The moment the referee made the call, Jason Luo exploded with anger. Your opponent fouls and you say nothing, but the moment I push, you act all serious? Just as he was about to argue, the referee's next words made him calm down.
Don't push hard?
So it's fine to push a little?
That's better—otherwise, this match would be impossible to fight...
With that clarification, Jason Luo managed to hold back the fire in his chest and didn't blow up.
Seeing Jason Luo penalized, Cesca looked smug and immediately tried the same trick again, pressing forward. But this time, Jason Luo had learned. He didn't react when Cesca closed in. The moment Cesca threw a hook, Jason Luo gave him a shove, making the punch miss, then slipped in a counter.
This was fighting fire with fire. Jason Luo seemed to realize now that fouls also had rules—so long as you weren't too obvious, referees usually didn't step in...
The two kept grappling until the time ran out, ending the first round.
Back in his corner, Pedro saw how frustrated Jason Luo looked. "Don't get mad. Losing one or two points doesn't matter, but don't keep testing the referee's patience. If you really piss him off, the consequences will be serious."
Jason Luo nodded. He knew that well enough—the referee held absolute power in the ring. If fouls piled up and were deemed severe, the match could be stopped with him declared the loser on the spot.
Pedro went on, "What you did later was perfect. Against dirty fighters, you've got to fight dirty too. But keep your temper in check and control your hands. If you lose your head, that's exactly what he wants."
"More importantly, keep guarding against his hooks. Don't get careless. Next round, unleash your power—create distance and throw heavy shots! See if you can finish him..."
"Yeah!" Jason Luo nodded hard. In a points tournament, the faster you finish an opponent, the higher the value of your points. It was time to go on the offensive.
...
As soon as Round Two began, Jason Luo turned up the pressure. Using his lead hand to cover, he blasted away with heavy rear-hand punches.
Cesca started struggling. He didn't seem used to charging straight in—he preferred stepping forward with feints and arm swings to dodge.
Once he got close, he'd use those fake hooks to try and snatch at Jason Luo's neck. The hooks were just a disguise.
Having been caught before, Jason Luo adjusted. When Cesca tried that again, Jason Luo focused on evasion. "Try grabbing me without my guard now!"
But he underestimated Cesca's shamelessness. When his grab failed, Cesca simply ducked his head and rammed straight into Jason Luo's chest, forcing a clinch...
Seriously...
Jason Luo was speechless. Cesca timed his charges so well they were impossible to dodge. With his strong Toughness, Cesca didn't budge even after Jason Luo landed several heavy shots. Like a stubborn plaster, he stuck himself on, leaving Jason Luo with no options.
Every time Jason Luo pushed him back and tried to counter, Cesca just pressed in again. In this sticky, grinding fight, even great technique was hard to show.
No wonder this guy made it into the main tournament. His style was shameless, but it restrained technical boxers—ugly, but effective.
As they kept grappling, the second round ticked away. Jason Luo finally lost patience. This guy was shameless and tough as hell—how long was this going to drag on?
Jason Luo gave up on his lead-hand punches. They had improved a lot and earned him points, but they weren't strong enough to truly threaten Cesca. To knock him down, he needed heavy shots.
Saving his stamina for his rear hand, Jason Luo unleashed crushing hooks and straights. Cesca started buckling under the assault!
When Cesca ducked his head and lunged in again, Jason Luo landed two consecutive hooks. Cesca's legs wobbled...
Jason Luo's eyes lit up. He surged forward, firing with both hands, unleashing full firepower. Cesca staggered backward, unable to block high or low. After taking another five or six heavy blows, he collapsed to the canvas!
Got him!
Seeing his opponent fall, Jason Luo felt a huge weight lift. That damn shameless bastard—so disgusting. At least his undefeated record was still intact...
But to his shock, Cesca got back up during the referee's count. And not only that—he didn't look too bad. After checking him, the referee allowed the match to continue.
What the...
He was clearly done just now. I hit him with five or six heavy punches straight to the head—how's he still fighting?
Jason Luo felt a chill. Don't tell me this guy's got cheats too...?
If once wasn't enough, then do it again!
The referee signaled, and Jason Luo rushed forward, unleashing another barrage of combinations. But in the middle of defending desperately, Cesca suddenly fired a massive uppercut straight at Jason Luo's chin!
Jason Luo, fully focused on offense, was completely unprepared. In that split second, he only managed a slight head turn, and the punch grazed his jaw, smashing into the side of his ear...
He hadn't been guarding for it, and it was a heavy shot. Jason Luo's ears rang, his head spun, and he stumbled back several steps, nearly going down...
Now it was Cesca's turn to light up with excitement!
He hadn't expected that wild shot to actually land!
Overjoyed, he charged forward, hammering Jason Luo's body with hook after hook.
Still dazed, Jason Luo could only clamp his arms tight around his abdomen, enduring the punishment, gritting through the recovery...
Pedro and Raul were stunned. Just moments ago they were celebrating Jason Luo's knockdown—now he was the one in danger. They jumped up in panic.
"Defend! Hold tight! Just survive this round... cough, cough..." Pedro got so worked up he almost lost his breath.
Jason Luo held on for a few seconds before his head began to clear. That was mainly thanks to Cesca's one-dimensional offense. He rarely threw jabs, hardly used straights, and almost only relied on hooks. That made them easier to defend. Otherwise, things could've gone much worse...
With his senses back, Jason Luo raised his head, gave Cesca a shove, and prepared to counterattack—but just then, the bell rang. Round Two was over.
This round was much more exciting. Both fighters had landed big moments, earning a round of applause from the crowd.
Drenched in sweat, Jason Luo slumped into his corner, breathing heavily. After two rounds, half his stamina was already gone. If he couldn't finish his opponent in the next round, a knockout might be out of reach.
Pedro checked his ear, where a purple bruise had already formed, and quickly pressed an ice pack to it. "Kid, I told you to guard against his hook. Got careless, huh? But it's fine. Your technique's way above his. You'll win—believe in yourself!"
"This guy recovers fast. You've got to hit harder. Don't let him get back up again..."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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