As Joe stepped out of the ring, the crowd's enthusiastic applause was still ringing in his ears. Everyone was talking about this young boxer nicknamed "Tomorrow's Hope". However, Joe's uneasiness would not go away. He realized that he was strong enough to beat Fedorov, but this was only the beginning. Joe still saw a goal in his eyes, a road that was still unfinished.
The training, the tournament, the challenges... All of these were just steps. What would happen next was constantly running through Joe's mind. Now he was in the semi-finals of the tournament, and his opponents would get tougher and tougher. But Joe's determination was making him stronger every day.
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Joe's next opponent, Thomas Blake, known by his nickname "The Hammer", was a very experienced and powerful fighter. Blake's fighting style was like a machine. Fast, powerful, and destructive. Blake, who had been in the boxing world for years, was a very tough opponent in the ring. Joe would have to use not only his strength but also his intelligence to win this fight.
"Are you ready, Joe?" Jackson gave him one last piece of advice in Joe's corner. "Blake is going to push you. But remember, your strength is not just in your muscles, it's in your head as well."
Joe nodded and replied without looking at Jackson: "I'm ready. I feel really ready this time."
When the match started, Blake immediately started to attack Joe quickly. Both fighters were attacking each other like arrows. Joe was initially impressed by Blake's energy, but he started to pull back and wait for the right time.
The first round was completely dominated by Blake. Joe had a hard time defending against Blake's powerful punches. Blake was shaking Joe's legs with every punch, leaving him no time to catch his breath. However, there was still determination in Joe's eyes. He was slowly trying to adapt to Blake's rhythm.
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In the second round, Joe's strategy was starting to kick in. He noticed Blake was slowing down. Joe was choosing each strike more carefully, watching for his opponent's openings, and quickly dodging the flanks. Blake was getting more and more tired by the second.
"Can you take more, Blake?" The words that came from Joe's lips only made Blake angrier. Within seconds, Blake's rapid right hook hit Joe square in the face. Joe was thrown back, shaken, but he managed to pull himself together. His eyes were blurry, but his mind was still sharply focused.
Joe used his greater agility to try to disrupt Blake. Slowly, he realized that Blake's left boxer was open. There was an opportunity.
On his next move, Joe pulled back quickly, then suddenly moved toward the gap in Blake's defense and began to shake his opponent with a right hook. Blake was thrown back a few steps. But Joe didn't stop. He continued to pressure Blake with a series of rapid lefts and rights.
Blake began to lose his balance under these blows. Towards the end of the third round, Joe noticed that his opponent's momentum was slowing down. Blake was getting slower and more tired with each blow.
Then Joe caught the moment.
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