June 22nd, 2017 – Narisawa Boxing Gym, Tokyo
The heavy glass doors of the Narisawa Boxing Gym swing open, but the anticipated roar of a media frenzy is missing.
Lawson and Kiet Anurak step inside, followed by Thanid Kouthai, whose presence alone seems to pull the oxygen out of the room. They stop in the foyer, glancing around the surprisingly quiet hall.
"Are we in the right place?" Kiet mutters, adjusting his collar.
"I saw the sign outside," Lawson says. "Narisawa Boxing Gym. Plain as day."
"I thought this was the most prestigious stable in Tokyo," Kiet adds, his brow furrowed. "Two of their top fighters are on the Yoyogi card. So I expected there would be crowd here."
Thanid, ever the stoic, adjusted the strap of his gear bag. "Perhaps they wish for us to train in peace," he says in a gravelly tone. "I've heard the Japanese value privacy and silence above all else."
