manynovel Page 186
Page 186
Frankie walked into the locker room. "The time has come, Champion."
Victor stood up, donned a crimson battle robe with the words "Skywind City" printed on the back.
As he walked toward the ring, spectators on both sides of the aisle reached out to touch him and chanted his name.
He maintained his usual expressionless face, but his heart was in turmoil.
On the other side, Riddick Bowe was already standing in a corner of the ring, jumping around to warm up and blowing kisses to the audience, completely like a performer.
Upon seeing Viktor enter the arena, he stopped jumping, stared directly at his opponent, and made a throat-slitting gesture.
The commentator's voice echoed throughout the hall: "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we will witness a heavyweight match that may go down in history! In the blue corner, the challenger, 'Lightning' Riddick Bowe from Brooklyn! In the red corner, the defending champion, the Far East Tiger Victor Lee!"
The referee called the two boxers to the center and repeated the rules of the match.
Riddick kept his eyes fixed on Viktor, his gaze full of provocation.
'I know your secret,'
Riddick said softly, "I know where it hurts."
Victor stared back at him expressionlessly. "Do you know that your mother's teeth scratched my little brother's skin yesterday?"
"Protect yourself at all times, obey my instructions, and do not make any low-level moves."
The referee concluded with a warning, "Now return to your corners and begin fighting when you hear the bell!"
When it finally sounded, the entire stadium erupted in deafening cheers.
Millions of television screens lit up simultaneously, capturing the first moment of this historic showdown.
Riddick lived up to his reputation; his steps were as light as a dancer's, barely making a sound on the canvas.
He moved around Victor, always maintaining a safe distance, his red boxing gloves slightly extended forward, like a venomous snake emerging from its hole.
Viktor adopted a pressing style of play, advancing step by step and forcing Riddick toward the ropes.
His movements were as unstoppable as the tides, each step precisely calculated, blocking Riddick's possible escape routes.
“Victor is trying to control the distance,”
The commentator explained, "His reach is three inches shorter than Bow's, which is his advantage. If he can keep Bow at the right distance, he can unleash the power of his punches."
But Riddick suddenly launched an attack, a left jab shot out like lightning, followed by a right straight punch, which accurately struck Victor's forehead...the front of his glove.
Gasps of surprise rose from the audience, but Viktor seemed unfazed, merely blinking before continuing on his way.
"Bow is incredibly fast! But Lee's defense is solid; he did a great job protecting his head. Look at this replay; Bow's punches are almost undetectable!"
Victor began to exert his strength, and a heavy punch grazed Riddick's cheek. The latter nimbly retreated to avoid it, still wearing that confident smile on his face.
The two engaged in tentative exchanges in the center of the boxing ring, the sound of fists cutting through the air clearly audible, and each block producing a dull thud.
In the stands, an elderly coach with white hair said to the young athlete beside him, "Look, this is world-class distance control. Every step they take, every feint, is purposeful."
The young man stared intently at the boxing ring. "Riddick is so fast, he doesn't look like a heavyweight at all."
"Speed is just one of the weapons,"
The old coach said, "The key is knowing when to use it. Pedro, you see, Victor is using his footwork to force Riddick into a trap."
Half a round later, the situation suddenly changed.
Riddick's body strike unexpectedly landed on Victor's left rib area.
It was a heavy punch, so heavy it looked like a chance strike, but Victor's breath hitched slightly. Although it was barely noticeable to outsiders, Riddick noticed it—a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"He sensed it!"
Riddick thought to himself, "That's definitely still a weakness! Just like we saw in the video analysis, that area never fully recovered after his fight with Tyson!"
This discovery emboldened Riddick, and he began to attack more frequently, raining down combinations of punches on Viktor.
Most were blocked or dodged, but occasionally a few body blows hit the target.
Victor's defense began to subtly shift, his left arm instinctively lowering a few inches to protect that vulnerable area.
Victor realized Riddick's strategy and strengthened the defense on the left flank.
But as Riddick predicted, protecting the body meant that the head would be exposed.
This is the eternal dilemma in the boxing ring:
Protect the body or protect the head?
Should the blow be to the chin or the fragile ribs?
Suddenly, Riddick delivered an uppercut that passed under Victor's raised left arm and struck him squarely in the chin!
The audience burst into exclamations!
Viktor swayed, but did not fall.
"A powerful blow! Bow struck Lee in the chin! Even if it was a second chin! But this is the first time anyone has truly hurt the champion in this round! Look at the replay, what perfect timing! Just the instant Lee lowered his defense to protect his body!"
Viktor took a few steps back to clear his head.
Riddick pressed his advantage, unleashing a barrage of punches.
But Victor's defense was extremely tight, with his arms protecting his head and blocking most of the attacks.
The dull thud of the boxing gloves colliding with the arms echoed in the suddenly quiet stadium, and everyone held their breath.
Just then, Viktor seized the opportunity and delivered a precise right straight punch that pierced through Riddick's defense, striking him directly in the eyebrow!
The audience gasped in unison, as if that punch had landed on their faces.
Riddick immediately stepped back, blood gushing from above his left eyebrow, dripping onto his shoulder and the canvas floor, while he shook his head.
The referee quickly went over to check the wound, signaling for the game to continue but to closely monitor the situation.
"Li's counterattack! A precise right straight punch opened up Bao's brow bone! This could be a key factor in the match! The wound looks deep, and blood is flowing into Bao's eye, which will affect his vision!"
The ringing bell saved Riddick, and the first round ended.
Back in the corner, Victor's coaching team quickly helped him rehydrate and wipe away his sweat.
"He's aiming for your left rib,"
Frankie said urgently, "Don't let him get away with it! Keep your hands up! Use your footwork to control the distance and don't let him get close."
"I know."
Viktor gasped, “But I have to protect my body, even though I know it won’t do much damage, but every time he hits me there, my whole side goes numb.”
"Then use your straight punches to stop him from getting closer. Remember, he's the longer one, don't let him get into a comfortable distance."
Viktor nodded, his gaze drifting to the opposite corner.
Riddick's coach is urgently treating the wound on his eyebrow, and the team doctor is applying pressure with adrenaline-soaked cotton balls to stop the bleeding.
From Victor's perspective, he could see that blood was still seeping out, staining the white towel red.
"Forget about his head, focus on the physical attack,"
Tom advised Riddick, "His left flank, keep attacking the left flank! He can't withstand the continuous attacks!"
"I can see!"
Riddick said impatiently, "But he's faster than I thought, you 400-pound fat guy, you're wrong! My speed advantage isn't as big as I expected."
“Then attack smarter, not faster. Use feints to expose his left side, then strike hard in that area.”
The bell rang, and the second round began.
Victor changed tactics, using jabs to control the distance and prevent Riddick from getting close easily.
His straight punches came out like pistons, precise and powerful, each one causing Riddick's head to snap back.
But Riddick's speed was incredible; he skillfully dodged most of the jabs and constantly looked for opportunities to cut inside.
His moves were like the strategic planning of a chess grandmaster, each step preparing for the final killing move.
Suddenly, Riddick feinted and then suddenly dived down, delivering a vicious left hook that struck Victor's left ribs once again!
Viktor was in so much pain he almost suffocated, and that familiar numbness instantly spread throughout his body.
But he gritted his teeth against the pain and immediately retaliated with a right hook that struck Riddick’s already injured eyebrow bone!
Blood gushed out again, splattering onto Victor's blue gauntlets!
"They exchanged heavy punches! This is insane! They've completely abandoned their defense! Lee's left ribs took another heavy blow, while Bao's brow bone wound reopened!"
The audience stood up and cheered; this was exactly what they wanted to see—two heavyweight boxers exchanging blows without holding back!
Flashes of light, like a sea of stars, lit up the stands, capturing this bloody yet thrilling moment.
In the VIP area, a famous director said to the producer next to him, "Look at this camera work! It's more breathtaking than any fight scene we've ever designed! The realism of that pain is something actors can never imitate."
Ignoring the pain from his wounds, Riddick continued his relentless attack.
His combination punches rained down on Viktor like a storm, most of them were blocked, but many still managed to penetrate his defense.
Each punch that landed on Viktor's left ribs would cause him to stiffen slightly, a nerve-induced instinctive reaction to trauma.
Victor, on the other hand, stood like a fortress, enduring the attacks while retaliating with even heavier blows.
Each of his punches carried terrifying power, and even when blocked, Riddick's arm would go numb from the impact.
The two spun and switched positions in the center of the boxing ring, as if they were performing a bloody waltz.
"Incredible pace! According to our statistics, the two fighters have already thrown a total of 112 punches in this minute and a half! That's lightweight speed! Heavyweight boxers rarely maintain such a punching frequency!"
When the bell rang to end the round, the two boxers were still exchanging blows in the center, and the referee had to intervene to separate them.
The two stared at each other, their chests heaving violently, sweat and blood mingling and dripping from their bodies.
Back in the corner, Victor felt a sharp pain in his left rib.
He touched his ribs and knew that bruising had begun there.
The team doctor handed him an ice pack, which he placed on his left side. The cold sensation slightly relieved the burning pain.
"He'll only attack your left side,"
Frankie said meaningfully, "He probably thought you broke your bones, but actually nothing happened."
"I know,"