Kapitel 122: ### Chapter 121: The Troublesome Younger Brother
On November 18th, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the WBC lightweight championship challenge also reached its final match.
'Contender for the title' Mayweather faced off against former WBC lightweight champion Genaro Hernández, with the two battling it out for eight rounds.
During the match, Mayweather landed a heavy blow to Hernández's head, causing an injury that led to bleeding. By the eighth round, Hernández had to forfeit the match.
Mayweather won easily, capturing the WBC gold belt.
That evening, Richard and several friends, including Paul, were also present to watch the fight. When they saw Mayweather raise the gold belt, everyone was excited—everyone except for Paul, who looked dejected.
"Don't be sad. The heavyweight gold belt is heavier, so lifting it is harder," Richard comforted.
"Enough, I've heard that too many times," Paul waved his hand dismissively.
"I'm telling the truth. In the heavyweight division, there are many strong opponents. None of those champions are easy to beat. If you want to get the gold belt, you still need to train more. The WBA championship challenge is coming up soon. Are you ready?" Richard asked with a smile.
"The WBA champion is Holyfield, whose strength is comparable to Lewis. Do you think I stand a chance?" Paul grimaced as if about to cry.
"There's always a chance. The key is how hard you're willing to work. If you put in the effort and fight hard, you'll definitely achieve something," Richard said, patting his shoulder.
"No, I've thought about it. It's too difficult to rely on myself to win. There is a way to help me get the gold belt faster, but I'll need your help."
"How can I help?" Richard asked, curious.
"Hehe, Richard, are we good friends?" Paul grinned, showing his big white teeth.
"Heh, I could have said yes without hesitation before, but now I have to think about it. Just tell me what ridiculous idea you have," Richard frowned.
"It's simple. Didn't you say you want to fight in the heavyweight division someday? With your strength, you'll definitely win. Once you get the gold belt, I'll challenge you, and you can intentionally lose to me. Hehe, then I'll have the gold belt. What do you think?"
Richard's mouth twitched, and he gave Paul a thumbs-up, "You're really smart!"
"Are you agreeing to it?" Paul asked excitedly.
"No, stop joking. If you don't have the strength, you can't keep the gold belt even if I give it to you."
"That's fine. When I lose, you can win it back and lose to me again," Paul suggested.
"Are you my son?" Richard retorted.
"Dad! Dad!" Paul cried out playfully.
"Get lost!" Richard punched him, pushing the crazy guy to the side.
"Hey, Richard, look at my gold belt," Mayweather walked down from the ring, the WBC gold belt draped over his shoulder.
The green belt, with its golden emblem and the three black letters "WBC" in the center, was exquisitely crafted, similar to Richard's, but with different owner information.
Among the four major boxing organizations, WBC, WBO, WBA, and IBF, each weight class champion has a gold belt, also known as the 'World Gold Belt.' Richard holds the light heavyweight belt, while Mayweather holds the lightweight one.
Below the 'World Gold Belt,' there are also 'World Silver Belts,' 'International Gold Belts,' and 'Continental Gold Belts.'
The holder of the 'World Silver Belt' is the 'Contender for the title,' with the right to challenge for the 'World Gold Belt.'
To challenge the 'World Gold Belt' from the 'International Gold Belt,' negotiations and the champion's agreement are needed; the champion can refuse.
Other challengers must be ranked within the top 15 or have a high enough appearance fee to challenge the champion.
This illustrates the high status of the 'World Gold Belt' in the system, making it very difficult to obtain.
"Mayweather, congratulations," Richard extended his fist to bump with him.
"Thanks, hey, Paul," Mayweather called out with his fist extended.
"Congratulations," Paul said lazily.
"Haha, don't be upset. Maybe you'll get the gold belt next year."
"Of course, I, Paul Pilbert, will definitely get the gold belt," Paul said through gritted teeth.
---
After the match, Mayweather threw a big party, inviting many people to join.
Richard stayed for a while but left the party early.
He was in Las Vegas not only to watch the match but also to discuss business.
After becoming a champion, several large promotional companies in the boxing world extended olive branches to him, including Main Events, Don King Promotions, and Top Rank.
After much consideration, he didn't choose any of them. He's not purely a boxer and doesn't want to become a fighting machine.
After careful thought, he entrusted his management to 'Starlight Sports,' handing it over to Andy and his assistant Bob Reuter.
Starlight Sports will promote him, with each match being a collaboration. They split the earnings, and if he's dissatisfied with Starlight's performance, he can change representatives at any time.
This time, Starlight Sports is promoting his next match against Roy Jones.
After the match earlier this month, Roy Jones expressed dissatisfaction in the media.
Most boxing fans also felt that Roy Jones's loss was unfair, thinking he fell for Richard's 'trick.' They believed the two needed another match to see who was truly better.
As time went on, the call for another match grew louder. Even many famous figures in the boxing world stood up, expressing their desire to see who was the best in the light heavyweight division.
So, boxing promotion giant Don King contacted both fighters' management companies, inviting them to a 'title unification match.'
Roy Jones versus Richard Bradley.
One is the WBA gold belt holder, and the other is the WBC gold belt holder.
The winner can take the other's gold belt, becoming the 'world champion' of two or more organizations—a 'title unification match.'
Richard received the news and didn't object.
Another match would bring more income. Last time, he earned over 1.5 million in prize money. After team deductions, he received more than 1.3 million, and with the betting money, his total income exceeded 2 million.
The prize for this match shouldn't be lower than the last.
"Andy, Bob!"
In the hotel room, Andy was holding a glass of red wine, smoking a cigar, while the chief agent of Starlight, Bob Reuter, sat beside him, looking over documents.
"Richard, is the match over?" Andy asked.
"Yes, Mayweather won the gold belt," Richard replied.
"Sure enough, he won. I knew he could get the gold belt, but it's a pity that kid isn't willing to cooperate with Starlight."
Andy sighed regretfully.
"It's because your offer wasn't attractive enough," Richard laughed, sitting down and asking, "So, how did the talks go?"
"Haha, not bad. The first fight between you and Roy Jones ended too quickly and suddenly, leaving many questions and piquing the interest of boxing fans.
For the second fight, Don King wants to make it bigger, treating it as a top-tier event."
"And Roy Jones agreed to this?" Richard asked curiously.
"Yes, they also believe another match is necessary to determine who is the top light heavyweight," Andy said with a cigar in his mouth.
Richard shook his head. "When will it be?"
"Not confirmed yet, but it will be at least three months later. We need a period for promotion," Andy explained.
"Okay, anything else?" Richard asked.
"Just one more thing," Bob Reuter chuckled. "Mr. Don King mentioned that in the first match, you fought clean and quick, winning in no time, which was cool.
However, for the second match, it shouldn't be too quick. Many people buy tickets to watch you fight, but if it's over before they even sit down, it's not satisfying. He hopes you can showcase your performance skills and make the fight more exciting."
"Don thinks I'm better than Roy Jones," Richard laughed.
"Yes, Mr. Don King said you're very strong and smart, and also a handsome white guy. He believes your commercial value is not less than Tyson's. In the future, your fight earnings will definitely be higher. Oh, and he invited you to play golf tomorrow. Do you have time?" Bob Reuter asked.
"Of course, how can I refuse Don's invitation?" Richard shrugged.
Don King, now in his sixties, is an African American and the most famous boxing promoter, the number one in boxing promotion.
Since the 1970s, he has successfully promoted over 500 championship fights worldwide.
This includes Ali vs. Foreman in the 'Rumble in the Jungle,' Ali vs. Frazier in the 'Thrilla in Manila,' Tyson vs. Holyfield, and Tyson vs. British champion Bruno, among others.
Of the top 10 fights with the most pay-per-view users in history, 7 were promoted by Don King, with each fight's prize money reaching at least tens of millions.
Knowing such a big shot brings many benefits.
Accepting Don King's invitation, he stayed in Las Vegas for another day.
He took Paul to Don King's club, chatting and playing golf with the big shot, and meeting several champions under Don King, including Holyfield and John Ruiz.
At Don King's suggestion, he sparred with Holyfield.
Evander Holyfield, 36 years old, current WBA-IBF heavyweight champion, Ring magazine's best fighter of 1997, 3-time IBF heavyweight champion, and 3-time WBA heavyweight champion, is recognized as one of the best boxers in the world.
They fought for three rounds, each knocking the other down once, seemingly evenly matched.
To help Paul, Richard proposed that Paul fight John Ruiz.
John Ruiz is currently an international champion. In September, he defeated Jerry Ballard, winning the WBA North American heavyweight championship.
Don King agreed.
Paul and John Ruiz fought for six rounds.
John Ruiz's jab is very fast, his upper body movement is quick, and his technique is comprehensive.
Paul's punches are heavy, and his technique is good, but his speed and style are clumsy.
They fought for six rounds, and Paul lost on points. However, his performance caught Don King's attention.
"Richard, thank you for letting me fight a champion in advance."
After leaving Don King's boxing club, Paul leaned against the car window and said.
"You're welcome. Even though you lost, don't be sad. John Ruiz is ranked in the top 20 in the WBA heavyweight division and has the strength to compete for the world title. You did well to fight him this way," Richard comforted.
"I'm not sad at all," Paul grinned. "I didn't know how strong I was before fighting a champion. Now I know. I'm a bit worse than an international champion, but not by much. Now I'm going to train hard for a year and challenge for the world title next year."
"You're not coming to Los Angeles with me?"
"No, I'm going back to train!" Paul said, clenching his fist.
"Alright then."
After sending Paul off, he arrived in Los Angeles the next day.
"Dangerous X Games" was about to be released, and the crew was busy with promotions. Richard joined the promotion for a few days, feeling a bit tired, and collapsed on the hotel sofa.
"Hey, aren't you a champion? Why are you so weak?" Sarah Michelle Gellar asked, sitting on the sofa.
"I'm not weak, just don't want to move. Sometimes I think, I can earn millions from one fight, but only a few thousand from making a movie. Auditions, filming, and promotions take up most of the year. It's not worth it," Richard said, touching his forehead.
"You don't want to be an actor anymore?" Sarah picked up a grape and fed it to him.
"No, just joking around. Complaining makes me feel better," Richard said, eating the grape with a smile.
"Haha, if I were you, I'd focus on boxing, make millions, and then retire. Wouldn't that be great?" Sarah laughed, feeding him another grape.
"Not really. In the boxing world, it's just rough men fighting. Making movies allows me to meet many beautiful women, like you," Richard joked.
"You became an actor just to meet beautiful women?"
"What else?"
"Haha, you're really something. I still haven't paid you back for slapping my butt last time. Now I want revenge."
Sarah pounced on him, pinching and biting.
"Sister Catherine, are you sure you want revenge?" Richard lifted her chin and smiled mischievously.
"Yes, you naughty little brother!" Sarah said, lying on his chest, about to bite him.
Richard hugged her tightly and kissed her red lips fiercely. They had kissing scenes in the movie, so kissing a few more times didn't matter.
"Mmm, no!"
---
(End of the chapter)
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein