Yu Jung-ak landed an unexpected blow on Kim Hyuk-soo, who retaliated with a powerful attack. He feinted with his left body punch, then immediately threw a right overhand hook. The problem was that Yu Jung-ak saw it coming.
Yu Jung-ak blocked Kim Hyuk-soo's attack with a light left hook. Kim Hyuk-soo thought his attack would land.
It was too late for a side step, and there wasn't enough space to back up due to the ropes behind him.
He thought his attack would connect even if Yu Jung-ak leaned back, as he had calculated Yu Jung-ak's reach and struck deeply.
However, surprisingly, Yu Jung-ak threw a left counter while leaning back against the ropes, narrowly avoiding Kim Hyuk-soo's attack.
The left counter landed precisely on Kim Hyuk-soo's chin, causing him to collapse. Bang Yong-pal had no choice but to enter the ring.
Kim Hyuk-soo immediately stood up and took a fighting stance, but Bang Yong-pal stopped the sparring.
Boxers experience numerous knockdowns throughout their long careers. Of course, it's best not to get knocked down, but it's nearly impossible to avoid it entirely during a career. Even without knockdowns, boxing involves exchanging punches.
Naturally, damage accumulates. That's why managing damage over a long career is as important as improving skills.
After being knocked down during sparring, a fighter should rest. Even if they appear fine outwardly, damage accumulates without proper rest. Accumulated damage can suddenly explode without warning.
The chin, in particular, is one of the areas that weakens with repeated hits, so it's one of the parts that requires the most caution.
Bang Yong-pal observed Kim Hyuk-soo's condition and asked Yu Jung-ak, "Are you okay?"
"Yes."
Bang Yong-pal sent Kim Hyuk-soo out of the ring and told him to lie down. Then he approached Yu Jung-ak, whose face was slightly flushed.
"Jung-ak, try to understand. That guy still can't control his temper."
"It's fine. He's not badly hurt, is he?"
"He took a solid hit to the chin, so he's dazed. Serves him right for being reckless."
Surprisingly, Bang Yong-pal didn't scold Yu Jung-ak. Such incidents were common in sparring. Moreover, Bang Yong-pal wasn't the type to only look after his own disciples. He believed it wasn't Yu Jung-ak's fault since it happened during fair sparring.
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you apologizing? It's that hot-headed guy's fault. Hey, Hyuk-soo! Don't get up. Get up and apologize quickly!"
Kim Hyuk-soo approached Yu Jung-ak and apologized. With the match coming up soon, they had agreed to have a light sparring session, but he had thrown a big punch. If Yu Jung-ak had been the one to fall instead of Kim Hyuk-soo, it could have been a major incident. Injuring a fighter before a match was strictly taboo.
Yu Jung-ak finished sparring and returned to the FC Center. He arrived just before 7 PM, and his teammates were all waiting.
Cho Yong-il, in particular, was quite angry.
"Did something happen?"
"That bastard Jang Hyun-sung is causing trouble again."
"What is it?"
"He says Randin is injured."
"Again?"
"I think it's a lie."
"So who's the replacement?"
Cho Yong-il took Yoon Coach and Oh Jung-ryong into the office. He then shared the conversation with Na Cheol.
"Ah, that guy's a real bastard. Seriously."
The team members were furious.
"It really is like that. I didn't think he'd stoop so low. I don't even want to call him a representative anymore," Oh Jung-ryong said. Yu Jung-ak remained silent.
"So Na Cheol ended up being the replacement?"
"No. When I called Na Cheol, he said he firmly stated he was injured, so no further offers came. So when I talked to an insider, they said they're preparing someone else."
"There's no one in Spirit who can match Jung-ak except Kwon Cheol and Gal Seung-hyun, right? Randin would have been the most likely candidate."
"There's a guy who was recently kicked out of CFC. Called Loose Loop."
"Loose Loop?"
"Yeah, Loose Loop."
"You mean the fighter who was knocked out by Asian Zombie Kang Chan-sung's high kick?"
"That's right."
"He's coming to CFC?"
"He lost to Kang Chan-sung and then had a losing streak. He had to go down due to lack of competitiveness."
"Kang Chan-sung's win was almost by luck, wasn't it?"
"That's not important. Anyway, he's not domestic level."
"Wasn't he in the featherweight division?"
"He was originally welterweight but went down to featherweight. Looks like he's planning to adjust his weight class to lightweight again. To be honest, he cut weight too severely. How can someone 191 cm tall be in featherweight?"
"So they want to match him against our Jung-ak?"
"Yeah. But it seems they're roughly expecting us not to accept the offer. With Jang Hyun-sung being sent out, they won't let us have any good deals."
"What if we don't accept the offer?"
"They'll probably use media play."
"Ha."
Oh Jung-ryong and Yoon Chang-seon took turns talking with Cho Yong-il. Yu Jung-ak listened quietly.
"How skilled is Loose Loop?"
"He's a striker. His reach is almost 2 meters. When he went down to featherweight, he was at a starvation level. But in that condition, he knocked out Kang Chan-sung with a surprise high kick. You know Kang Chan-sung, right? The first Korean to go to a title match. He could have won the belt against Jose Aldo if his shoulder hadn't dislocated."
"He must be quite good to have beaten that fighter?"
"Yeah. Above all, he's bigger than you. Longer reach too. He's definitely a striker."
"Is he stronger than Randin?" Yu Jung-ak asked.
"Of course. Even though he was kicked out, it's still CFC. And with his weight class adjustment, he'll come back much improved. Jang Hyun-sung wouldn't play this card if he wasn't confident. The insider said when they brought him in for a sparring test, his skills were really showing after moving up to lightweight."
"Ha. We should have just accepted the game with Na Cheol. This is like avoiding a fox only to meet a tiger," Oh Jung-ryong muttered.
"But I hope Jung-ak accepts the offer."
"Why?"
"I think he'll win."
"If Loose Loop is taller with a longer reach, Jung-ak won't be able to use his strengths... Ah, wrestling. Wasn't wrestling Loose Loop's weakness?"
"Yeah. He's been boasting about improving a lot, but wrestling defense doesn't improve that much in a short time. How about it? With Spirit completely falling out, wouldn't it be great to give Jang Hyun-sung a big slap in the face on the way out?"
"I want to save wrestling for later."
"Then?"
"I want to beat him with striking. Anyway, if I keep fighting in CFC, I'll meet plenty of opponents bigger than me."
"You're deliberately choosing the difficult path?" Cho Yong-il looked at Yu Jung-ak's face.
"That's how I'll improve properly."
"You could get knocked out in one hit like Kang Chan-sung did. The guy might look like a mummy, but he has a pretty high KO rate."
"I still want to try."
Cho Yong-il accepted Yu Jung-ak's opinion. He immediately contacted CFC, and the big match was set.
Loose Loop.
A fighter with a respectable record of 4 wins and 3 losses in 7 fights in CFC was set to face Yu Jung-ak. Naturally, it was scheduled as the main event, and the date wasn't postponed.
==
Yu Jung-ak acted as if nothing was wrong, but the coaching staff was quite worried. Especially since this offer was one that Yu Jung-ak didn't have to accept. After all, it was Spirit who had broken their promises repeatedly.
Anyone could see that Spirit was in the wrong, but things didn't flow that easily. Spirit's power in the domestic scene was considerable. If they decided to start media play, it would be Yu Jung-ak's image that would take a hit.
Knowing this, Cho Yong-il wasn't taking any special measures. Instead, he was focusing on making Loose Loop, whom Jang Hyun-sung had brought in for a large sum, a useless card.
Usually, fighting organizations didn't pay large signing bonuses. But when bringing in a famous fighter, it was good to offer a substantial amount.
Loose Loop was well-known overseas and had many fans domestically. After all, he was the fighter who had beaten Kang Chan-sung, Korea's greatest fighting star.
Cho Yong-il had even considered legal action, but in the end, he decided on facing Loose Loop.
Spirit's power was greater than expected. In the past, Jang Hyun-sung had even made a beautiful female fighter a permanent public broadcaster.
Spirit, who had practically buried that fighter in the domestic fighting scene in an instant for not following orders.
Yu Jung-ak wasn't yet in a position to confront them in that way. To respond decisively, he needed to prove himself with skill.
Yu Jung-ak seemed to accept the situation calmly, but inside he was sharpening his blade. He planned to thoroughly crush Loose Loop to climb higher. Of course, he also intended to make a fool of the expensive Loose Loop card and get back at Jang Hyun-sung.
"Let's do it again."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Yu Jung-ak was secretly doing special training. The fight date was just around the corner. He was doing counter training with Cho Yong-il.
Cho Yong-il threw punches without mercy, and Yu Jung-ak was countering them accordingly.
But something was a bit odd.
Instead of practicing counters as Bang Yong-pal had taught him, he was practicing high-risk counters.
In short, rather than nullifying the opponent's attack and quickly finding the timing to attack, he was practicing attacking while receiving the opponent's attack.
This type of counter carried a high risk. It was a dangerous attack in actual fights, especially in the current state with a fight coming up.
Cho Yong-il was accommodating Yu Jung-ak's stubbornness in training, but he was actually worried too.
However, because Yu Jung-ak's eyes were shining brighter than ever, he didn't stop him.
Yu Jung-ak was using his excellent body vision to refine his counters precisely.
He polished his counters in various ways, but the best was to respond with a stronger strike when the opponent threw a low-risk attack.
"Whew..."
After the training, Yu Jung-ak took off his headgear. Cho Yong-il did the same. Yu Jung-ak brought over some water and passed it to Cho Yong-il, who was panting heavily.
"Why are you practicing this?"
"Loose Loop's straight is sharp. His reach is longer than expected too. I think it'll be tough to fight at a distance."
"Are you planning to counter his straight with a hook?"
"Yes."
"That's too risky."
"To catch a big fish, you have to take risks. Loose Loop's preparation time may be short, but he'll prepare a lot. Spirit probably sent him my fight videos and analyzed data. He's likely well-prepared."
"And?"
"I want to use that against him."
Cho Yong-il nodded quietly at Yu Jung-ak's words. His plan wasn't entirely far-fetched.
Yu Jung-ak's style was to gradually close the distance and chip away at his opponent. He wasn't the type to knock out opponents with explosive power.
But for this fight, Yu Jung-ak planned to use the opposite style. Cho Yong-il thought this might actually work well.
Yu Jung-ak's eyes were fierce as he came down from the weigh-in. In interviews, he effectively appealed by saying he was disappointed that sudden opponent changes seemed to only happen to him.
Jang Hyun-sung's face briefly reddened at Yu Jung-ak's unexpected comment as he sat between the two fighters.
On the day of the fight, Yu Jung-ak's body looked much bigger than before, having increased muscle mass while smoothly making weight.
Of course, his body grew as his walking weight increased. He wasn't bulky, but his overall definition had improved.
After a light warm-up, Yu Jung-ak quietly did image training in the waiting room. His teammates were there with him but didn't talk much as Yu Jung-ak stayed quiet. Angela had come along too but didn't bother him much.
The heavyweight co-main event ended in the first round. It was time for the main event featuring Yu Jung-ak.
There was a small dispute over the blue and red corners, with Yu Jung-ak assigned to the blue corner. He was an undefeated rookie, but his career was domestic.
Usually, the red corner was assigned to the fighter considered generally superior. So the corner assignment was important to fighters. It could be a matter of morale or psychological warfare.
Today, Yu Jung-ak was in the blue corner. But when had he ever not been in the blue corner?
"Coach, win! Don't get hurt," Angela said to Yu Jung-ak. He nodded briefly and left the waiting room. His entrance music played - classical music, unusual for athletes.
Yu Jung-ak entered the octagon with an uncharacteristically stern expression.
[Yu Jung-ak is entering. I hear he coolly accepted the offer despite the sudden opponent change?]
[That's right. Changing opponents right before a fight can be a very sensitive issue. Plus, Loose Loop is considered a step above Randin, isn't he? As the fighter who knocked out Kang Chan-sung with a picture-perfect high kick, it must have been a difficult decision for Yu Jung-ak.]
[When matchups change, does the organizer usually compensate the fighter?]
[It varies by organization, but most do. Just like how fight money is reduced when an opponent misses weight, in cases like this, they're supposed to increase the fight money.]
Yu Jung-ak stepped into the octagon with a solemn look, followed by intense dance music. It was Loose Loop.
He looked much bigger than at the weigh-in. He seemed to have rebounded significantly, but standing next to Yu Jung-ak in the octagon, their builds looked similar.
Considering Yu Jung-ak was the biggest in his weight class, Loose Loop was quite large.
The referee called for them to touch gloves.
The fight began.
Loose Loop and Yu Jung-ak extended their left hands to touch gloves again. Then the real fight started.
Yu Jung-ak walked steadily towards Loose Loop, who was swaying his upper body to gauge the distance.
But instead of just testing the range, Yu Jung-ak stepped right into Loose Loop's striking distance.
Surprised, Loose Loop quickly threw his signature straight punch.
Yu Jung-ak didn't dodge. Instead, he brought his forehead towards the incoming straight. He tucked his chin, braced for impact, and swung his arm wide.
Overhand hook.
Thud!
Loose Loop's straight landed cleanly on Yu Jung-ak's brow. But Yu Jung-ak didn't stop advancing.
His arm traced a large arc towards Loose Loop, who was trying to sidestep.
The straight connected, and immediately after, Yu Jung-ak's overhand hook landed.
Thud!
Yu Jung-ak's hook struck Loose Loop below the ear. The tall Loose Loop collapsed.
As he fell backward, his ankle twisted, but Loose Loop didn't move. He had lost consciousness in one shot.
The referee immediately intervened between Yu Jung-ak and Loose Loop.
Tremendous cheers erupted.
He had taken out the CFC veteran Loose Loop with a single punch. Yu Jung-ak was no longer just a prospect. Jang Hyun-sung had tried to clip Yu Jung-ak's wings using Loose Loop, but instead ended up giving Yu Jung-ak wings.
Jang Hyun-sung's sour face was broadcast live, and Yu Jung-ak's name shot to the top of portal site search rankings.