"Charity match? You are so whimsical! But this is indeed a good idea. Boxing is indeed very suitable for charity matches. Using this as the opening ceremony is better than just setting up a stage and cutting the ribbon. It’s more attractive. But Chagayev is a heavyweight boxing champion after all. He can earn millions of dollars in appearance fees for any fight. If it is turned into a charity match, he won’t make a penny. He has to donate money out of his own pocket, so would he still be willing to come?" He Yiming asked doubtfully.
"It would be best if he doesn't come. I don't want to fight him yet!" Zhang Guan continued: "Let's ask Chagayev for his opinion first. Doesn't he want to see the butterfly step? You can't be a wolf with nothing! Is it possible that when he makes a phone call and touches his upper lip to his lower lip, I have to go through the trouble with him? If you want to gain something, you have to pay for it!"
…
Chagayev walked out of the training room and saw his agent waiting for him outside the door.
"Ruslan (Chagayev), Zhang Guan's agent has given me a reply." A very unhappy expression appeared on the agent's face.
"What's wrong? You look unhappy. Is it because they made excuses to refuse again?" Chagayev asked.
"No, they put forward additional conditions." The agent continued: "Zhang Guan has set up a charity foundation, so he is planning to hold a charity exhibition match at the opening ceremony of the fund. This is the condition they put forward."
"Charity exhibition match, as long as the time is right, there should be no problem!" Chagayev said.
"Ruslan, why don't you understand? Charity exhibition matches have no bonuses, no profit sharing, and no appearance fees. This is not as good as a general commercial activity. Not only can you not earn a penny, but you also I paid for the air tickets to China out of my own pocket. Another point is that if the guests all donate money, you can’t leave it all! So if we play a charity game, we will probably lose tens of thousands of dollars!" Agent He spoke.
Chagayev nodded and said nothing. The agent noticed that Chagayev did not respond, so he continued to persuade: "Ruslan, why do you have to go to Zhang Guan for a fight? In fact, I think there is no need at all. David Haye before There is a personal feud between you and Zhang Guan, so you have a fight, but you and him have no enmity. I think the butterfly step is just media hype, and it is just exaggerated! Besides, a fight with Zhang Guan, for you There is no benefit to your professional ranking, so I strongly suggest you give up this idea."
Chagayev smiled slightly, he had already seen through the agent's mind.
Of course, the agent does not want Chagaev to play in a charity match, because the agent's income is linked to the boxer's income. If the boxer does not make money in a charity match, the agent will naturally not get a share of the money, so the agent People don't want Chagaev to waste time on charity matches.
I saw Chagaev shook his head and said: "You don't understand, I am a boxer. For any boxer, Muhammad Ali is an existence that takes a lifetime to surpass. I want to be in active service." , every heavyweight boxer hopes to compete with Ali, but unfortunately, I was not born in that era, and I missed him! But today, since the butterfly step has reappeared, of course I can do it again miss!"
"But that may not be true." The agent continued: "I am referring to the butterfly step, but it may not be the real butterfly step. Although it looks similar on the surface, it is also very likely that it is just media hype or publicity. It’s just my own bragging, as you know, nowadays there are many trolls on the Internet who can find them just by spending money, and those so-called experts even like to make some shocking remarks to attract public attention!”
"That's why I have to try it myself to know." Chagayev's eyes were full of determination: "I must try it myself!"
…
Chagayev agreed to the charity match request, and Zhang Guan began to prepare for the unveiling ceremony of the "Hope Fund".
In a simple unveiling ceremony, the guests stand on the podium, cut a ribbon or remove a piece of red silk, and then read a few prepared speeches into the microphone. It is very boring, and the reporters' scripts are all the same and have no meaning. Novelty.
But it's different when there are competitions. Even if they are performances, they can attract more attention. Zhang Guan's every move has attracted much attention, and Chagayev is a heavyweight boxing champion and has a certain degree of popularity. There is no need to worry about no one watching the boxing match between them.
The charity match was finally scheduled for early May, staggering the time of most major competitions. At this time, both the American NBA and European football leagues have ended their respective seasons. Those big-name football stars are preparing for the upcoming World Cup. At least during this time, the battle between Zhang Guan and Chagayev is the focus of domestic sports fans.
…
At the end of April, there is still more than a week left before the charity game starts.
In the gym, Zhang Guan was sweating profusely. Boxing champion Lewis stood beside Zhang Guan and was guiding Zhang Guan in training.
"I'm going to take a day off the day after tomorrow." Lewis smiled sheepishly, and then said, "I'm going to shoot a commercial."
"A commercial?" Zhang Guan was slightly surprised. If he were in the UK, it would be normal for someone to ask Lewis to shoot an advertisement. But this is China, and someone actually asked Lewis to shoot an advertisement. This made Zhang Guan feel that he had underestimated him before. Lewis' influence.
"Speaking of this commercial, I also benefited from you. Your Chinese advertisers only asked me to shoot the commercial after they heard that I was your coach." Lewis laughed happily.
After retiring, the commercial value of athletes will inevitably decrease significantly. Therefore, many athletes are unwilling to retire even though they are already suffering from injuries, because they will have much less economic income after retirement. Although Lewis is a legendary boxing champion, he has retired for many years after all, and the commercial value he accumulated previously has been exhausted. In fact, he has not received an advertising contract for a long time.
Today, he received an advertising contract again, which made Lewis overjoyed. Although it was not a very valuable big contract, making money can always do more than sitting idle with nothing to do.
At this moment, Zhuge Wenbo hurried in.
"Zhang Guan, let me tell you some very bad news. Chagaev's agent just called me to inform me that Chagaev may not be able to play in the charity match. He is injured!" Zhuge Wenbo said.
"Injured? Really? What a coincidence?" Zhang Guan asked.
"It is said that he strained the Achilles tendon of his left ankle due to kidney tonifying during training, and the injury is not serious. Chagaev has flown to Germany for medical treatment. According to conservative estimates, the recovery time will be more than a month, so he will definitely not be able to participate in the charity match. Yes." Zhuge Wenbo continued.
Lewis, who was next to him, immediately said: "Chagaev's ankle does have an old injury. In fact, he has also been troubled by injuries in the past year or two. I think if he didn't have so many injuries, maybe it would be better." He can become the second 'Tyson' instead of just bearing the title of 'White Tyson'."
"Another athlete destroyed by injuries!" Zhang Guan sighed: "What should we do about the charity match? The date has been determined, the tickets have been sold out, and the invitations have been sent out. Many guests have been invited to watch the fight, and it is definitely impossible to cancel it now. If Chagaev doesn’t come, I can’t fight with the air! I have to find someone to replace Chagaev!”
Zhang Guan said, suddenly looking at Lewis.
"Don't look at me. I'm not going to play. I've been retired for many years. Besides, I can't beat you at all. How come I go up and get beaten by you? I won't do such an ugly thing." Lewis immediately shook his head.
Zhuge Wenbo coughed dryly and continued: "As for the replacement, you don't have to worry. Chagayev has recommended another candidate to us, and in order to apologize to us, he also contacted that person personally, and that person also agreed. Playing in place of Chagayev."
"Who is it?" Zhang Guan and Lewis asked at the same time.
"Russian boxing champion Povetkin!" Zhuge Wenbo said.
Before Zhang Guan realized who Povetkin was, Lewis frowned: "It's him! That troublesome guy."
"Povetkin? I've heard of this name." Zhang Guan recalled it and asked, "Is he also a boxing champion?"
"Yes, in the WBA boxing champion rankings, he is now in the second position." Lewis said.
"The first one is Klitschko?" Zhang Guan asked.
"Yes, Klitschko's position is still unshakable, but Klitschko aims at the title of super boxing champion. It is estimated that after Klitschko is promoted to the super boxing champion, the title of boxing champion will be It belongs to Povetkin!" Lewis' disappearance worsened and he shook his head slightly: "I really didn't expect it to be him, he is a very difficult guy to deal with!"
Lewis waved his hand and signaled Zhang Guan to get off the fitness equipment, and at the same time introduced: "Povetkin was once a world champion in free fighting, an Olympic boxing champion in the over 91 kg class, and a world championship boxing champion in the over 91 kg class. When he was a child, After Klitschko is promoted to the super boxing champion, he will also become the WBA heavyweight champion. This achievement has never been achieved by anyone before. And from the perspective of boxing skills, Povetkin may not be weak. Regarding Klitschko, sometimes I even think that Povetkin’s boxing skills are better than Klitschko’s.”
Zhang Guan nodded. Boxers with a background in free fighting will definitely pay more attention to skills, not to mention that Povetkin has also participated in the Olympic Games and the World Boxing Championships.
The boxing competition in the Olympics is different from professional boxing. Boxing in the Olympics is amateur boxing. It is said to be amateur boxing, but at the level of the Olympics, the participants are actually professional athletes. However, compared with professional boxing, There are differences in formats and rules.
The most significant difference between amateur boxing and professional boxing is the different protective gear worn. The most obvious sign of a professional boxer competing is that he is shirtless, without a helmet and wearing only shorts. Shorts come in a wide variety of styles and colors. The only protection for the boxer is the dental brace bitten in the mouth, which can only be achieved by the boxer's own defensive skills and his own ability to resist blows during sports. In this way, the audience can feel the fierce confrontation more intuitively and feel the most original and real impulse.
Amateur boxing pays more attention to the safety of boxers. In addition to dental braces, boxers must wear protective gear such as helmets and vests during matches. They also use boxing gloves that are more primitive than professional boxers. These gloves are more lethal than professional boxers. Boxing gloves are much lower. It is precisely because these protective gears enhance the protection of athletes that in amateur boxing matches it is rare for a boxer to be knocked down and unable to get up. Most amateur matches are decided by points.
The existence of protective gear makes amateur boxing pay more attention to skills. In professional boxing, even if you are hit multiple times, as long as you knock out your opponent with one punch, you can win the final victory. In amateur boxing, the power of the fist cannot break through the protection of the protective gear, nor can it KO the opponent with one punch, so we can only compete honestly with our skills, hit as many effective hits as possible, and gain more points to win. .
Because of the differences between amateur boxing and professional boxing, those boxers who achieved good results in the Olympics will all be representatives of the technical stream after turning professional. An older example is boxing champion Ali, who represented the United States team in the 1960 Olympics and won the Olympic championship. When people talk about Ali in the future, what they will most admire is his superb boxing skills rather than his heavy punches.
In addition, there are many skilled boxing champions who have also participated in the Olympics. Boxing champion Holyfield participated in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and won a bronze medal; boxing champion Lewis participated in the 1988 Seoul Olympics and won a gold medal; Klitschko participated in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and won a gold medal . These guys are all boxers who rely on their skills.
Tyson, a violent boxer, has never participated in the Olympics. Tyson was selected by a coach from a juvenile detention center for boys and entered the professional boxing ring at the age of 19. Although Tyson's boxing skills are also among the best in the world, his most impressive thing is his super punch.
Povetkin can win the Olympic championship and the world championship. There is no doubt that he is also a technical boxer. This is the same as David Haye, who Zhang Guan fought before, and even the injured Chagayev. Different, in comparison, Povetkin is definitely more difficult to deal with. If a boxer with this level of skill reaches a certain level, it is almost impossible to be knocked out directly. Even if he is at a disadvantage on the scene, a boxer with this level of skill can survive until the 12th round through defense and constant entanglement. This can be seen in the fight between Tyson and Holyfield.
And Povetkin is indeed such a person. In the future, Povetkin had recently fought a hegemony battle with Klitschko, and that was the first time Povetkin tasted defeat. In the game, Klitschko had an overwhelming advantage. People thought that Povetkin would be knocked down quickly, but in the end, Povetkin still dragged on for twelve rounds, and in the end, Povetkin lost by 15 points. Losing only 1.25 points per round on average.
After learning about Povetkin's situation, Zhang Guan's expression became solemn. In comparison, he wished he was facing Chagaev.
Zhang Guan is not afraid of those boxers with strong physical fitness, because Zhang Guan's physical fitness is also strong enough. Zhang Guan even feels that if he faces Tyson at his peak, he will not be afraid. But for a boxer with this level of skill, Zhang Guan finds it very troublesome. It's like a piece of chewing gum stuck to his jeans. Even with a lot of effort, it may not be able to be dealt with cleanly.
"This Chagayev, it's okay for him to be injured, but he has found a difficult opponent for me!" Zhang Guan couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
(End of chapter)