Chapter 21: **Chapter 21: I Will Save Boxing (Excerpt)**
"How much?!" Mario's eyes widened in shock as he stared at him. "One hundred million dollars? Are you crazy? Mr. Duva came to negotiate with you in good faith, and you respond to his kindness with such an insincere number?
Link, stop joking. Let's be serious and sincere. I heard that Mr. Duva has contracts with more than a dozen boxing champions. He's very busy."
"One hundred million dollars?" Even West and Reggie, who were drowsy from the sun, opened their eyes and listened intently to their negotiations.
Money is a good thing, it's very refreshing.
"Link, one hundred million dollars?" The smile on Franco Duva's face turned into a wry smile, as if Link's words had poked at his gall, and even his smile became bitter.
If Franco Duva's fans saw his smile change, they would definitely blame Link for being reckless.
Link glanced at Mario, who had no stance. This bastard, in order to get Franco Duva to take him in as a waste, didn't even want the most basic face and integrity.
But he didn't think about it, with his qualifications, he would be disliked for not being able to take a beating even if he went to be a sparring partner for a boxing champion, what's the use of going to a major event company?
Link smiled slightly, wiped his mouth and fingers with a tissue paper unhurriedly, "Mr. Duva, do you think 100 million dollars is a lot? Or do you think I'm not worth 100 million?"
"This goes without saying, Link. Look at yourself. Even if you've won a few matches now, they're amateur matches. You're a newcomer who doesn't even have a boxing champion title, and you dare to ask for a sky-high price of 100 million?" Franco's mouthpiece Mario said indignantly.
It was as if Link asking Franco for 100 million dollars was such an outrageous thing, and he, the mouthpiece, was acting on behalf of the heavens.
Link looked at Franco Duva and smiled, "Mr. Duva, do you think so too?"
"This goes without saying..."
"Shut up!!" Link looked at Mario coldly.
"Mario, go sit over there! You have no business here!" West snapped.
Mario curled his lips, licked his face and smiled at Franco Duva, moved his buttocks to the seat on the opposite aisle, but his neck stretched out long. If he could occupy a seat with his face, his seat would basically not have changed.
Link smiled at Franco Duva, "Mr. Duva, do you think so too?"
Franco Duva liked to lower his head slightly when he was thinking about a problem, and a vertical line would appear between his eyebrows. When he raised his head, the vertical line disappeared again.
He said, "Link, you are very strong, you have excellent looks, and you have a lot of commercial value, but you are a newcomer after all. One hundred million dollars, even if it was Evander Holyfield in his fifth year of debut, after winning the WBA gold belt, would not have offered my father such a huge clause."
Link heard him pause when he mentioned his father, Lou Duva, with a respectful expression on his face, and smiled, "Mr. Duva, you are willing to meet me and sign me before I become a boxing champion. What you are optimistic about is my potential. This is no different from Wall Street pitchers buying a large number of shares in potential small companies before they go public.
As an investor, if you were asked to bid 100 million dollars to take 20% of Microsoft in 1980, would you be willing?
Would you be willing to spend 1 billion to take 80% of Apple in 1985?
Would you be willing to spend 100 million to take 30% of Google in 2003? Now I ask you to spend 100 million to take my event promotion contract, but you are not willing, why is this?"
Mario and Reggie were dumbfounded. They heard Link ask Franco Duva if he would go back in time and buy a large number of shares in Microsoft, Apple, and Google if he had money in his hands.
They were also thinking, if they had the money and the opportunity, would they invest in several Internet giants.
The result of thinking is, of course, willing to invest 100 million to earn back 100 billion, not willing to be a fool.
But then Link changed the subject and asked Franco why he was not willing to spend 100 million dollars to get his contract?
Isn't this nonsense?
The former are big companies worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, and you are just you, how can you, a boxer, compare with big companies worth tens of billions or even trillions?
Mario rolled his eyes, thinking that Link's brain might have been soaked in too much seawater and was a little wet.
Franco Duva was stunned for a moment, and a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth again. He spread his hands gracefully, "Link, you have great commercial value, but 100 million dollars is indeed beyond our budget. How about 10 million?"
"Ten million?! Link is worth ten million?" Mario stared at Franco Duva, as if asking the esteemed President Duva, you are also because the distance from Link is too close, accidentally infected with his crazy disease?
West and Reggie heard Franco Duva offer a big contract of 10 million, and looked at Link in surprise, wanting to see his reaction? Shock? excitement or surprise?
Link just waved his hand calmly, "If it was 1980, on this train, you were sitting opposite Bill Gates, and he wanted to sell you 20% of Microsoft shares for 100 million, you would definitely refuse without the memory of the future;
In 1985, when those stupid shareholders of Apple kicked Jobs out of the company, and then messed up Apple, and were ready to sell it to you for 1 billion dollars, you would definitely refuse;
In 2003, when the three founders of Google were raising investment for a new project and sold you 30% of the shares, you would still refuse.
It's not that you don't have investment vision, but that you haven't done serious research and don't know where the three companies, and I, are truly valuable. You also don't know how much potential we have and how much value we can create in the future.
If your company's professional assessment of me is that I will only be a boxing champion like Holyfield in the future, then don't sign me. My value is definitely not limited to this."
"Just a boxing champion like Holyfield? Just?" Mario's eyes widened, looking at Link in disbelief. If he hadn't been frightened by Link's cold eyes just now, he really wanted to grab Link by the collar and shake him a few times, asking if he knew who Holyfield was.
Evander Holyfield is the most successful heavyweight boxer in terms of honor and business after Tyson, four-time WBA heavyweight champion, three-time IBF heavyweight champion, three-time WBC heavyweight champion, and the second boxer after Muhammad Ali to win the world heavyweight championship three times.
Being able to become Holyfield is the dream of all boxers, but in Link's mouth, it's just?
"Someone is crazy! Someone is really crazy!" Mario muttered, looking up at the ceiling of the train.
Franco Duva looked at Link with strange eyes, thinking that this young man was probably floating after defeating more than a dozen opponents and being hyped up by the media, and he was floating so badly that he didn't even take Holyfield seriously.
He still smiled and asked in a more polite tone, "Link, can you let me know your career plan, or what do you think is the most valuable thing about you?"
"Of course!" Link smiled, if he just said that he would be better than Holyfield in the future, it would be bragging, and others would just sneer at it. This was not his intention at all.
He pointed to the fruit basket on the table and said, "Since the beginning of the last century, when boxing began to commercialize, the heavyweight has always been the most profitable field, but it has not been profitable in recent years, at least in the North American market.
Due to the lack of a heavyweight champion, Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr., Oscar De La Hoya, and Manny Pacquiao, these small-level boxers began to divide the market that originally belonged to the heavyweight.
Why is this happening? Because you can'tfind someone in North America who can replace George Foreman, Tyson, Holyfield and others to continue to attract audiences and pay for boxing matches.
If there is now someone who has the ability to unify the four major heavyweight organizations and regain the heavyweight market and audience, would you be willing to sign him for 100 million dollars?
I think you will definitely not miss it.
With this person, your company will be able to earn 10 billion, 100 billion in the future, what is a mere 100 million dollars, and I am such a person."
Before Franco Duva could speak, he raised his hand and politely stopped him, "Since the 1940s and 1950s, most of the boxers active in the boxing world have been Ali, Tyson, Holyfield, Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr., these dark-skinned people.
My appearance will break this pattern. My goal is to unify the five major levels and all the world boxing champion titles and gold belts of the four major organizations. How can Holyfield compare with me?"
Link looked at Franco Duva with a serious expression, "The boxing world is about to undergo earth-shaking changes, and I am the one who will change the boxing world.
One hundred million dollars! Mr. Duva, this is a friendship price that I offered because you are very sincere and I respect Mr. Duva Sr. very much. Is it a lot?"
Franco Duva dabbed the sweat from his forehead with a patterned tissue.
If Link said before that he didn't take Holyfield seriously, he was too frivolous, like a bubble floating in the sky.
And just now, Link said that he was going to recover the heavyweight market and bring about changes to the North American boxing world, which was like a thunderbolt from the sky, which made his scalp tingle.
Even Ali, Tyson, and Holyfield would not dare to say such things, how could he, an amateur boxer, dare to say such things?
But after thinking about Link's words carefully, he found that although there was some boasting in Link's words, it was not impossible.
The current North American boxing world is in decline, especially the most profitable heavyweight. With the gradual aging of Tyson and Holyfield's generation of boxing champions, the new generation of heavyweight boxing champions is generally not strong enough. Even if they have the ability to become kings in the domestic boxing world, they will soon be beaten back to their original shape when they encounter foreign opponents, and there is not much value in investing in training.
If there really is someone in the current boxing world who has the ability to unify the heavyweight gold belts of the four major organizations, this person undoubtedly has great commercial value.
If it is a handsome light-skinned boxer, the commercial value will be immeasurable.
One hundred million dollars is indeed nothing.
But is this person Link?
Link is just a newcomer who has debuted for less than ten days, a newborn baby. Even if he is very strong, who can guarantee that he will always be strong?
The difference between the promotion company and the Wall Street crowd is that they invest in specific 'people'.
And when the object of investment is a 'person', there are too many variables and too many risks.
Making investment decisions often requires great courage.
"Since ancient times, those who dare to take risks are often the ones who can eat the biggest cake.
Mr. Duva, although what I said just now is a bit crazy, I will prove with my fists that my words are definitely not bragging.
And you are facing a choice, whether to continue to be a spectator, marvel or regret the achievements I will make in the future, or place a bet in advance and be my partner, we will eat the cake together, the choice is in your hands. "
Link picked up a tangerine and handed it to Franco Duva.
Franco Duva looked at the tangerine in his hand, silent, with two vertical lines between his eyebrows.
Mario looked at Link foolishly. He could barely keep up with what he said before, but Link's words later sounded like the ravings of a lunatic, making him dizzy.
But what he didn't understand was that Mr. Franco Duva, a celebrity in the promotion industry, heard Link's crazy words, didn't slap him in the mouth, and listened very seriously?!
He didn't understand whether it was him who was not normal, or the world was crazy.
When the train arrived at Miami Station, Link woke up West, who had fallen asleep again, and took his luggage to get off.
"Mr. Link Baker, your statement is very interesting, we will seriously consider your proposal. Good luck in the finals!" Franco Duva reached out his hand and said.
"Okay!" Link smiled and shook his hand.
---
"Link is out!"
When Link and his group appeared at the train station, dozens of media reporters followed the wind and rushed towards him, including Miami Commercial TV, "Miami Forum", "American Express", "Beach Pictorial" and other media.
Like fans, the media is a group that needs constant maintenance and serious response.
Link's goal is to become a boxing superstar and a boxer with huge commercial potential, which requires dealing with the media.
Although they are sometimes annoying and unprincipled, as long as they are handled properly, the positive effects they bring will definitely outweigh the troubles they bring.
Link stayed at the square at the entrance of the Miami railway station for more than ten minutes, answered more than 20 questions about the game and his personal life, fully satisfied the curiosity and writing needs of these reporters, and then they generously let him go.
"Hey, Link, here!"
On the street opposite the station square, Fatty James was riding a small motorcycle, waving at him happily.
Link bid farewell to West and the others, crossed the traffic, walked to the opposite side of the street, looked at the small mount under Fatty's butt, Honda Rebel, pointed his index finger and said, "I came back from the battlefield full of honor, and you just used this little thing to meet me?"
"What's wrong? What else can I use to pick you up if I don't use this? Are you afraid you won't be able to sit down? It doesn't matter, I'll squeeze forward." James said as he moved his butt forward, and the little motorcycle was crushed by him. Squeak and scream, horrible to look at.
Link covered his forehead. He was talking about a big deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars with someone on the train just now. He thought he was a big shot, but when he got off the train, he had to take a small motorcycle home. It felt like a dream.
Forget it, there is no sports car now, so I can only take this temporarily, so don't dislike it.
He took a step with his long legs and squeezed into the back of the little motorcycle, and the little motorcycle sank suddenly, creaking!
James started the car, and the little motorcycle roared with black smoke and merged into the busy traffic.
The photographers quickly raised their cameras, pointed at Link on the little motorcycle, and pressed the shutter several times in succession.
Click! Click!
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