"Throw more punches? So according to your strategy, I should launch an all-out attack the moment I step into the ring and keep going until it's over?" Jason Luo hadn't expected Pedro to suggest such a reckless approach.
"Exactly. In this match, you're at a disadvantage in both technique and experience. But youth beats age! Jason, if you want to win, you need to go in hard and force him into an endurance battle. He's past his prime—stamina is his weak point. I believe if you can hold on until the third round, he'll start to crumble."
Pedro's confidence was unshakable, and his firm tone gave Jason Luo a huge boost.
"Alright, Coach, I'll follow your lead."
After locking in the strategy, Pedro demonstrated a few follow-up punch combinations. Raul glanced at his watch. "No time, get ready to enter the ring."
The pre-fight prep ended there. Once Jason Luo had changed into his gear, a staff member arrived to call them out.
As the three walked out of the locker room, Pedro kept firing him up. "A boxer needs presence in the ring! Throw hard! This time, even if your punches don't land, rub your snot in his face with that big nose of yours!"
Jason Luo stared at his coach in disbelief. That was about as down-to-earth as advice could get.
Pedro frowned at his reaction. "What, you can't do it?"
"I… I'll follow it exactly! But Coach, if you'd taught me like this earlier, I wouldn't have been so clueless."
"Is that so? Easy enough. I'll just have a few drinks before coaching you next time. Now get out there. If you lose this fight, I'll kick your ass. Don't let that Sonny guy laugh at me, got it?"
"Got it. I'll win for sure!"
The announcer's voice boomed through the arena. "The next bout is about to begin! The challenger, an 18-year-old local Chinese fighter, Jason! His opponent: British amateur veteran Steven Hudd, age 37, with a wealth of ring experience."
"A clash of youth and experience—who will come out on top? Let's find out! Fighters, please enter the ring for the referee's final inspection."
Jason Luo and Steven entered from opposite sides. The referee checked their gloves, mouthguards, and shoelaces one last time. Seizing the moment, Jason Luo scanned the audience. Sure enough, he spotted Dr. Miao, sitting a little farther back with another Chinese spectator.
When Jason spotted him, Dr. Miao smiled, gave a thumbs-up, and gestured for him to keep his focus on the fight.
After the inspection, the referee gave a quick rundown of the rules: no low blows, no shots to the back of the head, no elbows, and so on. He then signaled for the fighters to touch gloves.
This time Steven was polite, extending his glove first. Jason Luo tapped it lightly, and the match began.
"Ding!" Round one.
Following his coach's orders, Jason Luo exploded forward, attacking fiercely from the start. But Steven seemed well-prepared, shuffling his feet quickly to dodge while counterpunching without a trace of panic.
Just as Pedro predicted, Steven was very agile. Jason's combinations were fierce, but none of them posed real danger.
His heavy punches missed, and he ate plenty of counters in return. Still, Jason's toughness showed—he shrugged them off, holding the center ring and repeatedly trying to drive Steven into the corner...
The endless barrage burned through his stamina fast. Gritting his teeth, Jason pressed on. One round like this was more exhausting than three regular rounds, but he trusted his coach's plan.
Gradually, sweat broke out on Steven's nose. His counters grew fewer—the constant dodging and countering was taking a toll. The non-stop pace was simply too fast. Steven started throwing less, switching to defense and evasive movement.
He knew this rookie could take a punch. His own power shots weren't likely to score a knockout. Since he already had the points edge, there was no need to waste extra stamina.
By the end of the first round, the fight looked lively, but in reality, neither landed much cleanly. One chased, the other evaded, both burning stamina on footwork.
The veteran fans in the crowd weren't impressed. Boos echoed, though it wasn't clear who they were directed at...
Back in the corner, Pedro fanned him with a towel. "Kid, deep breaths. Don't talk, just listen."
"Good round. Keep it up. But when you close in, throw more hooks to cut off his side movement. Stick to him with your footwork. Don't let him escape too easily. If he does, he'll burn less stamina than you, and that's a bad trade."
Jason gasped for air and nodded. In truth, he'd already used up nearly half his stamina in just one round. Keeping up the pressure next round would be tough. Seeing the fire in his coach's eyes, he clenched his teeth, pulled up his system panel, added a point to Explosiveness, and used the attribute recovery to restore his stamina back to full.
"Coach, don't worry. I'll win this fight."
"Good. Save your breath. Every ounce of energy counts. Maybe one punch is all it takes to end this! Listen carefully: when his stamina drops, openings will appear. If your heavy punch lands, don't give him a chance to breathe. Press forward and break him! This is a boxing ring, not a place for gentlemanly manners…"
Before Pedro could finish, the bell rang—round two.
...
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