By the end of the second round, Joe's strong spirit and strategic thinking were gradually weakening Markus' defense. Against Markus' physical strength and speed, Joe's emotional intelligence, not just his technique, had also come into play. Joe was unraveling his opponent with every move, realizing that Markus was getting tired and his defenses were weakening. Both fighters were tired and sweaty, but Joe's determination gave him more resistance.
Markus could not keep up with Joe's speed, even though they attacked him several times. At the beginning of the third round, Joe saw an opportunity and quickly threw a right cross towards Markus. Markus was shaken by the force of the punch, and this forced him to take a step back involuntarily.
Joe made a decision at that moment. He did not want to defeat Markus, but to show how much he dominated him. This was not just a physical victory, but an expression of Joe's deep anger and pain.
"You deserved it, Markus," Joe said, taking a deep breath. "But you lost this time."
Markus managed to stand up, although he was shaking. But the determined look on Joe's face was now a serious threat to him. In the fourth round, Joe caught a moment of vulnerability and started attacking Markus with a series of quick strikes. But this time, something had changed in Joe's eyes. He didn't just want to win, this fight was also confronting him with an internal battle.
Joe landed several hard punches on Markus' head in quick succession. Markus tried to resist for a while, but the punches were so hard and fast that no matter what he did, he couldn't defend himself. With each blow, the vulnerability in Markus' body became more apparent. Joe kept hitting him, as if he were pouring out his anger.
Markus tried to defend himself one last time, but he was so tired that his hands were still defenseless against Joe's blows. Joe tried to control his anger, but in a moment of emptiness, he threw another punch. The last blow hit Markus in the head.
Markus collapsed to the ground. At that moment, he heard the referee start counting, but his eyes were blurry and his body was now motionless. Joe took a step back in fear, but the anger and regret inside him could not stop him.
The referee quickly intervened and checked Markus. "One… two…" Joe took a step back before the referee finished counting. But he did not realize what had happened, he did not fully understand what had happened.
A few seconds later, the change in the referee's face made Joe's heart empty for a moment. The referee shook his head and took the microphone: "The blows made to Markus Volkov… The match has been terminated due to an emergency. Markus Volkov,… has lost his life."
Every word that was said echoed in Joe's ears. His punches had taken a person's life. At that moment, he realized that boxing was not just a sport, but could also be a deadly game.
All the sounds in the ring disappeared in an instant. Joe closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He felt like he was in a nightmare. He slowly turned around, but with every step he took, his self-hatred grew.
Gus ran towards the ring and tried to hold Joe back. "Joe, stop! You don't understand what you're doing! This isn't your fault! Don't blame yourself!"
But Joe just kept quiet and shook his head. "No, Gus. It's my fault. I fought him, I knew every moment I hit him had consequences… But I still didn't stop."
Gus tried to calm Joe down, but it was hard to stop the pain growing inside Joe. When Joe learned that Markus had died, he made a decision he would never forget in his life: The boxing world had to understand that it came not only with power and victory, but also with great responsibility.
Joe now wanted to use boxing not only to prove himself, but also to teach people how to take responsibility and achieve true victory. Every victory had a price, and that price was Markus' life.
Joe's life was now very different from his old life. This fight showed him that boxing was not just a physical struggle, but also a mental and emotional one. The loss of Markus had fundamentally changed Joe's perspective on the world of boxing. He was no longer just a fighter, but a man who was discovering his own inner journey and taking responsibility in every aspect of life.
And this was only the beginning. A new journey in which Joe would undergo great change was beginning each passing day.