NOVEL WEB Chapter 175: The Competition Begins
"Once you're up there, be careful. If you can't beat him, just throw in the towel. Don't let anyone mess up your face."
In the Yorkville apartment, Taylor straightened his suit as he spoke.
"Throw in the towel? Are you joking? Don't you know how good I am?"
Link said as he wrapped his arm around her slender waist.
Taylor rolled her eyes and replied, "Don't be too overconfident. Even someone as tough as Tyson can be defeated, and so can you. Catherine suggested before that you give up boxing and transition to becoming a singer. I think you should seriously consider it."
Link shook his head; giving up boxing was out of the question. He was only 21 years old, just starting his boxing career, with goals yet to be accomplished. Why would he retire now and waste all his previous efforts?
Moreover, becoming a singer was a side hustle he pursued to boost his fame, not his main ambition. He knew he shouldn't put the cart before the horse.
"Are you sure you don't want to come to the match? Today's fight is going to be really exciting."
Link looked at Taylor and then over at Selena, who sat on the couch, legs crossed, continuously stuffing her face with snacks.
"No way! Boxing is so boring. The fights only last a few minutes, better to watch it at home."
Selena spoke as she nibbled on spicy chicken wings, her cheeks bulging.
"Eat slower, no one's competing with you," Mandy said, as she carried a platter out of the kitchen and placed it on the long table in the small living room.
Catherine and Mrs. Andrea followed suit, bringing various pastries, fruit, snacks, and cold drinks, filling the table to the brim.
They had all agreed not to go to the match but to stay home and watch the live broadcast instead, preparing lots of delicious food as if it were Christmas.
But seeing all the food made Link somewhat reluctant to leave for the match. The house was lively with people and filled with tasty treats.
Yet, if he didn't go to the fight, there wouldn't be anything for everyone to watch.
"Right, if Link leaves, no one will compete with me for the food. It's all mine then," Selena said, her plump little round face beaming with happiness and satisfaction as she looked at all the delicious food on the table.
"Eat less, or you'll turn into a big fat girl."
"Mind your own business!" Selena retorted with a roll of her eyes, pouting her shiny lips. "I dance every day, how could I get fat? You're the one who needs to be careful. The papers are all saying you've been running around and haven't had time to train. Your strength has declined drastically. Be careful you don't get turned into a pig's head."
Catherine and Mrs. Mandy looked at him with concern. He had indeed spent much less time on boxing training in the past six months. They heard that a boxer's strength could decline significantly if they slacked off in training, which was worrying.
"Don't worry, no one can defeat me. Take your time eating, I'll be right back," Link reassured them.
He hugged Taylor and ruffled Selena's hair, ignoring her protests as he strode out of the room.
—
Enjoy exclusive adventures from empire
"Mr. Link Baker, I'm a reporter from the New York Post. I have a few questions to interview you about," a reporter said as Link stepped out of the business van in front of Madison Square Garden, where a huge throng of reporters circled around him. There were about a couple of hundred people with microphones, cameras, and recorders. Beyond them were thousands of spectators lining up at the entrance.
A few bodyguards saw the reporters approaching and formed a human wall on either side of Link.
"Mr. Baker, how confident are you about this match?"
"Mr. Baker, your first rap song reached number one in the rap category, what are your feelings about this?"
"Mr. Baker, you broke three world records at the Collegiate Athletic Meet. Will you continue to compete in the World Swimming Championships in July?"
As Link had been in closed training and had not made any public appearances or accepted media interviews during this period, reporters now had many questions for him. As soon as they saw him, they bombarded him with questions.
Link glanced at the crowd and noticed several reporters from major media outlets. He stopped and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, please be quiet. Due to time constraints, I can only answer five questions here. For any other questions, I will hold a press conference after the match and address your concerns."
"Mr. Baker, in your past 11 super middleweight bouts, you've ended all fights within 101 seconds. In this upcoming match, do you still plan to stick to your original tactic and finish the fight in 100 seconds?"
A journalist from USA Today asked while holding a recording pen.
Link couldn't help but smile. In the WBA championship challenge match last October, he had defeated Mikkel Kessler in 100.6 seconds.
After the match, the media had a long discussion over whether '100.6 seconds' belonged to 100 or 101 seconds.
This answer was crucial to whether Link was a 'talker' or not. If it was 100 seconds, then he wasn't a talker. If it was more than 100 seconds, then he would be considered a talker. The USA Today journalist clearly thought he was a talker and was waiting for him to continue talking big.
Link said, "I set the 100-second goal initially to motivate myself to win the WBA World Championship. Now that I have achieved that and become the WBA World Champion, I can freely arrange how much time I want to take to win a match."
"Mr. Baker, you once said you could knock out any opponent in your category within one hundred seconds. Are you giving up this plan because you have been neglecting your training, and your strength has seriously declined, making it impossible to achieve your original goal?"
The USA Today reporter, not satisfied with the answer, insisted on following up.
Link smiled and replied, "Sir, I don't want to use words to explain if my strength has increased or decreased. I just want to tell you to watch the match. I will answer this question with a spectacular performance."
"Mr. Baker!"
A journalist from the New York Post pushed forward and said, "Congratulations on your new single reaching number one on the rap charts last week. That's an outstanding achievement."
"Thank you!"
"In the third and fourth weeks after the release of your rap single, Kanye West and T.I. released new songs. Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and other East Coast rappers jointly promoted their new music, preventing your song from topping the rap charts. The media interprets their actions as a continuation of the Grammy conflicts.
Kanye and others are also promoting new singles to suppress you without any intention of reconciling. As the person involved, how do you view this interpretation?"
The journalist from the New York Post asked while holding a microphone.
Link, thinking that MJ might come to watch the match, hesitated before saying, "I never thought of it as suppression. Suppression is a form of bullying by the powerful against the weak. Both my single and I are strong, and my fans are united. I don't believe anyone can suppress us, nor do I think anyone can defeat us this way.
Last week, 'I'm the One' reached number one on the rap charts, proving that my statement is entirely accurate."
"Mr. Baker, after 'I'm the One' topped the rap charts last week, we've seen many comments online claiming that the song hit number one not because it's of good quality but because you gained fame from winning eight gold medals at the athletic meet. Do you agree with this viewpoint?"
Reporters from the New York Daily News asked.
Link shook his head, "That's a ridiculous comment. Fans don't just pay for a song they like; they also pay because they like the artist, the artist's voice, attitude, style, story, and all of that has value. We should not consider Marilyn Monroe's necklace, which sold for a high price at Christie's, as anything less than a beautifully crafted piece of jewelry because of its association with her."
"Last question!" Simon reminded.
"Mr. Baker, you once told the Miami Herald that you set yourself a tough goal before each match. Have you set yourself a difficult goal before this fight?"
A journalist from American Express asked.
Link nodded and said, "Yes, Ande has excellent capabilities and is a formidable opponent. So, when competing against him, I will show even greater strength and make the match fascinating, to present a classic—but that's my goal."
"Mr. Baker, after the Collegiate Athletic Meet, will you continue to participate in other sports events?"
"Mr. Baker...."
Amidst the reluctant shouts of the journalists, Link waved his hand and entered the Garden Arena for the match, escorted by bodyguards.