenge from their brothers.

The brothers often practice boxing together and study the opponent's fighting style. They are a headache combination.

Link has only resumed training for less than a month. He is not mature enough in all aspects and believes that he is not yet a match for the two brothers.

"Link, it is well known that you have challenged several boxing champions. Now everyone wants to know when you will switch to professional boxing. Do you have an approximate time for the change of career?"

"Probably next year. "

Link thought for a moment and said.

Simmons nodded, and then asked a few more questions, and Link answered them one by one.

The interview lasted for nearly an hour before Simmons packed up his things and left the diving shop contentedly.

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