Taylor sat on the bench, resting his elbows on his knees, feeling unusually calm.
"Hayfield originally fought in the cruiserweight class. He was one year older than me. He had boxed as an amateur and won a bronze medal in the Olympics. Later he entered professional boxing and also fought in the cruiserweight class. He It took him four years to win the three heavyweight championship belts of the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBA), and International Boxing Federation (IBF)."
Taylor was talking to Dai Li and Iris, but it seemed like he was talking to himself.
Just listen to Taylor continue to say: "Later, Highfield began to gain weight and entered the heavyweight class. However, his path in the heavyweight class was not smooth. He played in the heavyweight class for five years, although he was always among the boxing champion challengers. , but never got the gold belt, until that game, his opponent was me!"
There was a slight fluctuation in Taylor's tone: "In that game, everyone thought I was sure to win, and I also thought I could easily defeat Highfield. However, what I didn't expect was that I encountered the most difficult encounter in my career. A game. Heidfeld chose the right tactics and he teased me to applause.”
"In that game, Highfield kept making detours. He kept going in circles with me. If he couldn't get around me, he would come forward and hug me. I kept attacking him, but it had no effect. , but it was a waste of a lot of my energy. And after the fourth round, I realized that I was probably going to lose the game."
"I remember it was in the sixth round. Most of my energy had been exhausted. I even felt that it was impossible for me to hit that kind of ferocious combination punches, but Highfield was still trying to make a detour with me, going in circles with me. He drained my energy and kept using little tricks to cause me trouble. Finally, I completely lost my mind and bit his ear while he was hugging me!"
"Actually, I regretted it when I said it. I was too impulsive. I realized that my move might ruin my career. This is also the fact. I will take that game that attracted worldwide attention. It became the biggest joke in the history of boxing, and this impulsive act almost destroyed me.
"But to be fair, Hayfield's defense is indeed top-notch in the world. At least among the opponents I have ever encountered, his defense is the strongest. It can be described as impeccable. If Hayfield has avoided a head-on confrontation with me, In fact, there is really nothing I can do.”
…
In the athletes' lounge, Highfield looked at the clock on the wall. The hands kept moving, just like the drums beating before a war, which made people feel inspired.
But Highfield kept telling himself not to get excited, but to keep a calm mind and a calm mind, because today's opponent is Kevin Taylor.
"Only an idiot would go head-to-head with Kevin Taylor!" Highfield pouted as his mind began to recall the game three years ago. At that time, when Highfield faced the fierce Taylor, almost everyone felt that Taylor would win. However, the final result was that Highfield took away Taylor's WBA gold belt.
Of course, Highfield also contributed his bloody ears, and the audience's sympathy instantly exploded, pushing him into the ranks of the top heavyweight boxing champions. .
"To deal with Taylor, just avoid his sharp edges! Just like three years ago." Highfield couldn't help but touch the ear that was injured that year. Although the injury has healed and even the bite mark has been eliminated, the scar in Highfield's heart still exists.
"I remember, it was in the sixth round. The furious Taylor bit my ear. Maybe he knew that his physical strength wouldn't last long. What now? Taylor is three years older, and his physical strength will be even better. Oh no, he won’t last long, maybe in the third round, he will bite his ears!”
Hayfield looked at his watch. It was almost time. He stood up and walked towards the exit of the passage.
…
This was a boxing match that attracted worldwide attention, but there was no deafening roar in the audience. Strictly speaking, the surrounding sounds were not even as good as an ordinary boxing match.
"Whether the two of them are fighting or not? It's been three rounds and they haven't even had a decent attack."
"Hayfield is retreating, and Taylor is retreating too. Both of them are avoiding each other and circling around the ring. We are here to watch the game, not to see two boxers staring at each other!"
"What about the promised offensive and defensive battle? The strongest attacker versus the strongest defender. What do we see now? You two should fight quickly!"
Many spectators began to complain, and in the commentary area, the three most famous commentators in the United States did not know what to say. The two boxers on the field were always testing and avoiding, and they did not intend to fight head-on. Intend. This kind of game is really not interesting to watch.
With a bang, the bell rang, which meant that the third round was over and the two players returned to their respective corners.
Highfield's chest rose and fell slightly. He didn't gasp for air. He didn't consume much energy. At the same time, he also felt that Taylor on the other side didn't consume much energy either.
"Tyler learned smarter this time. He didn't rush to attack. I think this time, he was ready to play for twelve rounds." The coach's voice sounded from the side.
"I know, after all, Taylor invited the 'White Devil' Iris. With Iris's coaching level, Taylor will naturally not let Taylor attack like he did three years ago." Highfield said.
"Then we have to change our strategy. You need more tricks. You can even expose some flaws and deliberately create some offensive opportunities for Taylor to lure him to attack. But in this case, you may lose some points." The coach reminded.
"Don't worry, I understand that if I can exhaust Taylor's physical strength, it doesn't matter if I lose a few points. Taylor without physical strength is like a tiger without teeth and can only be slaughtered by others. By that time, not only can I use the lost points If we get the points back, we can KO him." Highfield nodded.
"Be careful not to be hit in the vital part by him. With Taylor's heavy punches, once you are hit in the vital part, it may be difficult for you to stand up again." The coach reminded.
"Don't worry, I know what's going on!" Hayfield said, stood up and walked back to the arena.
…
"The sixth round has begun!" The commentator's high-pitched voice rang almost simultaneously with the bell ringing:
"In that game three years ago, in the sixth round, Taylor did that stupid thing that shocked the world. He bit Hayfield's ear, creating the biggest scandal in boxing history. But today's The situation is completely different from three years ago. The two are almost evenly matched now, and in terms of points, Taylor still has a slight lead. Although this advantage is not enough to determine the final outcome, it is still an advantage after all. I If Taylor is at an advantage, he probably won't do the same stupid thing he did three years ago."
In the boxing ring, Taylor is on the offensive while Highfield is on the defensive, but overall, the two are evenly matched. Highfield deliberately exposed some small flaws to lure Taylor to attack. Taylor did not give up the opportunity, but did not achieve obvious results, only gaining a slight advantage in points.
Highfield is the heavyweight boxing champion who is best at defending. How could the small flaws he deliberately revealed really give Taylor a big advantage. Those two or three point advantages do not play a decisive role in heavyweight boxing. KOs are too easy to occur in heavyweight matches. Even if you have a relatively large point advantage, if the opponent KOs, you will still have to win. Lose the game.
The bell rang at the end of the sixth round, and Highfield lost another point in this round, but he did not pay too much attention to this small gain and loss. When he returned to his corner, his eyes kept observing Taylor's situation.
"Taylor's physical strength seems to be very abundant, and it seems that it will continue to consume him for a few rounds. It may not be until the ninth or tenth round that Taylor will be exhausted. Calculated this way , the last two rounds are my chance. But that guy Taylor is not an ordinary guy who can resist beatings. If it's just two rounds, I really may not be able to KO him." Highfield thought to himself.
…
Round nine.
The light shines onto the boxing ring, reflecting a bright black light on the two boxers.
That was the reflection of sweat. At this time, Highfield and Taylor were covered in sweat, as if they had just come out of a sauna. From this point alone, we can see how much physical energy the two boxers consumed.
Boxing is a sport that requires extremely high endurance from athletes. ESPN once invited experts to rate various sports. In terms of endurance requirements for athletes, road cycling and track and field marathons ranked first, both scoring 9.63 points. Long-distance swimming in third place scored 9.25 points, while boxing scored 8.63 points. In comparison, football only scored 7.75 points, and basketball scored 7.38 points.
The physical energy consumption of heavyweight boxers is even greater. By the ninth round, both Highfield and Taylor had little physical reserves left.
"Tyler must be very tired." Highfield thought to himself, his breathing was a little short, and the situation of Taylor on the opposite side was similar to him.
"Maybe Taylor is just holding on! I should test it." Thinking of this, Highfield decided to try an attack.
The next second, Highfield's body suddenly began to shake from side to side. He began to use dodge movements to confuse Taylor and wait for opportunities to punch. And Taylor didn't give in too much, still very fast.
In the flash of lightning, the two collided with each other, punched several times in a row, and then retreated at the same time. Their punches were too fast, and their body reactions were too fast. The audience could probably only clearly count how many punches they threw. Without slow-motion playback, they couldn't even clearly see their punches.
Hayfield looked at Taylor. He now wanted to rub his ribs with his hands, because in the exchange just now, he was hit by Taylor on the right side of his ribs. That punch made him feel like his internal organs were churning. , he even felt like vomiting.
However, what was on Hayfield's mind at this time was not pain, but Taylor on the opposite side. In the confrontation just now, Taylor's movements were still very fast, his body reaction was still very fast, and the power of his fists was very sufficient, and all of this All prove that Taylor's physical strength has not been exhausted.
"Damn it, Taylor still has physical fitness!" Heidfeld appeared anxious for the first time.
…
Under the boxing ring, Dai Li crossed his arms on his chest with a proud look on his face.
"Don't underestimate Taylor's physical ability. This time I even used the endurance aura!"
Thanks to the age reduction card, Taylor has a 27-year-old body, which originally allowed him to last longer in the boxing ring. The recent period of physical training has also made Taylor's physical condition improve.
However, in this game, Dai Li still used the endurance aura.
In Taylor's previous matches, Li Dai used the explosive halo. Taylor's best weapon is the three-axe sharp attack. When combined with the explosive halo, the power and speed of the punches are enhanced, which makes Taylor even more powerful. The attack is even more powerful.
Since the current game is a tug-of-war and may last for twelve rounds, Dai Li simply replaced the explosive halo with the endurance halo. Although he lost some explosive power, it allowed Taylor to last longer. , and therefore, even in the ninth round, Taylor still retained a certain amount of physical fitness.
…
In the boxing ring, Taylor's chest was also rising and falling at this time. Like Highfield, he was breathing a little quickly. The previous confrontation also consumed a lot of his energy. Although he felt a little tired now, his body was still strong. It's very exciting.
"It's the ninth round. My current physical condition can definitely last for 12 rounds. It's the first time in my career that I have to play a full 12 rounds, which is really uncomfortable. Speaking of which, I just said It seems to have hit Highfield’s ribs, so it should be an effective hit, right?”
Taylor couldn't help but glance at the right side of Highfield's body under his ribs.
"In the previous rounds, there were several effective hits. In comparison, although he also hit me once or twice, I am definitely ahead in terms of points. In other words, I am at an advantage now. situation. Before the game, Coach Aires told me that if you are ahead in points and have an advantage in the situation, you must be calm, don't be anxious, and let the opponent attack first!"
Taylor began to calm down, and his eyes reflected not only the opposite Hayfield, but also the dawn of victory!