NOVEL WEB Chapter 18: A Target on His Back
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Chapter 18: A Target on His Back
The underground fight scene was ruthless. The moment you made a name for yourself, someone wanted to take it from you.
And after what Sammy did to Leon?
The sharks were circling.
Sammy stood in the old gym, drenched in sweat. His hands ached from drilling punches. His ribs were sore from clinch work.
Carlos stood in front of him, watching. "Again."
Sammy exhaled, reset his stance, and threw a crisp one-two. The heavy bag barely moved—because Carlos was holding it steady.
"Faster," Carlos said.
Sammy's knuckles cracked as he threw another combination. Jab. Cross. Hook. His shoulders burned, but he didn't stop.
Rick leaned against the ropes, watching. "Man, you've been at this for hours. You already won. Take a break."
Sammy ignored him and kept throwing punches.
Carlos smirked. "He gets it."
Rick groaned. "What do you mean 'he gets it'? He literally knocked out Golden Boy. He should be out there enjoying it."
Carlos shook his head. "Winning makes you a target. Right now, someone's watching that fight and figuring out how to beat him. If he doesn't improve, he's already lost."
Sammy didn't need to hear it. He already knew.
So he kept hitting the bag.
Meanwhile, across the city, in a dingy underground gym, a veteran fighter was reviewing Sammy's fight.
Marcus "The Wolf" Kane.
He wasn't a prospect. He wasn't a rising star. He was already established. A brutal striker with a reputation for ending fights fast.
And he wasn't happy about some newcomer getting attention.
He smirked as he watched the replay of Sammy's knockout. "Not bad."
A younger fighter beside him scoffed. "Golden Boy got careless."
Marcus chuckled. "They always do."
Then his expression hardened. "But this kid's got something. That kind of pressure? That's not luck."
The younger fighter shrugged. "So what? You worried?"
Marcus stared at the screen.
"No," he said. "I'm interested."
Then he made a call.
"I want Ghost for my next fight."
A few days later, Sammy, Carlos, and Rick sat in their usual spot at the diner. Sammy stirred his coffee, listening as Carlos read from his phone.
"Marcus Kane wants to fight you."
Rick nearly choked on his drink. "The Wolf? Are you kidding?"
Carlos shook his head. "It's legit. His team reached out. It's an underground event. No belts, no rankings. Just reputation."
Rick leaned forward. "Dude… This guy's a killer. He doesn't play around. His fights don't go the distance."
Sammy didn't react. "What's his style?"
Carlos scrolled. "Boxer. But not like Leon. Marcus fights like a brawler—heavy hands, aggressive footwork, no hesitation. He overwhelms guys early. They don't get a chance to recover."
Rick nodded. "And if you let him dictate the pace? You're dead."
Carlos set the phone down. "So? What do you think?"
Sammy took a sip of coffee.
"…We take the fight."
Rick groaned. "Bro, can you at least pretend to think about it?"
Carlos smiled. "It's a good fight. High risk, high reward. You win this, and you're no longer just a rising name. You're a serious contender."
Sammy didn't care about titles. He cared about getting better.
And beating Marcus?
That meant improvement.
That night, in a private gym, Marcus was hitting the pads. Fast. Precise. Brutal.
Each punch echoed through the room. His trainer held the mitts, absorbing the impact.
"Ghost accepted," the trainer said between punches.
Marcus smiled. "Good."
He fired a devastating liver shot, making his trainer wince.
"This won't be like Leon," Marcus said. "I don't let people set the pace."
Then he threw an uppercut that nearly knocked the mitt out of his trainer's hand.
"This kid's gonna learn the difference between a prospect and a predator."
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Sammy trained harder than ever.
Carlos drilled counters against pressure fighters. Pivoting, slipping, clinching when necessary.
Rick played the role of Marcus in sparring, charging forward relentlessly.
And Sammy adapted.
Every session, he got faster. Sharper. More efficient.
He wasn't just preparing for Marcus.
He was preparing for the entire underground scene.
Because after this fight?
There would be no more hiding.
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End of Chapter 18
Next up: Chapter 19 – The Wolf vs. The Ghost
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