boxer to hollywood

Chapter 6: Come, the Boxing World Needs You

After leaving the boxing bar, James burst out laughing on the street. He had just bet two dollars on Link and earned twenty dollars.

In the second round, the odds on Link dropped to 1:2, but James continued to bet on him, turning his twenty dollars into forty. Daniel did the same.

However, Link was the one who made the most money. The base prize for tonight's competition was $1,000, and with eight people competing, the prize pool reached $1,800.

It took him less than half an hour to earn $1,800. Although it wasn't comparable to Tyson's 90 seconds for $2 million or Mayweather's 36 minutes for $250 million, it was a good start.

"Hey, Mr. Link Baker, please wait!"

Hearing someone call out, Link stopped his motorcycle and turned around to see a thin old man in a baseball jersey getting out of a car. The old man was Latino, short, with gaunt cheeks and a few age spots on his cheekbones, but his face was kind.

Despite his age, the old man was energetic and spoke in a loud voice.

Behind him was a chubby man, Mario, who had been knocked down by Link in the ring. Seeing Link, Mario grunted and turned his face away.

"Mr. Baker, can we talk? My name is West Corian, and I'm the coach of West Boxing Club."

West Corian handed over a business card.

Link took the card, looked at it, and said hello.

"Link, where do you train? Who's your coach? Maybe I know him."

West asked.

"I don't have a coach at the moment. I practice at home."

"Haha, bullshit. You can train like that by yourself? You mean those of us who come out of boxing gyms are all trash?"

Mario rolled his eyes.

James chuckled, "I can testify that Link just practices casually, skipping rope and doing sit-ups. He's never been to a boxing gym, never been in a ring. Today was his first time. If Link can beat you in his first time, you're really a bit..."

Mario's face fell, and he closed his mouth, not saying another word.

West Corian's face became even more eager, "Link, you have such great talent, it would be a pity not to box. I'd like to invite you to my gym to train. What do you think?"

Link saw that the address on the business card was also in Palm Beach County, not far from Outer Beach. It wouldn't be bad to train there.

"Coach West, how much does your boxing gym charge?"

"Two thousand dollars a month, equipment and food are extra, paid on time at the beginning of each month, no late payments."

Mario snorted.

"No, no, no money, not a penny."

Coach West pushed Mario away and said, "As long as you come, everything is free."

"What are you saying?!" Mario's eyes widened, "You said I had good potential and had to pay a thousand a month. Why doesn't he have to pay a cent?"

"Shut up!"

Coach West glared at him and smiled at Link, "What do you think?"

"Sounds good. I'll come to your gym tomorrow to have a look."

"Great, I'll be at the gym all day tomorrow. You can come anytime. I'll be waiting for you."

Coach West grabbed Link's hand and shook it vigorously, his attitude very enthusiastic.

Link and his two friends were rushing to a party, so they said goodbye and rode away.

Mario's dissatisfied voice rang out again.

"Why? Why is it free for him and not for me, West? This isn't fair."

"Stop complaining. He's a genius. He can beat you, someone who's been boxing for three years, just by practicing on his own. He deserves special treatment."

"Genius? Hmph, when he comes to the gym tomorrow, I'll beat him to a pulp and let you know who the real genius is."

Mario said, clenching his fists.

West shook his head, opened the car door, and said, "If Link is willing to join the gym, you'll be his sparring partner from now on."

"What?!"

Mario's eyes widened, looking at West in disbelief. Back in the day, when he joined the gym, he became the gym's pillar. He was West's own son, and all the other boxers were his sparring partners. Now Link was here, and he was the sparring partner?

Is this life? Is it this cruel?

"That's right. Link is very strong. His speed and power are at the level of a professional boxer. Being his sparring partner will help you improve faster. Don't forget, champion John Ruiz was a sparring partner for Lewis, champion McCall was a sparring partner for Tyson, and champion Larry Holmes was a sparring partner for Ali. Being his sparring partner is not belittling you, but valuing and cultivating you."

"Hmph, why not let him be my sparring partner?"

Mario complained.

West glanced at him and said faintly, "Link's punches are quite heavy. You probably can't handle them. Maybe I should consider finding a stronger sparring partner for him."

Mario opened his mouth. Alright, I don't even have the qualifications to be his sparring partner.

---

Link, James, and Daniel went to the Pink Lover Bar to attend the second anniversary celebration of the surfboard shop. A group of people drank, picked up girls, and smoked weed, having a great time.

Link didn't want to harm his body and refused drugs, alcohol, and junk food. He felt a bit out of place at the party and went home early to sleep before 9 pm.

Ding dong! As soon as he lay down on the bed, he received an MSN message from Taylor, who he had just added.

"Are you asleep?"

"No, just got back from the bar."

Link talked about the anniversary celebration at the surfboard shop next door, and Taylor talked about the rehearsals at the Hard Rock Stadium, saying that the rehearsals were tiring, even more tedious than the actual performance, but the thought of being able to sing on stage made her happy.

Link smiled. He had the same feeling in the boxing ring.

The next day, he got up early and continued running on the beachside road. At around 9 am, Taylor waved at a middle-aged woman on the beachside road and walked over from the sandbar with a wooden guitar on her back.

Today, she was wearing a white sundress with a light blue belt, her tall and slender figure budding. Her hair was tied in a fluffy ponytail, swaying as she walked. When she saw him at the door, she smiled and waved.

"Link, are you waiting for me here?"

"Yes, I guessed you would come at this time."

Link smiled.

Taylor smiled and began to teach him how to play the guitar.

The two sat on a blanket, facing the sea, one patiently teaching, the other gritting his teeth and learning. Both were serious, but progress was slow. At first, Taylor could tolerate his mistakes, but later, she couldn't hold back anymore and punched him on the shoulder.

"Wow, so sweet. Are they dating?"

Daniel from the hot dog shop came over, licking an ice cream cone.

James looked up from his Playboy magazine, glanced at the man and woman on the beach, and said with a smirk, "No, they're just having a guitar lesson."

"Doesn't look like it. Taylor is almost leaning into Link's arms. Could it be a teacher-student romance?"

The two looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Link didn't have time to pay attention to the teasing behind him. His attention was all on the six strings of the guitar, and he had to deal with Taylor to avoid being criticized.

After practicing for two or three hours, he roughly understood the difference between the six strings and the positions of the CDEFGAB notes, but he was still a long way from playing a complete song.

During the practice, he noticed something strange. Taylor seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally getting close to him, making some intimate contact with him. This made him a bit embarrassed, not knowing whether to accept Taylor or not.

Taylor was beautiful and a big star. Having her as a girlfriend should be pretty good.

But Taylor had a rich dating history after becoming famous, with enough ex-boyfriends to form a soccer team. Calling her a "player" wouldn't be an exaggeration.

Link didn't think he could compete with her in this aspect, so he tried to be careful when interacting with her.

In the afternoon, Taylor's mother, Andrea, came to pick her up for rehearsal. When she saw Link, she gave him a deep look that made his scalp tingle. He felt that dealing with these women was more difficult than winning a championship in a cage fight.

After seeing Taylor off, Link also rode his motorcycle to West Boxing Club to have a look.

(End of Chapter)