NOVPUBThe match was about to begin.
On the boxing ring, Link and Deontay Wilder stood face to face. They had trained together during the 2008 Olympics in Huaxia and were old acquaintances.
Over the past few years, although they hadn't seen each other in person, they had seen each other's news in the media.
From 2008 to this year, Deontay had participated in 30 heavyweight boxing matches, all ending within 4 rounds, all by KO victory. In six matches, the referee had to stop the fights prematurely due to the severe injuries of the opponents.
From this point, it was clear that Deontay's punches were very heavy and his striking power was strong. Ordinary boxers couldn't last a round against him; those who made it to the fourth round ended up bruised and bloodied.
As a tall boxer, many people compared him to George Foreman.
In fact, he was stronger than Foreman.
George Foreman was a big man with height and reach, delivering heavy punches. However, his bulky physique, while it enhanced his ability to take hits, also made him slow, fighting like a heavy tiger tank. 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
This drawback led to his defeat by Ali in '74, by Jimmy Young in '78, and by Holyfield in '91.
Compared to George Foreman, Deontay was 201 cm tall and weighed only 224 pounds, lighter and more agile than many basketball players of the same height.
During fights, his speed was faster than the light heavyweight boxing king, with agile footwork. He knew how to use his height and reach to his advantage, landing long-range quick strikes. Once he hit his opponent, he would quickly retreat, making their counterattack miss, fighting like a nimble leopard tank with high mobility and powerful striking force.
In their prime, George Foreman vs. Deontay Wilder, the probability of Foreman losing was 60%.
Faced with such a formidable opponent as Deontay Wilder, Link had hesitated before the fight, pondering whether to confront him now. After the hesitation, he chose to attack. Even though Deontay was strong, Link didn't consider himself inferior in overall boxing quality. If he took the fight seriously, there was a great chance to defeat the opponent.
If he chose to evade now and developed a fear of the opponent, it would greatly affect his mentality and momentum in the match.
Since entering the boxing ring in 2008, Link had always faced difficulties head-on, growing stronger against the tough, winning battle after battle. He had long developed an indomitable spirit, which not only affected his performance in boxing, but also had a great impact in other areas such as music and movies.
If he chose to shrink back now, his fearlessness would turn into 'having fears,' which would severely affect his strength.
Hence, he chose to fight Deontay Wilder.
While studying his opponent's strengths, he also discovered his weaknesses, or rather his shortcomings.
Though Deontay had the advantage of height and reach, speed, and heavy punches unparalleled in the heavyweight class, his boxing technique was crude, his combination punches were poor, often hitting once and running away like an assassin, lacking the presence of a skilled boxer.
Moreover, because his offense was strong and he focused on enhancing his attacking skills during training, his defense was poor. When under attack, he preferred to evade rather than fight head-on.
Due to his crude technique and weaker defense, he couldn't control the pace of the match or understand tactics.
This was a common shortcoming among tall boxers; relying on their physical superiority, they became lazy in training, neglecting boxing techniques, not studying the tactics of the boxing ring, and not mastering the rhythm of the match.
Such boxers could easily deal with opponents weaker than themselves, but once faced with someone stronger and slightly better technically, they would be quickly defeated, lacking the quality of winning against the stronger.
And the most charming aspect of boxing was precisely the 'upset,' the underdog overcoming the strong.
Link remembered that before Deontay met Tyson Fury, he was undefeated. But after facing the taller and stronger Tyson Fury, he was KO'ed in two consecutive matches, followed by defeat to New Zealand boxer Joseph Parker and then KO'ed by Huaxia boxer Zhang Zhilei, never recovering after that.
Even though he knew his opponent's obvious weaknesses in boxing, Link would not underestimate him. He would only use those weaknesses to his advantage, aiming to win the match cleanly and beautifully.
"Hey, Link, choosing to fight me at this time is definitely an unwise decision," Deontay Wilder said with a smirk.
"I don't think so," Link replied.
"Heh heh, you'll change your mind soon," Deontay said, swinging his fists.
Ding ding ding!
The bell for the match rang, and the referee raised his arm, swinging it down forcefully.
"Boxing!"
The match began. Without waiting for Link to make a probing move, Deontay quickly launched a straight punch towards his face, coming from above with great speed and ferocity. Although Link swiftly dodged, his hair was grazed by the opponent's glove, narrowly missing his head.
"Wow!"
Seeing Deontay nearly land a hit on Link's head, the audience exclaimed in surprise, some startled, others feeling regret.
Missing his strike, Deontay immediately stepped back and assessed the situation.
Link raised his fists and approached Deontay, throwing a set of combination punches. Due to the height difference, to hit the opponent's head, he needed to get closer. And getting close to someone like Deontay, with his fast speed and powerful punches, was undoubtedly dangerous.
