章 226: Chapter 224: A Formidable Opponent
"Is Link going to lose?"
"No way! Go, Link!"
In the audience on the east side of the ring, Emma Watson shouted.
"Emma, don't forget you're British. You should be cheering for Carl."
Rupert teased.
"Shut up and cheer!"
"It's no use. Everyone is cheering for Carl now. Just the few of us cheering for Link won't make a difference. But I think it's understandable that Link might lose. He's a singer now, with no time to practice boxing. I heard he also has several rumored girlfriends. It's inevitable that his skills would decline."
Rupert shrugged and smiled.
"Nonsense, Link won't lose."
Emma patted him.
"Yeah, go Link!"
Daniel Radcliffe cupped his hands and shouted towards the stage.
Rupert gave him a helpless look, thinking he was a bit naive.
"Wow, this is my first time watching a match live. I didn't expect the atmosphere of a boxing match to be so intense."
Adele said to Keira Knightley beside her.
She was still wearing a beautiful dress, with exquisite makeup and brown wavy hair. Her eyelashes were like fans.
"It's my first time watching a boxing match live too. It's really exciting to watch people fight in person."
Keira Knightley smiled, resting her chin on her hand.
"Oh no, Link got hit again. Is he really going to lose?"
Adele clapped her hands and said. To protect her voice, she restrained her emotions and didn't shout along with the audience.
Keira Knightley pursed her lips and smiled. "Wouldn't it be great if he lost? He's American."
"Haha, you're right. If he loses, our country's boxer will get another championship belt. If he wins, well, we'll congratulate him too. So no matter who wins or loses, it's a good thing for us."
Adele laughed.
Bang!
At 105 seconds into the first round, under Carl Froch's fierce attacks, Link was hit again and his back slammed against the ropes.
Boom!
Seeing him being knocked back by Carl Froch again, the British audience got even more excited. The shouts of "Go Carl!" and "Carl will win!" were so loud that the eardrums of the audience in the front row buzzed.
"What's going on? Why is Link performing so poorly today?"
Former WBA heavyweight champion Frank Bruno, known as the "British Boxing King," asked loudly, covering his ears.
Lennox Lewis folded his arms and looked at the match in the ring. "Maybe it's his tactic."
"I don't think so."
Famous British boxer Chris Eubank said, "This might be Link's true strength. He used to only fight in the United States, I mean professional matches. With the media's hype, his strength has been infinitely exaggerated, becoming an invincible champion, a superman champion, an undefeated champion, like a big bubble.
Last year, I saw the news that he defeated Tyson across three weight classes, and I thought it was a bit fake. Now it seems that the match must have been a fake match fabricated by the promotion company to boost Link's fame."
"That's unlikely. Even if there was some exaggeration in his victory over Tyson, it's impossible to fake the matches where he defeated Mikkel Kessler in 101 seconds, Jermain Taylor in 98 seconds, and Pascal. Those matches couldn't have been rigged."
Lennox Lewis shook his head with his arms crossed.
"I think it might be because of the venue."
Boxing king Frank Bruno said, "I heard that Link likes to fight home matches. Every time he fights at home, he can achieve impressive results, such as in the Golden Gloves Championship finals. Now that he's come to London for an away match against Carl, it's understandable that his performance is a bit worse."
"Also, this guy has clearly slacked off in training since winning the WBA title. Look at him in London these past two days, constantly attending shows, press conferences, friend gatherings. I heard he even went to a fashion show."
Chris Eubank shook his head. "The most important thing for a boxer is focus, focus on training, focus on the match. When a boxer stops focusing on boxing, a decline in skill is inevitable."
Lennox Lewis didn't refute, turning to look at Joe Calzaghe, who was intently watching the match. "Joe, what's your opinion?"
Former WBA-WBC-WBO-IBF super middleweight world champion Joe Calzaghe said, "I'm not sure. I've watched every one of Link's matches, including amateur ones. His defense is even better than his offense, but today his defense seems to have obvious flaws. I don't know if it's his tactic or if Carl's offense is too sharp for him to handle."
Whoa!
At 135 seconds, Carl Froch broke through Link's defense with both fists and threw a punch at Link's face. However, it was slightly slow, and the fist just grazed his face.
The audience let out a sigh of disappointment.
If that punch hadn't been dodged, Link would definitely have been knocked down.
"130 seconds! There are only 50 seconds left in the first round. This is a number that has never appeared in Link's super middleweight matches. Carl is creating a miracle."
BBC host Edward Campbell said excitedly into the camera.
"Link, you're fighting like shit! Can you stop blocking with your head and throw a punch?!"
In Las Vegas, at a boxing club, Tyson yelled angrily while watching the live broadcast.
"Rapid Fire" Chris Byrd, who was next to him, glanced at him, took a sip of beer, and said, "Many media outlets are saying that your match with Link last year was a fixed fight. Is that true?"
Tyson grinned, showing his gold teeth. "Bullshit! The prize money for that match was 10 million, split 30/70. If I could beat him, why wouldn't I take the bigger share?"
"Is Link really that strong? This guy started provoking us in amateur matches. I always felt he was all talk."
"Lights Out" James Toney, lying on the sofa like a Maitreya Buddha, asked, rubbing his belly.
Tyson grinned and looked at the two of them.
"You guys haven't retired yet. You can totally fight him. This guy's fame is currently in the top three in the boxing world, and his appearance fees are very high. Even if you lose to him, you'll still make money."
"I have that plan. If his strength is only like this, I'll let him know how tough the boxing world is."
Chris Byrd waved his fist and grinned.
"Holy shit! I don't know how Link has become like this. When he fought me, his punches were so fierce that I felt like I was going to vomit blood when he hit me. Now he's become like this."
Tyson cursed as he saw Link being knocked back a step again.
"Hehe, I heard he has a lot of rumored girlfriends. Maybe he learned from you and got his legs weakened by women."
James Toney joked.
"Nonsense! My legs are never weak."
Tyson glared at him, then heard a "whoa" from the TV and quickly turned back to see Link stumble and almost fall.
"Shit! This guy has definitely regressed. No one could knock him back before."
Tyson cursed.
---
"Is Link going to lose?"
In Las Vegas, in the Top Rank Boxing lounge, Bob Arum watched the TV and said.
Greg Cohen shook his head and sighed. "How did this guy become like this? When I saw him before, he was full of confidence in boxing and told me that his goal was to surpass Mayweather and De La Hoya to become the one and only boxing king. Now he's become like this. It's such a pity."
Bob Arum, holding a cigar, said, "This is Lou Duva's fault. The more talented a boxer is, the more you need to strengthen management, tie him down with a contract, and make him obedient to avoid accidents.
But Lou Duva didn't do that. He took a laissez-faire attitude towards Link, allowing him to mess around in the music and Hollywood circles, taking up a lot of training time. Now Link has become like this, it's his own fault."
Bob Arum puffed on his cigar and slowly exhaled a smoke ring.
"Yes, Lou Duva is not a good manager. If Link had signed with Top Rank, he would never have become like this. And Link himself is too conceited. He's only twenty years old and already has a world-class arrogant attitude. He obviously lacks experience. I hope this match will make him understand this."
Greg Cohen shook his head and sighed.
But in his heart, he breathed a sigh of relief. Since Link became a top boxer, people in the circle praised Franco Duva for his vision in discovering such a treasure like Link.
And he, who didn't dare to agree to Link's proposed 70% split back then, became a negative example.
This also became one of the stains on his career.
If Link lost today and never recovered, he would have a chance to wash away this stain.
---
"Ahem, Nora, when Frank comes back from London, talk to him and ask him to do more ideological work with Link, so that Link spends more time on training and doesn't mess around in the entertainment industry."
In New York, in the Duva family villa, Lou Duva said to his daughter-in-law, Nora Duva.
Nora nodded while watching TV, then said, "I'm afraid that will be difficult. Link is also very successful as a singer."
"Don't worry, I can see that Link still loves boxing the most. For boxing, I think he will agree."
Lou Duva said.
"Hey!"
Dino Duva, squatting in front of the TV, turned around and rolled his eyes. "The first round isn't even over yet, and you've already concluded that Link will lose. Isn't that a bit hasty? What if this is Link's tactic? Don't forget he's a master tactician."
"Whether it's a tactic or not, his decline is obvious."
Lou Duva said, panting.
Dino shrugged. Since even old Duva said Link had regressed, he couldn't refute it.
Maybe Link really had regressed. After all, he had to make movies, release albums, and chase girls. It was normal for him to decline.
"But I heard the odds of Link losing are 1:51. Could this guy be throwing the fight?"
Dino stroked his chin and said, "If it's true, this guy is too unkind. He should have invited me to join in."
Seeing Link's weak performance in the ring, Dino wasn't the only one who suspected him of throwing the fight. Many people at the O2 Arena had the same suspicion.
---
"Bernard, if Link is really throwing the fight, that would be great. I could make £5,000 from this bet."
In the audience, Charlotte said to reporter Gary beside her.
"Congratulations!"
Gary, holding his camera, stood in the aisle, taking pictures of the audience shouting "Go Carl!"
This match wasn't just a contest between WBA champion Link and WBC champion Carl, but also a clash between top British and American super middleweight boxers.
If Carl could defeat the invincible champion Link in this battle, it would be a great joy for all British boxing fans.
And these spectators who were shouting for Carl deserved to be reported by the media.
Whoa!!
A wave of exclamations suddenly erupted from the audience, filled with shock and astonishment.
Gary quickly turned around and looked at the ring. Carl Froch, who had been fiercely attacking just a moment ago, was now lying on the canvas.
Gary couldn't believe his eyes and quickly turned to Charlotte.
"What happened? Tell me quickly, what just happened?"
Charlotte pointed to the boxing ring, her mouth moving a few times before she spoke. "Just now, Carl continued to attack Link fiercely, but suddenly Link didn't dodge or block. He threw a punch from behind, hitting Carl squarely in the face. The punch was very fast and very powerful. Carl wasn't prepared at all and was knocked to the canvas with a bang."
"A punch from behind? A backhand punch?!"
"Yes, a backhand punch!"
"It's Link's backhand punch!!"
At this moment, not only did Gary recall Link's killer move - the infamous "backhand punch," but many spectators at the scene also remembered it.
The news said that last year, Link used this move from the Golden Gloves preliminaries to the Olympics. In the Olympic Americas qualifiers, he even pulled a muscle because he used this move too much.
But this move was very powerful. Every opponent he hit with it was knocked to the ground.
However, after entering professional boxing, Link rarely used this move to hit people. Today, he suddenly used it and knocked down Carl Froch with one punch.
This was something no one expected.
This was also the reason why tens of thousands of people at the scene exclaimed in astonishment.
First, everyone knew Link had this move but didn't expect him to suddenly use it here. It was too unexpected.
Second, everyone knew that Link's backhand punch was powerful, but they had never seen it with their own eyes.
Just now, seeing Link's fist like a hammer, smashing Carl Froch with one blow, the violent visual impact was also very shocking.
In the ring, Link held his fists and quietly looked at Carl Froch lying on the canvas.
After being punched, Carl didn't faint. He supported himself on the canvas with both hands, gritting his teeth, trying to stand up bit by bit.
"Go Carl!"
"Carl, get up!"
"Carl, you're the best!"
In the audience, tens of thousands of people stood up and shouted in unison, making Link's eardrums buzz.
"Go Carl! Hang in there!"
In the corner of the ring, Carl Froch's sparring partners were also shouting encouragement.
With everyone's encouragement, Carl struggled for six or seven seconds. When the referee counted to two, he roared and stood firmly on the stage.
"Carl!!!"
The audience also raised their arms and shouted his name loudly.
Link nodded in approval. Carl Froch's ability to withstand blows and his willpower were indeed very strong, ranking at least in the top three among the boxers he had fought.
The referee stood beside Carl and asked if he could continue the match.
"Yes!"
Carl gasped, staring at Link.
"Box!"
Hearing the referee's command, Carl Froch roared and swung his fists, launching another fierce attack on Link.
"Go Carl!"
"Carl, you're doing great!"
"Carl, watch out for his backhand punch!"
The British audience at the scene shouted loudly.
"Go Carl, Carl, you're the best boxer."
BBC host Edward Campbell held a microphone and said to the camera in a hoarse voice, "Listen, everyone, at this moment, behind me, tens of thousands of spectators are cheering for Carl Froch. Because of Carl, all British boxing fans are united. Carl, well done!"
"Go Carl!"
Charlotte also forgot that she was a detective and shouted hoarsely.
However, the situation for Carl in the ring was not optimistic. After he got up, he swung his fists again and launched a fierce attack on Link.
But this time, Link didn't dodge. He quickly swung his fists and exchanged blows with Carl.
The two of them traded punches, each blow landing solidly.
In less than 20 seconds, Link landed 57 punches, and Carl landed 42.
The audience was mesmerized, even forgetting to shout encouragement.
"This is so awesome! This is what boxing is all about!"
Charlotte said excitedly.
Bang!
At 171 seconds, Link launched a fierce attack, throwing six heavy punches in a row. Carl couldn't dodge and his back hit the ropes.
Link closed in and landed a swing punch, breaking through Carl's defense and hitting him squarely on the cheek.
Carl's head was hit, his body twisted half a circle, and he fell heavily to the ground.
Whoa!!
Seeing Carl fall, the audience came back to their senses and let out a gasp.
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1!"
This time, there was no miracle. The referee counted to ten, and Carl, after struggling a few times, couldn't get up.
Link won the match.
"Yeah! Link won!"
Link's fans at the scene cheered loudly, but the noise was much smaller compared to those cheering for Carl.
"Ah! Carl lost! This bastard Link is too strong."
Charlotte shrugged and said.
"Carl wasn't bad either. No one has ever lasted 170 seconds against Link before. Carl did it."
Someone in front said.
Charlotte nodded in agreement.
Carl was down, and Link won the match. The presidents of the WBC and WBA boxing organizations went on stage to award him the championship belts.
"What do you think of this match?"
Lennox Lewis turned to ask his colleagues beside him.
This match seemed a bit strange. At the beginning, Carl fiercely attacked and seemed to have a chance of winning.
But just when everyone saw hope, Link's fierce backhand punch came out and shattered everyone's hopes.
Lewis was thinking, what if this punch hadn't landed, or if Carl had blocked it?
"I think Carl lost a bit unfairly. If he had been more careful and defended against Link's backhand punch, he would have had a high probability of dragging the match into the second round, and his chances of winning would have increased."
Chris Eubank said.
Lewis then looked at Frank Bruno.
Bruno frowned at the ring. "I'm not sure either. It feels like it was Link's tactic. After the match started, he saw Carl attacking and chose to play defensively, tightly guarding himself and letting Carl attack. When Carl's offense weakened, he suddenly used the backhand punch, turning the tide with one punch."
Joe Calzaghe beside him sighed. "I think so too. I've watched all of Link's matches. His fighting style has two forms: when his opponent attacks, he defends; when his opponent defends, he attacks. He also likes to lure his opponents into attacking and then suddenly strikes hard when they are tired, ending the fight in one fell swoop."
"You mean his earlier weak and retreating posture in the ring was all an act, deliberately luring Carl to attack?"
Chris Eubank asked in surprise.
Calzaghe nodded and looked at Link, who was being interviewed in the ring. "I suspect not only the weakness was an act, but the few punches he took from Carl were also intentional. The purpose was to give Carl hope of winning, luring him to continue attacking and consume his energy."
"Impossible?! I don't believe it. No one would intentionally take punches in the ring."
Chris Eubank said in disbelief.
"It's true! I used this tactic in my second fight with Holyfield. The purpose was to lure him to attack and consume his energy as much as possible. In the end, I won."
Lennox Lewis shrugged and said.
"Also, although the backhand punch is fierce, it has a long distance and slow speed, making it easy to dodge. It's relatively easy to land in amateur matches, but in professional matches, it's extremely difficult to hit, which is why Link rarely uses it after turning pro.
Today, Link first used tactics to lure Carl into attacking, consuming Carl's strength and speed, and then suddenly used the backhand punch when the time was right, successfully landing it."
Calzaghe said.
"This guy is really... tough!"
Frank Bruno, Chris Eubank, Joe Calzaghe, and Lennox Lewis all looked at Link in the ring with complex expressions.
If all this was true, Link was too cunning. This guy was already strong, and now he was so cunning. How could his opponents fight him?
And this guy, who amazed everyone, was only 21 years old this year. How could such a person appear in the boxing world?
Bruno and the other retired boxers were glad they hadn't encountered such an opponent back then; otherwise, it would have been very difficult to become a champion.
At the same time, they regretted not having met such a strong opponent.
Sparring with masters was the pursuit of top boxers.
"Joe, would you fight him?"
Lewis looked at Calzaghe and asked.
Calzaghe looked at Link, who was wearing two championship belts in the ring, and nodded, then shook his head.
"I'm not sure, but I really want to fight him. He's truly a great opponent."
(End of Chapter)
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