In the ring, the referee didn't give either fighter much time to show off. "You two aren't the headliners tonight—what are you trying to steal the spotlight for?" After a quick check he signaled the salute and immediately started the match.
The bell rang. Megan George, who had been loud moments before, dropped into a defensive posture at once, waiting for Jason Luo to unleash his assault.
But Jason had seized the center of the ring and then didn't throw—he adopted a defensive, counter-punching stance instead.
Megan froze. This rhythm isn't right. I'm the technical fighter—shouldn't an aggressive fighter be all-out offense? Why switch to strategy?
Still, any professional boxer takes their craft seriously. Megan thought, Play defense? You'd better have the skill to back that up. I'll attack my way—I'm faster than you. You can't match me on technique.
So Megan moved first, probing with a quick burst of offense. He didn't get an advantage—Jason's counterpunch met him and pushed him back.
Huh? This guy's got something. Megan flexed his fists, interested now, and pressed the attack again. His footwork and hand speed were quick, but Jason disrupted what he could, blocked or slipped the rest, and traded when necessary—refusing to give ground and keeping the points balanced.
After two rounds of back-and-forth, it was still essentially even. Megan stepped back, puzzled. What the hell—supposed to be an attacking fighter and now acting like a hedgehog?
Worse, Jason was extremely conservative, anchoring the center. You attack, he counters; you retreat, he doesn't chase. Do what you want.
That frustrated Megan the most. His strongest asset was fighting on the move—high mobility and fast offense to rack up points while being chased. With Jason planted in the middle, openings were few; it was hard to find a way in.
After circling Jason halfway, Megan smiled slightly, then slowly shifted his stance—moving from orthodox into a switch stance—and re-approached.
Jason's face went sour. It looked like a small change, but it carried weight.
In orthodox stance the left foot is forward and the right back; the left is the lead hand, the right the rear. When both fighters are orthodox, things are straightforward. But when one switches, complications arise—the rear-hand distances change, fights become front-hand contests unless the other also switches. If you're not used to the switch, it's awkward.
And Jason wasn't comfortable in the reverse stance: his right hand as the lead couldn't be as powerful, his left became the rear and lacked threat. How could he deal with that?
Sure enough, Megan's shift made Jason's defense strain. He couldn't adapt well; head-on exchanges turned into shoulder-to-shoulder scrums—how do you fight like that?
Megan didn't falter. He launched repeated combinations; Jason defended hard but couldn't counter effectively, forced to step laterally for angled attacks.
But that was Megan's goal—to force him to move. Once Jason shifted, vulnerabilities multiplied. Megan matched his turns, moving nimbly; Jason couldn't outmaneuver him and took several sneaky strikes in motion. The points balance broke in Megan's favor.
Jason knew this was bad.
When Megan secured a points lead, he gained the initiative. If Jason wanted to even the score or win, he would be forced into reactive offense.
He couldn't win a war of positioning anymore.
Chasing the opponent in circles was making his head spin; keep going like this and the points gap would only widen. Jason made a snap decision and surged forward with a close-range, heavy attack.
At close range the orthodox/southpaw issue matters less, but Megan didn't give Jason the space. His backward footwork was lightning-fast; Jason's frontal pursuit was disrupted by the opponent's punches and he couldn't get his speed up...
The static attack-defense turned into a chase match.
Once the rhythm switched, Megan was comfortable. Jason realized this kid's style was annoyingly like a "runner"—constantly on the move. It was infuriating.
Even while retreating, Megan kept countering; it wasn't pure fleeing. He controlled the initiative, shifted rhythm and lines, switching angles so Jason couldn't find a pattern.
Jason chased hard but couldn't close; the point gap grew. Worse, there was no clear opening.
This match felt suffocating—his opponent gave him no space to work. Whatever made Jason uncomfortable, that's exactly what Megan delivered. A bad feeling crept in: with this tactic, even Jason's trump cards might not help.
He simply didn't plan to fight fair.
The first round drew to a close amid the pursuit. Jason couldn't crack Megan's tactic. Even when he briefly closed in, Megan's defense was solid—no chance for a decisive blow.
The bell sounded. Both fighters returned to their corners. Jason felt down—the fight had slipped into a disadvantage, and it was hard to see how to turn it around.
Brown and the corner man met him. "Jason, don't be discouraged. I saw everything. This isn't your fault. His movement game is tricky—this round's going to be tough."
Jason knew it wasn't just tough—he might well lose this one.
Brown wiped his sweat with a towel. "It's only the first round of an eight-round fight. Don't panic. The plan I can think of now is attrition. Keep controlling the center and apply constant pressure. He can run? Then make him run. Keep him moving nonstop. Forget the points—we'll focus on making him tire. His heavy punches aren't that intimidating. I don't believe he can keep that up for eight rounds."
"And if he really holds out?" Jason asked.
"You idiot. That depends on how much pressure you put on him. Running all the time is possible, but making him run and fight nonstop for eight rounds? I don't buy it. You won't even need eight rounds—by the sixth he'll struggle to keep that level."
Hope lit in Jason's eyes. It would come down to stamina. He couldn't match speed right now, but stamina was different—Jason still had many trump cards and two free attribute points in reserve. He could handle twelve rounds.
The downside was the fight probably wouldn't be technically flashy—but it was what had to be done against this opponent.
"Jason, go for it. He's not using conventional tactics. He's fast; you have to stick to him like glue. Cling to him. Nobody's getting an easy time in this fight."
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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