Damon smiled faintly as the referee lifted his arm high. The crowd roared so loud it drowned out everything else. Cara flashes burst around the ring while the announcer's voice thundered through the speakers.
"THE RONINNNN… DAMON CROOOOSSSSS!"
The sound rolled across the arena like a wave. Fans stood, chanting his na, so screaming, so still in disbelief at how quickly it ended.
"Now that match was faster than anyone expected!" the comntator said over the replay. "Blake Cole has defeated multiple MMA fighters before, but he couldn't stop this one. Damon Cross made it look effortless tonight."
The referee held Damon's wrist a second longer before letting go. Damon stepped back, lowering his gloves as the cheers continued.
He gave a small nod to the crowd, acknowledging them without showboating, then turned to check again on Blake, who was sitting up now with the doctors beside him.
It was done. Damon had said everything he needed to say the mont his glove landed.
The interviewer stepped into the ring, weaving through the caras and crew as Damon stood beside Svetlana. She had already handed him a towel, and one of the team mbers was wiping sweat from his shoulders.
Damon looked calm, unbothered, while Svetlana stood quietly next to him, her hand resting lightly on his arm.
The interviewer raised the mic with a bright smile. "Damon Cross! Congratulations on your first boxing match, and not just any win, but a dominant one. You just defeated Blake Cole, who was undefeated coming into this. How does it feel?"
Damon nodded slowly, taking the mic from her hand. "Easy match. Honestly, it felt like a waste of ti. The guy couldn't even land a hit, so this win, and his undefeated streak, really an nothing. I'm disappointed by the lack of challenge I got."
The crowd reacted loudly, half cheering, half shocked. The interviewer blinked but kept her composure. "So, Damon, after this performance, everyone's wondering, who's next for you?"
He smirked slightly, resting the mic against his chin for a mont before answering. "Anyone can be next. I'm always ready. But I've got titles to defend first, so we'll see who steps up. I want sothing serious this ti, sothing that actually pushes . Until then, I'll be waiting."
The crowd erupted again, chanting his na as he handed the mic back. Damon wrapped an arm around Svetlana's shoulder, sharing a quiet glance with her before the caras closed in for one last shot of the night's undeniable victor.
...
The next thing ca with the usual whirlwind of dia obligations. Damon sat through the post-fight press conference, answering every question thrown his way with calm confidence.
Reporters pushed for headlines, asking about the knockout, the buildup, and Blake's comnts leading to the fight. Damon didn't hold back.
He answered with a smirk each ti, making sure to underline just how easy the match had been.
The room laughed, and even the reporters couldn't help smiling as Damon continued to paint Blake as a joke opponent, a man who had been all noise and no substance.
When the press duties finally ended, he left the arena with Victor, Joey, and Svetlana waiting for him in the back.
The tension of the past month was gone, replaced with relief and quiet satisfaction. Damon had done what he ca to do, and he made it look effortless.
Later that evening, he treated his entire team to a night out, covering the bill himself. He told them to eat, drink, and relax, they'd earned it.
Joey made sure everyone had a seat at the best restaurant in town, but Damon didn't stay long.
Instead, he went to another table, one set aside for family. Svetlana sat beside him, their daughter Ava babbling happily in her high chair.
Victor and Joey joined him, along with both Svetlana's mother and Damon's mom, Aoife. Ashley couldn't make it this ti, she was busy with her family which seed to be causing issues since the proposal, but she sent her congratulations through Joey.
The night wasn't loud or extravagant. It wasn't about celebrating the win itself. Damon didn't care about the headlines or the highlight reels.
What made him smile was knowing how much money the fight had brought in the highest single payday of his career.
....
While Damon was celebrating with husband family, Blake had other intentions.
Unknowingly to Damon or Joey who were not on social dia at the ti.
Blake posted a video
Blake's video went live less than two hours after the fight ended.
He sat in his ho gym, shirtless, a towel draped around his neck, still bruised but smirking at the cara.
The thumbnail read: "The TRUTH about Damon Cross, What REALLY Happened!" Within minutes, it was trending on every platform.
The video started with him leaning forward, shaking his head.
"Man, listen… first off, respect to Damon for showing up. He's a tough dude, I'll give him that. But y'all don't even know what really went down tonight. They don't want to say it, but I'm gonna say it anyway."
He leaned closer, tapping his finger on the table.
"I ca into that fight injured. My shoulder's been ssed up for weeks. My team told not to fight, but I didn't wanna let the fans down, so I said screw it, I'll go in there and give the people a show. You think I was at a hundred percent? Hell no. I couldn't even throw my right hand properly after the first round. But did anyone ntion that? Nope. They're just hyping him up like he's so boxing god."
He took a sip of water, sighed dramatically, then pointed at the screen.
"And don't even get started on that so-called 'knockout.' Watch the replay again. Go ahead, slow it down. He hit in the back of the head, bro! Illegal shot. Everyone knows it. But they let it slide because it's Damon Cross, the MMA golden boy. They protect that guy like he's untouchable. If I did that? They'd call it dirty fighting, they'd fine , maybe even suspend . But him? Nah, they call it 'precision' or so crap."
He leaned back, smirking.
"And I'm not the only one saying this, fighters know what I'm talking about. Dude's been looking way too big lately. Nobody puts on that kind of size in a few months naturally. You don't just co from MMA and suddenly look like a heavyweight boxer overnight. Co on, man. I've been around fighters my whole life, I know what I'm seeing."
He gestured vaguely to his own arms.
"I fight clean. Always have. Never needed anything to give an edge. But I can't say the sa about him. Everyone saw the veins, the size, the recovery ti, that ain't normal. I'm not accusing him, but…" he chuckled, "…people can draw their own conclusions."
He looked down for a mont, then back into the cara, switching to a more serious tone.
"And yeah, I know people are clowning for losing, but let's be real. If I was healthy, that fight would've gone different. Damon's good, I'll give him that, but he ain't great. He caught when I wasn't at my best, and even then, the shot wasn't clean. I'll run it back anyti, under fair conditions. I'll even fight him again in boxing, no problem. But next ti, he won't be fighting a half-injured version of ."
He paused, letting out a fake laugh.
"And by the way, all that talk about him being this 'honorable, respectful' fighter? Bro, he was talking trash backstage, saying stuff you wouldn't believe. I've got witnesses for that too. Y'all don't know the real Damon Cross, you just know the PR version. The caras make him look humble, but trust , off-cara he's a whole different guy."
He leaned in again, face close to the lens.
"So yeah, the fight's done, but this story isn't. I'm not gonna sit here and let everyone act like I got destroyed fair and square. Damon knows what he did. His team knows what they did. The truth always cos out."
He pointed to the cara one last ti.
"Enjoy your fake win, champ. I'll see you again soon, this ti when I'm healthy."
The video ended with his logo and a dramatic outro beat. Within minutes, the comnt section exploded.
All in all, it was a desperate attempt to gain sympathy and recover so of his lost pride.
And failing, it did.
No one bought it, not even the bots, not even his most loyal followers. The comnt sections across every platform were flooded with laughter and mockery. Clips of his excuses were turned into s, edited with slow-motion effects and clown music.
Fans called it "peak entertainnt," saying Blake had managed to lose twice, once in the ring, and once online.
Others joked that Damon didn't just end his boxing career, he ended his PR career too.
By the end of the night, Blake's own na was trending again, but for all the wrong reasons.
What was ant to be damage control had backfired spectacularly. His credibility crumbled, and Damon's image, instead of being questioned, only grew stronger.
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