The Boxing System: I Became the King of the Ring-Chapter 32: Tommy’s Trial by Fire

Tommy sat on the bench with his hands wrapped tight. Gloves rested heavy on his knees like weights. The gym was stuffy and the pressure from the occupants felt overwhelming.

His stomach churned as the smell hit him. Old leather, fresh tape, and nerves from twenty different fighters.

Javier sat beside him, hand on his back. The steady patting should have helped but didn’t.

Voices bounced off the walls from every direction. None of them were friendly.

Tommy’s mind raced through memories. Every 5 AM wake-up call. Every time he’d pictured himself in a real ring. Every punch he’d thrown at bags while dreaming of this exact moment.

Now he was here and wanted to puke.

"He’s had seventeen fights," Tommy said, voice barely working. "I’ve only had one."

"You’ve been training just as hard," Javier said. "You earned this spot."

Tommy stared at his gloves like they were foreign objects. "Don’t let them stop it unless I’m really hurt."

"I got you," Javier said. "Just do what Miguel taught us."

Danny squatted in front of him, speaking low. "Tommy, listen up. Keep your hands high. Kevin’s quick but he’s not perfect. Nobody is."

Voices rained down from the bleachers above.

"Brooklyn boys about to get schooled!"

"Kevin’s gonna eat this kid alive!"

"He will send them home crying!"

Kevin hopped through the ropes like he was late for dinner, not about to fight. Rolled his shoulders, bounced a few times. He looked at everyone except at Tommy.

Like Tommy wasn’t even worth noticing. That stung worse than getting punched.

************

The bell clanged loud.

Tommy rushed forward, throwing wild jabs with bad form. Kevin tilted his head slightly and every punch missed by inches. His counters snapped back immediately and smoothly.

Kevin moved like he was dancing while Tommy stomped after him. The speed difference made Tommy look amateur.

Sound crashed over everything. Danny shouting instructions. Ropes groaned when Tommy got pressed against them. Leather cracking against skin whenever Kevin found his mark.

"Stay calm!" Danny’s voice carried over the crowd. "Stop chasing him! Set your feet!"

Tommy ignored the advice and threw a desperate right cross with his whole body behind it. Kevin ducked under smooth and drove an uppercut deep into Tommy’s ribs. Air exploded from his lungs.

"That’s all you got, Brooklyn?" Kevin said, not even breathing hard.

Tommy tried to clinch but Kevin pushed him off easy. A quick three-punch combination rattled Tommy’s headgear. Jab, cross, hook. All clean.

The crowd started getting louder. They smelled blood.

Tommy loaded up for a huge haymaker that would have knocked Kevin out cold. Kevin saw it coming from a mile away, stepped aside smoothly, and whipped a straight left right into Tommy’s nose.

Blood started pouring down his face.

His thoughts scattered like broken glass. This guy’s on another level. My punches are too slow. Can’t read his moves at all.

Kevin sensed Tommy was hurt and switched from boxing to hunting. He stalked forward throwing sharp punches that all found their target. Jab to the forehead that snapped Tommy’s head back. Overhand right that missed his temple by nothing. Left hook that caught him perfectly on the jaw.

Tommy’s legs went rubber. He stumbled sideways into the ropes, vision swimming.

Kevin pressed his advantage. Body shot, head shot, body shot again. Tommy covered up desperate but the punches kept finding holes in his guard.

"Move your feet!" Danny screamed. "Get off the ropes!"

Tommy pushed off the ropes and tried to create distance. Kevin followed him like a shadow. Another combination landed clean. Tommy’s mouthpiece flew out and hit the canvas.

The referee stepped in to give Tommy his mouthpiece back. "Are you okay to continue?"

Tommy nodded but his eyes looked glazed. Blood covered his face and his breathing came in short gasps.

Kevin circled him patiently now, picking his shots carefully. He was in complete control and everyone knew it.

A hard right hand rocked Tommy’s head back. Then a left hook to the body that made him grunt loud. The crowd was going crazy.

Tommy threw one last desperate combination but his punches had nothing behind them. Kevin slipped both shots easy and came back with a perfect counter right that caught Tommy flush on the chin.

Tommy’s knees buckled. He grabbed onto Kevin’s shoulders to stay upright.

The bell rang just in time.

Tommy stumbled back to his corner and collapsed onto the stool. His legs shook like leaves. Danny was already there with ice and towels, working fast.

"Breathe through your nose," Danny said, tilting Tommy’s head back to stop the bleeding. "I need you to listen to me."

"Can’t catch him," Tommy gasped, blood still trickling. "He’s everywhere."

"You’re rushing every punch. Slow down. Plant your feet before you throw. And keep your damn hands up."

Danny pressed a cold towel against Tommy’s swollen eye. "Next round, don’t chase him. Make him come to you. Use your jab to keep your distance."

Tommy nodded but his stare was already distant. He looked like he was seeing the fight from underwater.

**************

The bell for round two rang and Kevin walked out like a predator who’d found wounded prey.

Tommy came out determined to show he belonged. He tried everything Danny had drilled into him over months of training. Hands high protecting his face. Feet moving in small steps to maintain balance. Breathing controlled through his nose.

None of it made any difference. Kevin was operating on a level Tommy couldn’t reach.

Kevin started with a lazy jab that Tommy blocked easy. Too easy. Then Kevin shifted his weight like he was going left. Tommy bought the fake completely and started moving to cut him off.

The right cross came screaming over Tommy’s lowered left hand. It caught him perfectly on the chin and his head snapped back violently. His legs turned to jelly immediately.

Time shifted into slow motion like someone had hit a switch in his brain. Tommy could see Kevin loading up the left hook. Could see it coming from a mile away. But his body wouldn’t respond to what his eyes were telling him.

His hands felt like they weighed fifty pounds each. His feet were glued to the canvas. He was helpless.

The hook exploded against his left temple with the force of a baseball bat.

Kevin smelled the finish and stepped in for the kill. He didn’t waste time showboating or stepping back to admire his work. This was business.

A short uppercut dug deep into Tommy’s solar plexus, folding him forward. Before Tommy could even process that pain, Kevin’s right hand crashed into his jaw. Then another left hook that Tommy’s brain didn’t even register.

Tommy’s guard completely collapsed. His arms hung limp at his sides like broken wings. The overhead lights got brighter and brighter until everything around the edges went pure white.

All sound vanished. The crowd, the corner shouts, even his own heartbeat disappeared into complete silence.

Tommy fell forward in what felt like slow motion. His face hit the canvas with a wet smack that echoed through the sudden quiet gym. His mouthpiece shot out and skittered across the ring like a hockey puck.

"One! Two! Three!"

The referee’s voice seemed to come from underwater. Danny was already climbing through the ropes before the count reached four. The gym’s medical team followed right behind.

This was it, he couldn’t stand up again. He had lost woefully.