Across America, Starting with the Boxing Champion

Chapter 62 Competition scene

 “Aragorn! Victory is certain!”

 “Aragorn! Champion!”

Half an hour before the game, nearly 20,000 seats at the Social, Cultural and Sports Center were packed to capacity. The three floors, including the upper and lower floors, and even the small empty space around the ring were occupied by media reporters, tourists and wealthy Cubans who were willing to pay big bucks to watch the game. People occupy.

There were only ten minutes left before the start of the game, but the cameras of the HBO TV station were not turned on. Steve Mandanda, the host of the sports channel, was also walking around the audience with empty hands. His shirt collar was stained with brown sweat, and his face and forehead were stained with sweat. Covered with hot sweat.

The reason is simple. HBO TV station was going to broadcast this game. Before coming, they had communicated with Cuban officials that they would pay a broadcast fee. However, before the game started, Cuban officials suddenly changed their tune and did not allow this game to be broadcast.

  The sudden change of tone caught the HBO staff by surprise, and all their previous preparations were in vain. The host Steve and the cameraman Sean could only stay there blankly, waiting for the TV executives to negotiate with the Cuban government.

More than a minute later, an HBO staff member ran over and told Steve that he could continue to record on the spot, but if Aragorn lost the game, the recorded videotape would not be allowed to be played publicly.

"How can you do this?"

Cameraman Sean complained and looked at Steve, "Are we still recording?"

 “Record it! Record it first and then talk about it.”

Steve thought for a moment and said.

 Originally, amateur boxing matches were not popular on television because amateur matches required protective gear, the scenes were not exciting enough, and KOs rarely occurred. The audience did not like to watch them, and HBO was not interested in broadcasting them.

 But since the emergence of Link in the amateur boxing world, the situation has become different. This guy must KO his opponent in every match. The actual competition is very fierce, no worse than a professional boxing match.

The super middleweight final of the Golden Gloves Championship broadcast in mid-June received more than 15 million viewers in North America, making it the highest-rated program among amateur boxing broadcasts. HBO also earned a large amount of TV revenue from this program. Subscription fee.

In the last match between Link and the Haitian Peters, the man's jaw was **** and the visual effects were full. The Cuban TV Sports Channel sold the videotape of the game to television stations in various countries in the Americas and earned more than one million U.S. dollars.

In this match, Link's opponent is Lorenzo Aragon, who is more powerful than Peters. Since both of them are quite famous in the American boxing circles, many people who love boxing want to watch the match between the two. , see who wins and who loses.

 If someone wants to watch it, it will be profitable. Commercial TV stations such as HBO have sent people to broadcast the game.

It’s just that the other party in this game is the Cuban athlete Aragon, and the game takes place in Havana, Cuba.

　　If Aragon loses the game, it will not be a winning or losing game. It involves more and more complicated things. It is also out of this consideration that the Cuban government will go back and forth on broadcasting the game.

 Steve wiped the oily sweat on his face with a wet wipe, took out the meal, and asked Sean and several other staff members to prepare for recording.

According to Cuban officials, if Aragorn loses the game, the video cannot be played publicly, but if Link loses the game, the video of the game can also be played.

Link has been in the limelight in the United States in the past two months. With his outstanding appearance, strong strength, and high-profile remarks, he has a large number of fans in the boxing world.

There will definitely be a lot of people wanting to watch the live matches in which he loses.

Judging from the situation at the scene, Steve felt that Link had little chance of winning.

 “Aragorn will win!”

 “Champion of Aragon!”

Steve was shaken by the shouts in the audience and his eardrums were buzzing. He took the microphone to the corner and said to the camera with the red light flashing: "Dear audience, good afternoon, I am everyone. Old friend Steve Mandanda.

I am currently in Havana, Cuba, a beautiful city on the Caribbean coast.

The last amateur boxing match I broadcast for you was the Super Middleweight Finals of the Golden Gloves Championship at the American Airlines Arena in Miami.

Today at the Social, Cultural and Sports Center Gymnasium in Havana, I will once again broadcast an amateur boxing match for you. This match is the Olympic Games Americas Qualifying Finals.

After six rounds of competition, 62 super middleweight boxers from 18 countries competed with each other. The top two in the Americas were determined yesterday. They are Lorenzo Aragon from Cuba. He was the 2004 Silver medalist in the 69kg boxing competition at the Athens Olympics. Another boxer who made it to the finals is Link Baker, a boxer from Miami, USA!

Yes, it was the super middleweight champion who won 17 matches and 17 KOs in this year's Golden Gloves Championship. In this Olympic Qualifying Tournament, he continued to reach the finals with all KOs of his opponents. His current amateur record is.”

Steve lowered his head and looked at the card in his hand, "21 fights, 21 wins, 21 KOs. Oh, very impressive data. He should have had one more victory, but in the semi-finals, his opponent was the Venezuelan boxer Alva. He gave up the game due to injury, so he once again reached the Americas finals by KOing all his opponents in 4 games.

Today Link will be here to face local Cuban boxer Lorenzo Aragon, a boxer rated as an elite among amateur elites by "Ring" magazine. Can Link win again in this match? Please let me know. We'll see. "

 Steve breathed out and took a sip of mineral water. The weather in Havana was too sultry, and it was even hotter in the gym. Wearing formal clothes to work felt like torture.

 “Steve, Link is out, do you want to interview him?”

Cameraman Sean pointed in the direction of the east aisle. With tens of thousands of spectators shouting "Aragorn must win" in unison, Link and his coaching team walked through the aisle.

There are also crowded seating areas on both sides of the aisle, densely packed with people. There are forty or fifty reporters following Link while interviewing him.

Steve Mandanda took a deep breath, took a microphone and camera, squeezed into the group of reporters, handed out the microphone and shouted loudly: "Link, I am Steve, the host of HBO TV, last time I interviewed you at AmericanAirlines Arena and I have two questions for you."

Link raised his head and glanced at him, recognizing this guy who loved to use fire.

Since HBO is a television broadcasting giant and the most important broadcasting channel for boxing events, if boxers want to earn PPV shares, they need to cooperate with HBO. Therefore, boxers generally give special care to reporters and hosts of HBO TV stations.

The same goes for Link, who slowed down and asked, "Hello Steve, what's your question?"

“How confident are you that you can beat your opponent Lorenzo Aragon, expressed as a percentage?”

 Steve shouted loudly with sweat on his face.

 “200%!”

Link said as he walked.

"Wow!"

 The reporters around him let out a burst of exclamation.

 “Aragorn will win!”

　　Cuban citizens in the audience area nearby shouted loudly and swallowed up the noise created by the reporters.

“Link, I heard that you will continue to use KO to kill the game. Do you already have a strategy? Can you reveal it in advance?”

 Steve shouted.

“Of course, my tactic is to knock him down with all my strength.”

Link shook his fist towards the camera.

“Link, I have another question. Do you feel any pressure when facing more than 10,000 Cuban spectators and listening to them shouting in unison that Aragorn must win?”

 Steve yelled, adding an impromptu question.

Link smiled softly, "You should ask Aragorn this question. Will he feel pressure when competing against a guy who has 21 KOs in 21 battles?"

 Steve thought about what Link said, and it seemed that it was indeed a question worth interviewing.

Link waved his fist, answered several reporters' questions, and was escorted by Morales, Andre and others to the rest area under the boxing ring, waiting for the bell to ring.

 (End of this chapter)