Capítulo 176: Chapter 175: The Match Begins

"Be careful when you get on stage. If you can't win, just surrender. Don't let anyone mess up your face."

In the Yorkville apartment, Taylor adjusted her suit and said.

"Surrender? Are you kidding? Do you know how strong I am?" Link replied, wrapping his arms around her slim waist.

Taylor gave him a sideways glance. "Don't be too cocky. Even someone as formidable as Tyson can be defeated. You should seriously consider what Katherine suggested—switching to singing. Maybe it's time to think about it."

Link shook his head. Giving up boxing was out of the question. At just 21, he was just getting started in the sport, and his goals were far from achieved. Retiring now would make all his past efforts pointless. Besides, becoming a singer was a side venture to boost his fame, not his main pursuit. He couldn't let his priorities get mixed up.

"Are you sure you're not coming to watch the match live? Today's match will be very exciting," Link asked Taylor, then glanced at Selena, who was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed and stuffing her mouth with food.

"No way! Boxing matches are so boring, they're over in a few minutes. It's better to watch from home," Selena said with her cheeks puffed out, munching on spicy chicken wings.

"Slow down, no one's fighting you for the food."

Mrs. Mandy brought a tray of food from the kitchen and placed it on the long table in the small living room. Katherine and Mrs. Andrea also brought various snacks, fruits, and drinks, filling the table to the brim.

They had decided not to attend the match live and instead stayed at home to watch the broadcast, preparing plenty of delicious food as if for a Christmas celebration.

Looking at all the tempting food, Link felt a bit reluctant to leave for the match. It was warm and lively at home, and there was so much good food.

But if he didn't go to the match, there wouldn't be much to watch.

"Well, if I leave, no one will be competing with you for the food. All of this will be mine," Selena said, eyeing the spread with a satisfied grin.

"Eat less, or you'll turn into a big fatty."

"Mind your own business!"

Selena rolled her eyes and pouted. "I practice dance every day; there's no way I'm getting fat. You should be more careful. The papers say you've been running around and not training, so your skills might have declined. Watch out or you might get turned into a punching bag."

Katherine, Mrs. Mandy, and the others also looked worried. They had heard that he had spent less time training for boxing recently, and they were concerned that his skills might suffer.

"Don't worry. No one can defeat me. Enjoy the food, and I'll be back soon," Link said, hugging Taylor and messing up Selena's hair in response to her protest before striding out of the room.

---

"Mr. Beck, I'm a reporter from the New York Post. I have a few questions for you."

At Madison Square Garden, as Link got out of his business car, a swarm of reporters surrounded him. There were about a hundred of them, holding microphones, cameras, and recording pens. Beyond the reporters, thousands of fans lined up at the entrance.

Several bodyguards formed a human barrier on either side of Link to protect him.

"Mr. Beck, do you have confidence in this match?"

"Mr. Beck, your debut rap song topped the rap charts. How do you feel about that?"

"Mr. Beck, you broke three world records at the collegiate sports event. Will you participate in the World Swimming Championships in July?"

Since Link had been in closed training and had not made any public appearances or given interviews recently, the reporters were eager to ask him questions and kept firing them nonstop.

Link glanced around. Among the crowd were reporters from several major media outlets. He stopped and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet. Due to time constraints, I can only answer five questions here. I will hold a press conference after the match to address all your questions."

"Mr. Beck, in the past 11 super middleweight matches, you finished all of them in under 101 seconds. Will you stick to the same strategy and aim to end this match in 100 seconds?" asked a reporter from USA Today, holding up a recording pen.

Link smiled slightly. In October of last year, during the WBA championship challenge, he had defeated Mikkel Kessler in 100.6 seconds. After the match, there was a lengthy debate in the media about whether 100.6 seconds counted as 100 seconds or 101 seconds.

The answer to this question was crucial in determining whether Link was seen as a "bragger" or not. If it was 100 seconds, he was not a bragger; if it exceeded 100 seconds, he was. The USA Today reporter clearly thought he was a bragger and was waiting to see if he would continue with his boastful claims.

"I set the 100-second goal to motivate myself when I was aiming for the WBA world championship. Now that I'm the WBA world champion, that goal has been achieved. Therefore, how long it takes to win the match is up to me," Link replied.

"Mr. Beck, you once claimed you could knock out all opponents in your weight class within a hundred seconds. Are you abandoning this plan because of a lack of training and a significant decline in your abilities?" The USA Today reporter wasn't satisfied with the previous answer and pressed on.

Link chuckled. "I don't want to use words to prove whether my skills have improved or declined. I just want to show you in the match. Watch it, and I'll deliver an exciting performance to answer your question."

"Mr. Beck!" A reporter from the New York Post squeezed in and said, "Congratulations on your new single topping the charts last week. That's an incredible achievement."

"Thank you!"

"During the third and fourth weeks after releasing your rap single, Kanye West and T.I. released new songs, and East Coast rappers like Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and 50 Cent united to promote their new tracks, making it hard for your song to stay at the top. The media interprets this as a continuation of the Grammy Awards conflict. They believe Kanye and others are trying to suppress you and have no intention of reconciling. What's your take on this?"

The New York Post reporter asked with a microphone.

Link thought MJ might come to watch the match and hesitated before saying, "I don't think it's an attempt to suppress me. Suppression is what the strong do to the weak, and both my song and I are strong. My fans are united, and I don't think anyone can suppress us or defeat us with such methods. The fact that 'I'm the One' topped the charts last week proves my point."

"Mr. Beck, after 'I'm the One' reached the top, many online comments suggested that the song only achieved this because of your eight gold medals from the sports event and the resulting surge in fame, not because of the song's quality. Do you agree with this view?" The New York Daily News reporters asked.

Link shook his head. "Such comments are laughable. Fans buy music not just because they like the song but because they like the artist—their voice, attitude, style, and story. These are valuable things. We can't say that Marilyn Monroe's necklace isn't a fine piece just because it was auctioned at a high price."

"Last question!" Simon reminded.

"Mr. Beck, you previously told the Miami Herald reporter that you set a demanding goal for yourself before each match. Do you have a demanding goal for this match?" asked a reporter from the American Press.

Link nodded. "Yes, Andre Dirrell is a strong opponent, and I plan to showcase my best abilities in this match, making it as spectacular as possible. That's my goal."

"Mr. Beck, will you participate in other sports events after the collegiate games?"

"Mr. Beck…"

As the reporters reluctantly shouted their final questions, Link waved goodbye and, escorted by his bodyguards, entered Madison Square Garden for the match.

(End of Chapter)