Very quickly, the match began!
The two big and strong boxers exchanged blows, which visually looked impressive. Each punch was backed with strength and accompanied by sounds of snapping wind which instilled fear into the crowd.
Bang, bang, bang!
With each solid hit, muffled sounds could be heard.
“That’s too much violence.” Xiao Feifei and the others could not bear to watch.
“Roar! Get him!”
“Don’t just defend. Counter, counter!”
“Nice punch, continue!”
The foreigners instead, were getting riled up as they watched, cheering madly.
“They’re extremely particular about their diet. Their constant training allowed them to develop all those muscles. Their endurance is excellent too and they can take multiple hits. Moreover, their punches were trained hundreds and thousands of times. Each punch was executed meticulously!” Lu Chao analyzed for Xu Nan, flexing his sense of superiority in front of her.
“This round, the left corner should be the victor. The right corner lost his advantage right from the start and is being suppressed all the while. The left corner is instead gaining momentum. Furthermore, his punching speed and power are well polished through practice. He’s a tough one!”
As expected, soon after he finished speaking, the left corner claimed victory after flooring his opponent with a well-placed hook!
An uproar of cheers broke out immediately.
Following that, the second match, third match…
“What do you think? How does this compare to the so-called Chinese Kungfu?” Lu Chao asked Xu Nan.
Xu Nan pursed her lips, giving no reply.
An average person’s understanding of Chinese Kungfu was limited to TV screens. Although they look awesome, it was obviously faked.
Now that she witnessed the foreign art of boxing personally, it did carry a bigger impact.
“Hehe, you’re in luck today. There’s another round later,” Lu Chao said meaningfully and laughed.
“Another round?”
“Muhammad Ali had always been interested in Chinese Kungfu. He’s taking part personally as he received an invitation recently.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “It’ll serve to help you see the gap between Chinese Kungfu and boxing!”
Xu Nan immediately snapped to attention. ‘Did someone issue a challenge to Ali?’
Following the end of the last match, the emcee did not end it there but instead waited quietly in the ring.
Thud, thud, thud…
A resounding sound accompanied each step. The sound carried an indescribable strength and presence, causing everyone’s heart in the hall to pump wildly.
Ali followed the steps into the ring.
He looked like a human-shaped monster, sending tremors throughout the ring.
“F*ck! Ali got on the stage?!”
“What’s he doing? Is he participating?”
“Ahhhh, Ali’s finally boxing again? Oh no, I’m getting too excited. I need to calm down.”
After a brief silence, everyone boiled over with passion and stood straight up.
“Ali, Ali, Ali…”
Everyone chanted along, as though on a religious pilgrimage. Their echoes filled the hall.
Ali stood in the center of the ring. He raised his hands slightly, causing all the noise to quiet down as the crowd focused on him quietly.
“I came to China in hopes to promote boxing, to help all Chinese to appreciate the strength and allure of boxing!” Ali said with a deep hoarse voice. “However, when I arrived here, I heard about Chinese Kungfu! Over here, everyone worships that so-called Kungfu!”
“Although I’ve heard rumors of Chinese Kungfu, I’ve never had the chance to witness it for myself. As for those so-called martial artists that I met, they were weak. My disappointment with Chinese Kungfu had since grown. I can’t help but ask, is Kungfu in China real?”
“If there were Kungfu, how does it fare against boxing?”
The hall was quiet, everyone listening intently.
The more they listened, the darker Li Tai and the company’s faces grew. They could barely make out Ali’s intention.
However, Ali continued with a resounding voice, “I’ve finally found the answer. Chinese Kungfu is inferior to boxing!”
“Chinese Kungfu is inferior to boxing!”
“Chinese Kungfu is inferior to boxing!”
“Chinese Kungfu is inferior to boxing!”
…
All the foreigners ignited in cheers, screaming at the top of their lungs. Their voices grew with each passing wave. Some Chinese people were also shouting along with flushed faces, including Lu Chao.
The remaining Chinese in the audience felt helpless and indignant.
“Damn it. That’s going overboard!” Li Jing held a firm fist, his eyes showed signs of the humiliation he felt.
“A group of foreign monkeys are trying to lord around here in China? Morons!” the martial arts stuntmen added disgruntledly.
They had learned Chinese Kungfu and had a natural reverence towards it. It was a kind of heritage. Nonetheless, that heritage was being mocked by foreigners. They did not take well to that!
“Boxing is the best!” Ali’s expression was fierce. He smiled viciously, then waved at one of the boxing instructors.
That boxing instructor was the one that had the best performance earlier. He quickly got on the ring.
Ali’s face darkened, then made a full forced punch in a frenzy!
Bang!
Even though the instructor defended himself, he was still sent flying out of the ring by the forceful blow!
“Chinese Kungfu? It’s no match for my fist!” Ali raised his hand high. With the roaring cheers and screams from below the ring, he looked like a king.
“There’s a Chinese director that wants me to take part in his movie, to showcase Chinese Kungfu, to show that our boxing is no match for Chinese Kungfu. Is that possible?”
“Impossible!”
“Impossible!”
All the foreigners puffed up, screaming their unacceptance.
“Right now, if you can impress me with the strength of Chinese Kungfu, I’ll agree to shoot your movie!” Ali’s gaze fell upon Li Tai, mocking at him. “Do you dare to come into the ring now?”
At that moment, the entire hall had their eyes focused on Li Tai’s direction. When the foreigners saw the Chinese in their small frames, they had a look of condescension on their faces, booing the Chinese party.
Ali raised his hand, provocatively signaling for them to approach, “Come in the ring.”
Li Jing’s expression was dark. His breathing became heavy, staring Ali dead in the eye. After a deep break, he walked onto the ring!
“Chinese Kungfu has been passed down for thousands of years. Even your country had many that were taught a lesson by Chinese Kungfu. Although it rarely shows itself to the world, it is not something you can mock as you like!” said Li Jing coldly.
“You know Chinese Kungfu, don’t you? Come, let us have a look,” Ali sneered.
“Hmph, Ali called us here just to find a chance to humiliate Chinese Kungfu!” Li Tai harrumphed in a hoarse voice, an extremely ugly expression painted across his face.
Although there were few Chinese people under the ring, they still unwittingly gripped their fists tightly.
“That’s Li Jing right? I hear that he grew up in the Shaolin Temple and knows real Kungfu.”
“Will Li Jing be a match for Ali? This is vexing!”
“Chinese Kungfu is the best. We must show those foreigners who’s boss!”
…