Journalists, after all, are professionals at one particular craft. When given enough material, they know exactly how to sharpen it into narrative, tension, and public pressure.

Once Aki begins pushing the story through Tokyo’s media circles, the machine starts moving frighteningly fast. Within less than forty-eight hours, articles begin surfacing not only in Japanese, but deliberately in English as well, specifically designed to circulate beyond domestic boxing communities.

Tokyo Sport International: "MIGUEL CABELLO SILENT AGAIN. Is The World Champion Avoiding Ryoma Takeda?"

Boxing Spirit Weekly (English Digital Edition): "THE CRUEL KING WAITS WHILE THE CHAMPION HIDES"

Nippon Fight News Global: "HE CALLED OUT RYOMA TAKEDA IN LAS VEGAS. So Why Did Miguel Cabello Go Silent After Becoming Champion?"

The articles themselves are even less subtle.

One column openly writes: "Ryoma Takeda has already accepted the risk publicly. Meanwhile, Miguel Cabello’s camp continues offering silence instead of confirmation. At some point, the boxing world must ask whether this delay is strategic negotiation. Or it’s simple avoidance."

Another article pushes harder:

"A champion who personally calls out an opponent in Las Vegas, only to disappear afterward, creates an ugly contradiction. Confidence inside the ring means little if negotiations collapse outside of it."

And then Tokyo Sport publishes the most inflammatory line of all:

"If Cabello truly believes Ryoma Takeda is beneath him, then signing the contract should be easy. Unless the concern is not Takeda’s ranking, but Takeda himself."

The narrative spreads quickly because controversy always travels faster than balance ever can. International boxing blogs begin reposting translated excerpts.

Small American boxing forums pick up the topic next. Then YouTube channels start discussing it with dramatic thumbnails and exaggerated titles.

And eventually, several days later, one of those newspapers arrives all the way in Malibu.

***

The morning sunlight spills warmly through the massive glass windows of a seaside villa overlooking the ocean.

The sound of waves rolls softly in the distance while Miguel Cabello steps inside from the pool area, a whiskey bottle at hand, still deep inside the luxurious post-championship phase he has fully allowed himself to enjoy, breathing in the chilly breeze of Pacific ocean.

For the first time in years, his body is relaxed. No weight cut this time, no roadwork, no coaches screaming combinations into his ears. There’s just him, alcohol, women, expensive scenery, and the satisfaction of finally becoming world champion.

As far as Cabello understands, his fight with Ryoma is already inevitable anyway. Jorge Rivera personally assured him negotiations would settle within two months after things cooled down. So until then, he sees no reason not to enjoy himself.

But the moment his eyes land on the front page lying across the center table, the entire mood shatters instantly.

"HE CALLED OUT RYOMA TAKEDA IN LAS VEGAS — SO WHY DID MIGUEL CABELLO GO SILENT AFTER BECOMING CHAMPION?"

The vein near his temple twitches immediately.

Slowly, Miguel reaches for the newspaper and begins reading the article beneath the headline.

With every line, the grip around the newspaper tightens harder. The paper itself begins trembling visibly under the pressure building inside his arm. His other hand slowly wraps tighter around the neck of the whiskey bottle resting beside him.

Then footsteps approach from behind. A woman wearing a black bikini enters the living room casually, pushing sunglasses up onto her head before noticing his expression.

"Ah, Miguel..." she says carefully. "Right, that newspaper. I was the one who left it there."

The woman hesitates briefly before continuing. "There’s this Japanese guy talking shit about you everywhere," she says by forcing an awkward laugh. "I figured you’d want to know."

Suddenly...

CRASH!!!

The whiskey bottle explodes violently against the glass table. The woman jumps backward, face draining pale as fragments scatter across the floor.

"M-Miguel..."

Cabello still doesn’t say a word. His chest rises heavily beneath the open shirt hanging loosely over his torso. His jaw tightens so hard the muscles near his neck visibly flex while heat burns across his face.

Without saying another word, he grabs his car keys and storms past her, heading straight outside.

"Miguel! Wait... where are you going?!"

He still doesn’t answer, simply climbs into the sports car, and jams the key into the ignition.

A moment later, the engine roars violently through the quiet Malibu morning before disappearing down the coastal road at reckless speed.

Inside the moving car, Miguel grabs his phone and makes a call.

The moment someone answers, he speaks coldly.

"Get me a flight back to Miami."

***

The same day, Miami.

A cool night breeze drifts across Jorge Rivera’s backyard while smoke rises slowly from the barbecue grill near the patio. Laughter mixes with the faint sound of music playing from inside the house as the small family gathering settles comfortably into the evening.

Jorge stands near the grill with a beer bottle in one hand while his younger brother steals a piece of meat straight from the tray.

"Hey, idiot, that one’s not done yet."

"It tastes done enough."

"You said that last time too, then spent the whole night destroying my bathroom."

Their wives laugh from the table nearby while Jorge’s two children chase their cousin around the yard with water guns.

"Dad! Uncle Marco cheated again!"

"I did not cheat," Marco protests immediately. "Your father just raised future sore losers."

"Runs in the blood," Jorge replies dryly while turning the meat over the fire.

The family gathering still feels warm and peaceful, at least until the WBO Lightweight Champion suddenly vaults over the low hedge bordering the backyard instead of using the front gate like a normal person.

The children immediately light up in excitement.

"Miguel!"

"It’s the World Champion Miguel!"

One of Jorge’s sons even waves both hands enthusiastically from near the yard.

But Rivera sees the tension instantly. Cabello’s expression is far too rigid. His shoulders are swollen with anger.

Rivera immediately steps away from the grill and walks straight toward him before the atmosphere can sour further. He places one hand firmly against Cabello’s chest, stopping him near the patio entrance.

"Hey," Rivera says carefully. "When did you get back from California?"

Cabello lowers his gaze toward the hand pressing against him. The gesture alone already tells him enough.

"You don’t look happy seeing me here," he says coldly. "Why?"

"My house is always open for you," Rivera replies. "But not when you storm in looking like this."

Cabello’s eyes sharpen immediately. "So you know."

Rivera exhales tiredly before nodding once. Cabello then glances briefly toward the barbecue behind him.

"And you’re having barbecue here? Looks fun. Should I join them? I could show your kids how to pull out a counter."

The sarcasm lands heavily. Eventually Rivera gestures him toward the house.

"Come inside."

He leads Cabello away from the backyard and into the living room, closing the sliding door behind them to separate the argument from the cheerful noise outside.

Rivera turns around, intending to speak first. But Cabello suddenly grabs his collar, and the world champion’s voice comes out rough and restrained, like anger squeezed through clenched teeth.

"How long do you plan to humiliate me like this? You told me you were giving him the fight. You told me to wait two months while you handled negotiations."

Cabello’s grip tightens harder. "And now the entire world is calling me a coward."

Rivera slowly removes Cabello’s hand from his collar. "Negotiations are still ongoing. There are still several deals that haven’t..."

"Negotiations my ass!" Cabello snaps, short, before he reins himself back. "Stop treating me like an idiot! I know you never even responded to their letters."

Rivera looks away for a moment before finally pulling himself free completely and sitting down heavily on the nearby chair.

"It’s not me refusing the fight," he says. "It’s Ramirez. He already made agreements with other promoters. They don’t want to give that kid the stage."

"What does Ramirez have to do with this?" Cabello snaps. "This is my fight, Rivera. My career. And now my pride is getting stomped on while the entire world laughs at me."

"Watch your mouth, Miguel," Rivera replies sharply now. "Don’t act like you forgot who Hugo Ramirez is. Without him, you wouldn’t be where you are today."

Cabello’s jaw tightens. "I know I owe him a lot. But I already paid those debts. Everything left now is respect. And I’m not humiliating myself just to preserve his."

Rivera leans back slowly. "So what exactly do you want to do? You think the fight magically happens without Ramirez? You send letters to the commission, then what? Who books the venue? Who organizes production? Who handles ticketing, broadcasting, staff, officials, sponsorships?"

"If Ramirez doesn’t want to host it, then I’ll do it myself," Cabello says immediately. "I have enough money. More than enough for..."

"Money alone isn’t enough," Rivera cuts him off. "Money doesn’t move by itself. If it were that easy, every rich boxer would become a successful promoter."

Cabello’s breathing grows heavier again. "But he can do it. Ryoma Takeda. He’s already hosted multiple events himself. And he only has some tiny gym way smaller than ours."

Rivera studies him quietly for a second, and then shakes his head. "What a joke... you may be older than him, but you’re not Ryoma Takeda. Yes, he can host his own fight. And that is exactly why Hugo Ramirez hates that kid."

Rivera pauses briefly before adding, "Or more accurately... he fears him."

The confusion that appears on Cabello’s face afterward is almost immediate, the confusion of someone who has spent his entire life understanding boxing only from inside the ropes.

To Cabello, fights are simple. You sign contracts. You train. You fight. Someone wins.

But now Rivera is speaking about promoters, influence, agreements, control over stages, fear of future business structures, and invisible power struggles happening entirely outside the ring.

And for perhaps the first time in years, Miguel Cabello suddenly realizes there are parts of professional boxing operating above his head that he does not fully understand at all.

But even after hearing all of that, Cabello still forces himself forward stubbornly.

"Then let him host it. If we can’t do it here, then I’ll fight him on his stage."

Rivera stares at him silently for several long seconds, searching his face carefully, as if trying to determine whether this is anger speaking or genuine resolve.

"Are you serious?" he asks. "Because if you go through with this, you’re not just fighting Ryoma Takeda anymore. You’re making an enemy out of Hugo Ramirez too."