After his big win, Joe was making a name for himself in the boxing world. However, each new victory changed the fact that a greater test awaited him. His next fight would be against an old friend he had started fighting with years before, a man who would challenge Joe both physically and emotionally. That friend was Chris "Steel Sail" McCallister.
Chris was an old friend that Joe had known and trained with since the early days of his boxing career. They had worked in the same gym, with the same goals. However, their life paths had taken different directions over time. Chris started his professional career earlier than Joe and achieved great success in a short time. However, these successes had turned him into an even more ambitious fighter. Joe remembered the promises they had made to each other in the past: "One day, we will fight against each other in the ring, but never to outdo each other, only to show our true strength."
Now, however, this fight had become not just a sporting match, but a war between two old friends. Chris had the desire in his eyes to beat Joe. It wasn't a battle of friendship, it was a showdown.
When Joe entered the arena, he saw Chris. Chris was always cool, but today there was a strange tension in his face. They locked eyes for a moment, but instead of greeting each other, they just focused on each other's eyes. Everything had changed in an instant.
The referee makes the announcement: "Joe and Chris are going to fight against each other. This is going to be a big fight!"
As the first round began, both boxers were cautious. Joe threw a quick right jab, but Chris easily dodged Joe's jab and countered with a quick right hook. Joe backed off, using his speed and agility, but Chris quickly followed.
Something was stirring in Joe's mind. Old training, old friendships, old times together. With each blow, the past came flooding back to him. Each move became a mental battle that pushed him harder and harder. Seeing an old opponent in Chris's eyes reminded him of those lost victories of the past. But Joe couldn't dwell on the past. Now, he just had to focus on this fight.
In the second round, the fight got even tougher. Joe tried to move as quickly as he had in his previous fight, but Chris was carefully planning his every move. The respect they both had for each other was now replaced by intense rivalry. Joe spotted an opening on his left and quickly planned to send a left cross, but Chris strengthened his defence with an unexpected move.
"Your speed, Joe, always made you so strong. But now I'm starting to catch you," Chris said, smiling.
Joe paused for a moment when he heard those words. What Chris had said was true; doubts were beginning to creep in as to whether his speed was now sufficient. However, remembering the losses and difficulties she had experienced in the past, she pulled herself together again. Remembering his past could give him strength. His ambition in the early days revitalised the friendships they had made by training together. At the end of this fight, no matter what, he felt he had won something.
Chris kept the pressure on for a while. He quickly tried to corner Joe with a combination of right hooks and left jabs. Joe paused for a moment after being cornered, but then he remembered the past.
"Joe, you will always be a winner. But losing will make you stronger. The real victory is overcoming the things that stop you when you lose."
Gus' words always echoed in his mind.
Joe realised that losing was a journey. Losing to Chris would make him stronger. With these thoughts, Joe began to move at great speed.
For a moment, everything seemed to move more slowly. Joe spotted a vulnerable spot on Chris's left side. He quickly applied the Dempsey Turn technique and swung Chris with a right hook. Chris went down hard, but quickly recovered to his feet.
Joe said, "It's just one fight, Chris. But I never want to break you," Joe warned him.
Chris straightened up with a smile on his face and said, "I don't mind, Joe. But I respect you."
The referee started counting: 'One... Two... Three...'
But Chris managed to get up just in time and the second round was over.
Joe's eyes were filled with a mental battle. This fight wasn't just a physical struggle. It was also about restoring a past, friendship and lost time. Could Joe win this tough encounter? Will he be able to overcome the memories of the past and Chris's strategies?
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