Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion Chapter 647 - 467: Preparing for the Boxing Match
Bang Bang Bang!
With the arrival of October, the WBA-WBC Light Heavyweight Boxing Championship was about to begin.
Currently, the promotional team had already headed to Seoul to carry out pre-match promotional activities, and after a few days of rest, Link returned to training at Muscle Beach Gym.
In the private training area, Link clad in a sporty t-shirt, continuously punched the heavy bag with his fists wrapped in white protective bandages, his muscular fra flexing and contracting under his tee.
As he moved, his muscles gradually swelled, and the sweat oozing from his body soaked through his shirt.
Morales wandered around his training area during his session, seemingly having sothing to say.
Wobbling around, it seed a bit annoying.
"Mario, you wanted to talk?"
Link paused, grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off his body.
"Link, you know I haven't been around the gym lately, guess where I went?"
Morales flashed a white smile and winked.
"Chasing girls?"
"Of course not, my relationship with Debbie is stable, why would I go after other won, I'm not that kind of scum... alright, I went to Hopkins' training camp, Hoyle sent , and told I couldn't refuse. Guess what Hoyle wanted to do?"
"He wanted you to help Hopkins train?"
"Exactly, and to imitate your fighting style, your punching techniques, your frequent combination punches, footwork, and tactics for attacking high and low, everything was to be mimicked by .
I said I couldn't do it, nobody could match your speed and punching power, but they wanted to demonstrate as much as I could.
Hoyle even brought in three boxers similar to your style, to spar with Hopkins, and we trained with him for half a month, watching your fight videos intensively as if conducting research, it was extrely serious.
Originally, Hoyle didn't want to tell you, but after thinking it over, I figured it's better to let you know. I sense Hoyle is serious this ti, he really wants Hopkins to beat you, you better be careful,"
Morales said.
Link nodded; studying the opponent's techniques and weaknesses before a match was basic howork for a boxer.
Since his amateur matches, he and his coaching team would always analyze the opponent's data before a fight, finding the quickest way to win, which was one of the reasons the coaching team existed.
Before his last match with Clinton Woods, he studied the opponent's techniques and weaknesses, and had also been studying Hopkins recently.
Hearing that Hopkins was also studying him, even going as far as to bring in Morales and others for specialized training, didn't surprise him or seem problematic.
There had even been rumors that Hopkins had gone to a Cuban boxing camp for special training to face him.
Link felt that both Hoyle and Hopkins were being too tense, which was not the right mindset.
From a promotional perspective, such rumors also added to Hopkins' hype, attempting to level the 'power' balance with him and piquing fans' curiosity: Would Hopkins' efforts be effective? Who would win between the two?
Curiosity led to greater attention and could bring in more PPV revenue.
Actually, Link didn't mind the dia circulating more rumors, including the 'iron-blood' approach, trading blows for blows, or using a honey trap on him.
In fact, these were also thods of promoting a boxing match, marketing gimmicks released by the promotion company and betting companies to provide the dia with material for stories, increase the topic's heat, and give fans sothing new to talk about.
In short, hype.
Link didn't know whether Hoyle asking Morales to help train Hopkins was for creating buzz or truly an attempt to beat him with this thod.
Whichever thod it was, he didn't care. As long as he was strong enough, he needn't worry about others' sches.
"Mario, why are you here not training?"
As they were talking, Hoyle walked in with a frown and glared at Morales.
"I told Link about helping Hopkins train. I think what you're doing is useless, Hopkins is too old, even if he were twenty years younger, he wouldn't be a match for Link. If I were you, I would tell Hopkins to give up the Golden Belt and leave Light Heavyweight for Link to dominate. After all, in a couple of years he'll move up to Cruiserweight and Heavyweight, there's no sense in stubbornly holding on like this,"
Morales said.
"Stop the nonsense, get out, and don't disturb Link's training."
Hoyle, with a stern face, pointed towards the door.
Morales shrugged his shoulders and walked away.
Hoyle shook his head and said to Link, "Mario made a good point. You are so strong; Bernard is no match for you. I even tried to convince Bernard to give up the Golden Belt, but he refused and insisted on fighting you. He's overestimating himself. Link, I congratulate you in advance. You'll win and beco the new sovereign of the light heavyweight and heavyweight divisions."
Link glanced at him. If Hopkins hadn't been a boxer under Gold Boy Promotions, he might have believed Hoyle's words.
Now, Gold Boy Promotions had also invested a lot of promotional funds in this match.
For boxers, the match is a competition.
For both agencies, it's a bet of capital; if Hopkins won, not only would Gold Boy Promotions receive seventy percent of the inco from the ga, but their influence in the boxing world would also rise to a new level.
After leaving the boxing world, Hoyle gradually beca a businessman, focusing more on profits.
His words naturally couldn't be completely trusted.
"Hoyle, has the prize money been determined yet? I haven't received any ssage from Franco,"
Link, not wanting to waste ti on small talk, turned to the matter at hand.
"Yes, the prize money is 80 million US dollars; you and Bernard will split it sixty to forty. The winner takes the larger share, of course. You're a world-class superstar, you'll also get a cut of the regional PPV earnings, ticket revenues, and rchandising... Link, if you win this fight, it's very possible that your earnings will exceed one hundred million US dollars."
At first, Hoyle could keep his calm while talking about the prize money, but then he realized that if Link easily won the match, he would not only beco the champion of the two major organizations in the light heavyweight category but also earn over a hundred million US dollars.
That was extravagant.
Earning a hundred million US dollars from one match was more than he made at the peak of his career, whereas Link was only 22 years old.
Hoyle clenched his molars and felt a surge of intense envy.
"A hundred million US dollars? Not bad."
Link nodded.
A hundred million sounded like a lot, but it was nothing compared to the prize Mayweather and Pacquiao received for their 'Fight of the Century'. He had a goal to one day participate in a bout that would generate over a billion US dollars in total revenue, setting a new record that The Descendants could not reach.
"Just 'not bad'?"
Hoyle frowned, displeased with his indifferent tone.
"Yes, considering the factor of inflation, a hundred million in today's money is equivalent to thirty to forty million in the nineties. It's a decline. I hope the prize for the next fight could reach two hundred million."
"Two hundred million?"
Hoyle didn't think Link could achieve that. The current highest prize money record was set last year by Link in Las Vegas, achieving seventy-two million in one match, a feat that shocked the boxing world.
The possibility of Link earning a hundred million this match would set a new historical record, a difficult one to replicate. To break this record, achieving two hundred million in single-match prize money would require the inflation rate to double from its current basis.
However, considering that Link had been setting new records since his debut,
Now arguing would easily get him embarrassed.
Hoyle laughed, "Go for it, Link. Maybe you are on the verge of creating a miracle."
"I will."
Link nodded, returned to the punching bag and resud his vigorous training.
Seeing his expression, Hoyle felt very helpless, unable to comprehend what drove Link to train so hard every day.
In the boxing world, many boxers inevitably beco lax after becoming famous and earning money, relaxing their training and indulging in luxury; this included Tyson, Roy Jones, Mayweather, and even himself.
Yet, now Link, worth billions, ranked first in strength, popularity, and earnings in the boxing world, more successful than anyone else.
Still, he maintained his training regi without any slack.
Such perseverance and self-discipline were monstrous.
'If I had had such determination back in the day...'
Hoyle sighed quietly to himself and solemnly left the training area, leaving Link to train alone.
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