r18novel Page 241
Page 241
Victor gently touched his swollen brow bone and nose.
Last night, Louis hit him more than once, one of the few times during the game that made him feel dizzy.
The veteran's experience should not be underestimated, even if his speed and power are not what they used to be.
"How is Joe?"
Victor asked.
"The hospital examination results showed a mild concussion, a fractured jaw, and broken ribs, but nothing serious. His daughter's surgery this morning was successful. Thank you for asking."
Frankie patted Victor on the shoulder. "You acted like a gentleman and didn't humiliate him on stage."
Victor nodded.
He respects the sport and those who have given everything for it.
Throughout his professional boxing career, he has seen too many boxers lose their way in glory and ultimately become victims of the sport.
Moreover, even the champions of boxing can fall into depravity—ultimately embracing chaos and choosing to fix a match with an internet celebrity!
He doesn't want to become that kind of person.
Ten minutes later, they entered the press conference venue, and the flashbulbs immediately went off.
Viktor squinted, adjusting to the sudden bright light.
There were at least a hundred reporters in the audience, far exceeding the scale of any of his previous press conferences—it was just a post-match press conference!
Defeating Louis certainly propelled his fame to new heights.
Victor sat down in the center of the long table, with Frankie to his left and the event promoters to his right.
Sitting in the front row was a familiar figure—Joe Frazier, the former world heavyweight boxing champion, now a middle-aged man in his forties, but the sharpness in his eyes had not diminished.
Sitting next to Frazier was his promoter, Dominic Ross.
“Victor, last night in the fourth round after Louis hit you in the chin, we saw you were a little unsteady. Was that a tactical retreat or were you really injured?”
The reporter from The Ring magazine was the first to ask a question.
Victor leaned forward and spoke into the microphone: "Joe Louis still has a heavy punch, I have no doubt about that. Yes, that punch made me a little dizzy, but that's boxing, you'll always get punched, the important thing is how you deal with it."
"Did you originally plan to finish the match in three rounds? Why did it take four?"
Another reporter pressed for an answer.
"My original plan was to finish the fight in one round, and then have a whiskey for the remaining eleven rounds. You know, there are homeless people outside the pubs in London."
Viktor answered calmly, giving the reporter no face whatsoever.
Another reporter asked, "Blonde hair and big waves—three aspects of unassailable advantages, opportunistic theft, crossing the river and destroying the bridge, using someone else to do the dirty work... This is a crossover."
Victor then answered her question: “I am prepared for twelve rounds, and I respect Mr. Louis’s experience and defensive ability. In boxing, being too hasty often leads to failure.”
Frankie picked up the thread: "Gentlemen, Victor has just finished a tough match. Let's not dwell on the details of the past. What matters is that he won, and in a convincing way."
At this point, a Sports Illustrated reporter raised his hand: "Victor, we noticed that IBF champion Traudl was also in the front row last night. After the fight, he told reporters that your performance was 'disappointing' and 'lacked dominance.' What's your response to that?"
Viktor felt a surge of anger rising within him, but he managed to control himself.
Traudl, the boxing champion known for his powerful punches, declined a unification fight with him six months ago, citing "preparing to fight someone else" as the reason.
Now, seeing Victor fight Louis for four rounds and be hit by Louis multiple times, he concludes that Victor's skills have declined—yet he jumps out and spouts nonsense.
"Mr. Traudl has the right to express his opinion."
Viktor said calmly, "But I remember he was originally scheduled to fight me in May, but the fight was canceled due to preparations for other matches and an unexpected injury. I hope he is healthy now."
A soft chuckle rippled through the audience.
Traudl's "injuries" and his tendency to pick on weaker opponents are widely known in the boxing world as obvious excuses for avoiding fights—if it weren't for the IBF's strict mandatory title defense, Traudl wouldn't even be competing.
Frankie seized the opportunity to continue the conversation: "Since we've brought up future plans, I hereby officially announce that Victor's next match is set. July 3, 1988, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, opponent—"
He paused deliberately to create suspense, then pointed to the audience: "—Mr. Joe Frazier!"
The Frazier family is a household name in the boxing world. Joe Frazier once fought the fight of the century against Muhammad Ali, and now he is making a comeback.
But he's forty years old!
Frazier and promoter Dominic stood up and walked to the front of the stage.
Victor noticed that old Frazier looked at him with a complex expression—a mixture of respect and a hint of challenge.
The staff quickly set up another table on the stage and laid out the contract text.
Victor and Fraser sat down facing each other, with two gold pens placed between them.
Frazier was much older than Viktor, but he was also more slender, and his eyes shone with the composure and calmness typical of middle-aged people.
“I’ll show you what a real punch is, Victor.”
Frazier said in a low voice before signing.
Viktor smiled slightly: "I look forward to a great match."
Flashbulbs went off again, capturing this historic moment.
Frankie revealed contract details to the media:
"Both fighters will receive a $1500 million appearance fee, plus a 40% share of the box office revenue. This is going to be a fantastic match!"
The reporters were in an uproar.
A $1500 million appearance fee was an astronomical sum in 1988—Victor, Tyson, Traudl, and Usyk had each held the four major boxing championship belts for more than a year without a new champion.
The veteran boxer doesn't have many opportunities to fight these four.
The most prolific of them all is Viktor, who has already had nine title defenses in a year and a half – Usyk only had one every four months, Tyson only had two in a year, and Traud only had two in two years.
"Why choose Fraser? Is it because Traudl is avoiding war again?"
A reporter asked loudly.
Frankie replied, "We've always wanted a unification fight, but Mr. Traude doesn't seem ready yet. Frazier's team, on the other hand, has shown great sincerity and courage, which is the spirit that boxing needs."
The signing ceremony ended amidst much noise.
Victor shook hands with the Frazier father and son, posing for photos for the media.
He noticed that Frazier's palms were damp—was it from nervousness or excitement?
Perhaps it's a combination of both.
After the press conference, Victor had lunch with Joe Louis as agreed.
The location is a Michelin-starred restaurant on the top floor of the hotel.
When Victor arrived, Louis was already seated, with his wife and attending physician beside him.
“Victor,”
Louis stood up; his left eye was still a little swollen, but he seemed to be in good spirits. "Thank you for inviting us."
"Of course, senior."
Victor shook hands firmly with Louis. "How did your daughter's surgery go?"
"very successful."
Louis's wife, Martha, had tears in her eyes. "The doctor said the tumor was benign and it was completely removed. Thank you, Victor, for persuading the event organizers to pay our appearance fees in advance so we could afford the best medical team."
Victor nodded.
When the competition contract was signed, he requested that a portion of the prize money be paid to Louis in advance, knowing that his daughter urgently needed money for surgery.
This is uncommon in the boxing world, where most promoters would try to delay payments.
Lunch was served in a pleasant atmosphere.
Louis shared the ups and downs of his career and offered Victor many valuable suggestions.
"Be careful of people like Traud,"
Louis warned, "He'll never fight head-on, he'll just talk his way out of it and then provoke you into a fight when you're weak. But the Fraser family is different; they have boxing blood in their veins and will face you head-on."
Viktor listened attentively.
He respects old-school boxers like Louis who see boxing as an art, not just a tool for making money.
After lunch, Louis handed Victor a note: "This is my personal trainer's phone number. He's getting old and no longer trains with the team, but if you need to deal with Frazier's aggressive style of play, he's the best teacher."
Victor solemnly accepted the note.
That afternoon, Viktor returned to his home in Chicago to begin six weeks of targeted training.
However, the calm was broken by an urgent phone call from Frankie.
"Turn on ESPN, and Traudl is being interviewed."
Frankie's voice was filled with anger.
Victor picked up the remote, and Traud's arrogant face appeared on the TV screen.
He was chatting with the host, with the Atlantic City training facility in the background.
"Let me explain myself."
Traudl said to the camera, "Victor Lee chose Frazier instead of me for no reason other than fear of losing the title. Four rounds to finish off an old man? And he got hit multiple times? That level of skill doesn't deserve to be a world champion."
The host asked, "But you previously canceled your match against Victor citing injury and preparation reasons. Wasn't that avoiding the fight?"
Traudl scoffed: "That's a strategic adjustment. I'm perfectly healthy and ready to compete at any time. In fact, I've asked the IBF to force the title defense to take place within three months."
If he were truly confident, why would he set the date for early July? Why not with me? It's obvious he knows his own limitations, so he chose an older guy.
Viktor felt the blood rush to his head.
Traudl's distortion of the truth infuriated him.
It was clearly them who had been seeking a unification war, while Traudl kept delaying, and now he was turning around and biting them.
The phone rang again; it was a reporter from World Boxing News, wanting a response to Traudl's comments.
"A clown, no comment."