Chapter 412: A Worthy Opponent
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Remember not to play tough with Taylor. Although you're also the world's top offensive boxer, and your punch is powerful, trust me, playing tough with Taylor is the stupidest thing in the world. Highfield told the world how to defeat Taylor. The only way we can win is to exhaust his energy. If you want to win, you must strictly execute the tactics we decided before," the coach kept telling Hopkins.
The referee signaled the two boxers to the center of the ring.
"Come on!" the coach patted Hopkins on his shoulder.
Hopkins walked to the center of the ring, as did Taylor.
The bell rang, and the fight between the two boxing champions finally began.
…
"Taylor has gone on the offensive. Nice combination! Wow! Brilliant defense! Hopkins's defense is impeccable!" the commentator said.
At the beginning, Taylor launched a fierce offense. The audience was overwhelmed by his combination punches together with his continuous evasion. If the opponent was just an ordinary boxer, he might have fallen down under the first offense.
It was the strategy set before the match, and also the one that Taylor used most frequently. No matter who his opponent was, he would go fiercely on the offensive at the beginning of the match. If the opponent immediately ready for the attack, the match was over before it even began.
Hopkins was in good form. He had a perfect figure and the best defense in the world. There were no defects in his footwork, evasion, or blocking.
Taylor missed the hit, but he didn't give up looking for a chance to strike. Using fierce offense in the first round was a typical tactic for Taylor. He could suppress his opponent's momentum and gain mental advantage, even if his opponent could withstand his attacks.
In fact, nobody believed that Hopkins could be defeated in the first round, because the two had almost no difference in strength. As the boxing champion of two boxing federations, Hopkins was definitely excellent at defending.
"Taylor's offense at the beginning of the game didn't seem to have any real goal other than to overwhelm his opponent in momentum," the commentator said.
"Exactly. Taylor obviously realized that. Look! He's starting to distance himself from Hopkins and try him with jabs. The first round is going to end. He clearly doesn't want to exert more energy," another commentator said.
The first round entered the countdown. Neither boxer in the ring both made very aggressive movements. When the bell rang at the end of the first round, the two returned to their own respective corners.
Hopkins's coach was beside him. "Taylor's offense was aggressive in the first round, as expected. According to his style, he could continue this offense for two or three rounds. Thus, in the next round, no direct contact with Taylor. Continue the strategy just now. Defend and deter..." The coach spoke very quickly, as if he was afraid of finishing his words during this short pause.
On the contrary, Ayres was calmer.
"Hopkins isn't an opponent you can easily beat. So, take it easy. You should be more patient and avoid mistakes. Just carry out the set strategy and wait. Wait for Hopkins to relax, and wait for him to be paralyzed..."
The pause was very short. The two boxers returned to the boxing ring after several breaths.
"The second round begins. Will Taylor continue his fierce offensive?"
"Taylor is still feeling him out. At his position, he now can't reach Hopkins at all. Taylor doesn't seem to be as aggressive as he was before. Maybe Hopkins put him under pressure."
"Taylor is advancing. Is he attacking? Just a feeler. Hopkins evaded in time. Taylor missed."
Round three.
"Taylor strikes again. Oh, Hopkins didn't evade this time. He struck back! Oh! They parted again. Maybe neither of them thought it was a good opportunity to attack."
...
The doctor gave Taylor a simple treatment for his eyes.
"Okay. This won't affect your sight, right?" the doctor asked.
"No problem," Taylor said in a low voice. He looked at Hopkins opposite. The pain from the corner of his eye made him angry.
You broke the corner of my eye unexpectedly. Few people have made me look bad for a long time! Taylor stared at Hopkins viciously.
Hopkins was not doing any better. One of his cheeks was swollen and painful when he spoke.
I was accidentally hit by Taylor. I shouldn't have been so aggressive. I thought Taylor wouldn't have a chance to respond to that punch. But I didn't expect his reaction to be so quick that he could punch back when he was hit!
Next to Hopkins, his coach started talking again. "In the next round, you can go more on the offensive. I don't think Taylor's strength will last long. After all, he is 32 years old. He will become more and more incompetent in this high-intensity match."
...
Round five.
It had been a long time since Taylor fought a fifth round.
Hopkins's figure began to shake in front of him, and Taylor suddenly became nervous.
"A deceptive movement! Hopkins begins his offense!"
Taylor's attention had never been more focused, and he hoped to find the defect in Hopkins's offense and deliver a critical strike. But for a boxing champion like Hopkins, even a defect was fleeting.
Whoosh! Hopkins punched but Taylor just evaded it to one side, making the motion look easy.
However, Hopkins's offense was just starting. As a representative of heavyweight boxing, Hopkins had no lack of offensive capability.
"It has begun! Finally, Hopkins begins his offense!" Ayres was still expressionless on the sidelines, but he heaved a long sigh of relief. So far, the script had not gone off course.
Finally, the fish begins to bite...
…
Despite his height of two meters, Hopkins was remarkably nimble.
"Nice punch! Almost! Even I didn't think Taylor could evade it."
"Hopkins turns to offense, while Taylor begins to defend. Their roles have completely reversed from the beginning of the match."
"After all, Taylor is 32 years old, and he isn't a physical boxer in the first place. Now, he might meet his physical bottleneck."
As the commentator spoke, Hopkins's offense became even more fierce.
Taylor's mind couldn't be calmer. He knew that the fiercer Hopkins's offense was, the bigger the possibility that he would make a mistake. His chance might come any second.
...
Hopkins evaded to one side, and he seemed to go after Taylor's flank.
That's a deceptive movement. Taylor already knew Hopkins's strategy.
But in the next moment, Taylor was facing two choices.
Evasion or offense? If I evade, Hopkins can't hit me. But if I attack, though I will be punched, I can cause him damage!
The idea flashed through Taylor's mind, and he chose the latter without hesitation: offense!
That was Taylor's boxing defense. Whether he was offending or defending, his strength was to advance, punch and hit his opponent.
Taylor moved fast and fought back. Meanwhile, Hopkins punched.
Taylor punched too!
Bang! Hopkins's punch landed on Taylor's left ear.
I hit it! Even before Hopkins had time to rejoice, his jaw wrenched sideways under Taylor's blow.
Oh, no! He hit my jaw! Hopkins's mind went blank and he stumbled to the ground.
...
Humming...
Taylor seemed to hear a swarm of bees around him. His sight blurred and his consciousness paused for a moment.
After Taylor shook his head, and his sight began to clear. But he could still hear the humming.
Hopkins's punch was really heavy. If Taylor was an ordinary boxer, he wouldn't have been able to stand up now. Even so, he felt a bit stunned.
However, Hopkins fell down to the ground.
"KO? Taylor KO'd Hopkins? What happened? I just saw Hopkins hit Taylor!"
"No, Taylor also hit Hopkins! Taylor punched Hopkins in the jaw. The two hurt each other and neither took any advantage!"
"But Hopkins fell down."
"Taylor seems to be wobbling."
The audience was overwhelmed, and they were all looking at Hopkins.
...
Blurry, everything was blurry before him.
Booming, everything was booming in his head.
Hopkins was lying on the ground with his eyes open, still breathing, but his eyes were empty as if he had lost his soul. Taylor's punch even made Hopkins forget the pain, and his consciousness was slipping.
"1, 2, 3..." The referee's count began, but it couldn't remove that humming sound from Hopkins's head.
"4, 5, 6..." The audience couldn't help but count with the referee. The counting sound became increasingly loud and orderly.
Finally, the humming in Hopkins's head quieted enough for him to hear the count.
Someone is counting! Finally, he moved. He wanted to stand up!
What drove him to his feet was not his mind, but the instinct of a boxer and the desire to win!
"Hopkins stood up!"
The thunder of applause and shouts of approval were all around. Everyone was shouting Hopkins's name.
Hopkins was becoming fully conscious again. He felt a bit dizzy. Although he was standing in the boxing ring, everything around him seemed to be spinning.
"Are you alright?" the referee asked. The noise was so loud that the referee almost shouted at Hopkins.
But Hopkins didn't answer. He just looked at Taylor on the opposite side of the ring. Taylor was breathing heavily, and his eyes were filled with blood, probably from a concussion.
Suddenly Hopkins felt that Taylor was just like a wounded beast.
Taylor's condition is bad too. I can't give up! I must win! Thinking of this, Hopkins nodded seriously. "I can still fight!"
...
Hopkins staggered to Taylor. Apparently, he had not recovered from the hit.
But Hopkins wasn't giving up. He was still insisting. He wanted to win.
He stood up! He stood up after my heavy punch! He is a worthy opponent! Taylor thought. The next second, he raised his fists.
Taylor knew that the best way to show his respect to a worthy opponent was to KO him in the boxing ring!