Worlds’ Title Match (Prologue and Chapter 1)

Once upon a time, in the Prime Universe, in the Mutter’s Spiral (sometimes called The Milky Way), in the solar system of Sol, on the planet of Terra (also known as The Earth), lived a small, but proud, Mexican-American World Boxing Champion that could never be beaten.
He always emerged victorious and never tasted defeat or was ever held to a draw.

And his name was Rodrigo Jose “Peppy (Pepe)” Velez… The Latin Whirlwind.

Despite being of humble birth and a product of the working caste, Velez still managed to succeed without bowing down to Corporate Rule.

Velez was an enigma to the Corporations.

On one hand, they loved him because his contests drew vast amounts of money from Upper and working caste alike.

On the other hand, they were concerned that Velez’s unconventional success might spread radical ideas that even the comman man could cross over the the forbidden boundary that separated social status.

The Corporations tried in vain to knock the upstart off his pedestal, but Velez managed to defeat every Corporate crusader that they sent into the ring. Velez met all challengers and beat them… one after another.

Velez defied the Corporations attempts to tame and humble him as he crushed opponent after opponent. He vowed never to be ruled by the Upper Caste.
“Nemo Regit Mea Vita!” Peppy would proclaim to those that sought to conquer him.

No one controls my destiny!


It seemed that Peppy Velez was invincible and that no fighter of this world could defeat him.


No “fighter” of this world….


No fighter of this world… that is… until some unexpected visitors made their return after a long absence.



PROLOGUE



A Brief History of the World



Just after the turn of the 20th century, the world received its first visit from a race of beings known as the Acroydians.

Unlike the views of Mr. Welles, the purpose of the alien’s visit was not one of conquest, but rather of commerce. The Acroydians gave the Earth many special gifts to help their economy flourish; however, the aliens did not do this out of the kindness of their hearts.

In the world known as Terra (the Acroydian’s name for Earth), the Acroydians saw great potential. Although they were not as technologically advanced as Acroydia, the Terran race was the fastest developing world that the universe had ever bred. The Terrans of the early 20th century had reached a level of development and technology that took the Acroydians ten times longer to accomplish.

The Acroydians believed that within the next thousand years, the Terran race would far surpass them and become one of the major powers in the Universe. The Acroydian Empire could not accept that; however, their sense of honor forbad them from destroying a primitive world.

In order to combat the future Terran threat, the Acroydians played on their sense of greed. If they were given enough gifts and knowledge, the Terran’s world economy would boost to the point where they would become too comfortable and complacent.

As large corporations grew throughout the world, they discovered that it was not “profitable” to explore space. The Terrans put their time and money in the exploration of Inner Space rather than Outer Space. Instead of building space ships, the Terrans used the technology gifted to them to borrow deep underground or reach the bottoms of the oceans where they could extract much-needed minerals without damaging the environment or interfering with the aquatic life. Their technology even enabled them to make areas of Antarctica habitable.

Since there was no interest in conquering space, the corporations decide to conquer something that was more realistic and tangible… the world and its people.
The technology and knowledge from the Acroydians mostly fell into the hands of the wealthy who, in turn, became even wealthier. Democracy was soon replaced by the rule of the Corporations… namely a Syndicracy. Political leaders still existed but they were now reduced to either figure heads or Corporation puppets. The real leaders were Corporation Presidents, CEOs, and other Senior Executive Officers.

On the positive side, the Corporations united the world and put to end to hunger, and disease. Under the guidance of the Corporations, there were no World
Wars of the early 1900s and 1940s.

The Corporations took care of the needs for everyone, regardless of social status. The only unemployment that existed was the result of anyone that chose not to work. Everyone had a place in this Syndicracy.

The only problem was that once individuals found their “place,” they had a tendency to remain there. A caste system soon emerged in which only the wealthy and privileged ever ascended up the social ladder and obtained any positions of authority. Very few people of humble birth were able to reach the Upper Echelon. They were mostly reduced to manual labors or middle class office workers.

In order to distract the lower caste workers and keep them pacified, a great emphasis was placed on sports. Vast amounts of money were poured into sport teams, athletes, and franchises. Winning a championship for your Corporation sponsor was the single greatest duty that a citizen could accomplish. Those few that excelled in sports were the only ones of the lower caste that had even a remote chance to move up to the ranks of the wealthy… just enough to keep the masses in line and give them a ray of hope.



Over the first half of the 20th century, the Acroydians would return every five to ten years to see the results of the seeds they planted… and they were most satisfied with the results. Seeing that the Terrans were no longer a threat, the Acroydians had no further reason to return in the last fifty years.


Now certain circumstances have forced them to take one more visit.


The Professional Record of Rodrigo “Peppy (Pepe)” Velez
August 1, 2004 to June 20, 2021
Birth Name Rodrigo Jose Velez Saldana
Gender Male
Nationality US American
Alias The Latin Whirlwind, Peppy
Hometown South Barrington, IL USA
Birthplace San Antonio, TX USA
Rated at Welterweight
Current Ranking UBA World Welterweight Champion
Date of Birth April 14, 1988
Age 33
Stance Orthodox
Height 5’-9”
Trainer Willie “the Hammer” Watts
Manager Irv Steinberg
Wins 72
Losses 0
Draws 0
Amateur Log 67-0, 41 Stoppages


2004
Aug. 2, San Antonio TX, USA Miguel Morales W-KO1 (4 Rnds.)

Sep. 17, San Antonio, TX USA Jorge Palos W-UD4 (4 Rnds.)

Nov. 4, San Antonio, TX USA Ron Mendoza W-TKO2 (6 Rnds.)

Dec. 17, San Antonio, TX USA Rio Montoya W-KO2 (6 Rnds.)

2005
Jan. 14, San Antonio, TX USA Rodolfo Rivera W-KO1 (8 Rnds.)

Mar. 4, San Antonio, TX USA Roberto “Rusty” Rojas W-TKO5 (8Rnds.)

Apr. 17, Mexico City, DIF Mexico Julio Cruz W-TKO2 (10 Rnds.)

May. 15, San Antonio, TX USA Juan Mendoza W-TKO3 (10 Rnds.)

Jun. 24, Sacremento, CA USA Joe Valdez W-TKO4 (10 Rnds.)

Sep. 2, San Antonio, TX USA Hien Nyguyen W-KO2 (10 Rnds.)

Oct. 15, Pookeepsie, NY USA Leung Kwok Lone W-TKO4 (10 Rnds.)

Dec. 16, San Antonio, TX USA Marcus Sweet W-TKO1 (10 Rnds.)


2006
Feb. 24, San Antonio, TX USA Seung Kyung-Soon W-TKO8 (10 Rnds.)

May 21, Atlantic City, NJ USA Jose “El Gato” Sandoval W-KO8 (12 Rnds.)

(UBA World Batamweight Title Elimination Match)
Aug. 6, Bangkok, Thailand Kwanjai Kanchanchusak W-KO6 (12 Rnds.)
(Won UBA World Batamweight Championship)

Oct. 2, San Antonio, TX USA Jorge Palos TKO-1 (10 Rnds.)

Nov. 25, San Antonio, TX USA Kilroy White TKO-8 (10 Rnds.)


2007
Jan. 6, Las Vegas NV USA Manuel Santigo W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Batamweight Championship)

Feb. 24, San Antonio, TX USA Javier Estevez W-UD10 (10 Rnds.)

Apr. 17, San Antonio, TX USA Juan “Speedy” Gonzalez W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Batamweight Championship)

Jun. 18, Mexico City, DIF Mexico Pedro Gonzalez W-TKO8 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Batamweight Championship)

Aug 25, Rome, Italy Maurizio Castiglione W-KO10 (12 Rnds.)

(Retained UBA World Batamweight Championship)

Oct. 20, Las Vegas, NV USA Roberto Mendoza W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Batamweight Championship)

Oct. 25 – Relinquished Batamweight Title to campaign in Junior Featherweight Division

Nov. 28, San Antonio, TX USA Shabaz Kashani W-UD10 (10 Rnds.)

2008
Feb. 2, San Antonio, TX USA Eddie Pang W-UD10 (10 Rnds.)

Mar. 16, Bismark, ND USA Curt “the Natural” Hodges W-UD10 (10 Rounds)

Jul. 10, Mexico City, DIF Mexico Emilio Sanchez W-TKO5 (10 Rnds.)

Sep. 13, Austin TX USA Lupe Megilla W-TKO7 (10 Rnds.)

Dec. 6, Panama City, Panama Ernesto Duran W-TKO10 (12 Rnds.)
(Won UBA World Junior Featherweight Championship)

2009
Mar. 14, Chicago, IL USA Jackie “Dragon” Lee W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Featherweight Championship)

Jun. 8 – Relinquished Jr. Feather title and announced “crusade” to take Dejesus’ Feather title.

Jun. 30, San Antonio, TX USA Lionel Gregory TKO2 (10 Rnds.)

Aug 5, Boston MS USA Kennedy Coolidge W-UD10 (10 Rnds.)

Sep. 12, Philadelphia, PA USA Lloyd “Pretty Boy” Floyd W-KO5 (10 Rnds.)

Nov. 15, Phoenix, AZ USA Willie “Wildcat” Wilson W-TKO8 (12 Rnds.)
(UBA World Featherweight Title Elimination Match)

2010
Apr. 1, San Antonio, TX USA Roberto DeJesus W-KO1 (12 Rnds.)
(Won UBA World Featherweight Championship)

Sep. 10, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Jean-Pierre Matthieu W-KO1 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Featherweight Championship)

Mar. 6, San Antonio, TX USA Jackie “Dragon” Lee W-TKO10 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Featherweight Championship)

May 2, San Antonio, TX USA Clay Washington W-TKO2 (10 Rnds.)

Aug. 9, Tokyo, Japan Kiyoshi “Tsunami” Kanagawa W-TKO7 (12 Rnds.)

(Retained UBA World Featherweight Championship)

Dec. 6, Barcelona, Spain Sergio Moreno W-TKO6 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Featherweight Championship)

2011
Jan. 15, Atlantic City, NJ USA Eddie Pang W-KO4 (10 Rnds.)

Mar. 14, Buenos Aires, Argentina Mike “Thunder” Simcox W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Featherweight Championship)

Oct, 22 Warsaw, Poland Teodor Czarnecki W-KO2 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Featherweight Championship)

Oct. 22 – Relinquished Featherweight Title

2012
Mar. 4, San Antonio, TX USA Franklin Kerchaval TKO2 (10 Rnds.)

May 13, Brussels, Belgium Decker Wouters W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)

(UBA World Junior Lightweight Title Elimination Match)

Aug. 12, Seoul, South Korea Joo-Chan Yong-Shik W-TKO8 (12 Rnds.)
(Won UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

Nov. 18, Belgrade, Serbia Slobodan Michjkovitch W-KO2 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

2013
Feb. 9, Rio DeJanero, Brazil Juan “Loco” Koko W-KO1 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

Jun. 23, Cairo, Egypt Jabari Ozeki Khelfi W-TKO7 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

Nov. 10, San Antonio, TX USA Lenny “the Phantom” Fantos W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

2014
Jan. 25, Portland, OR USA “Rockin’ ” Ritchie Robbins W-TKO10 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

Apr. 13, Paris, France Henri Ladoucette KO2 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

Aug. 16, Las Vegas, NV USA “Vicious” Vinnie Vetelli TKO7 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

Dec. 13, Atlantic City, NJ USA Jackie “Dragon” Lee W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

2015
Feb. 28, Mexico City DIF Mexico “Rockin’ ” Ritchie Robbins W-KO8 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Lightweight Championship)

Mar. 1 – Relinquished Junior Lightweight Title to challenge McMurphy for his Lightweight Title

Apr 19, Dublin, Ireland Sean McMurphy W-TKO5 (12 Rnds.)
(Won UBA World Lightweight Championship)

July 25, San Antonio, TX USA Sean McMurphy W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Lightweight Championship)

Sep. 27, London, England Algeron St. John-Cavendish W-TKO5 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Lightweight Championship)

Dec. 20, Reno, NV USA Vlad “the Impaler” Drucolia W-TKO9 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Lightweight Championship)

2016
Apr. 16, Johannesburg, South Africa Deman Van Schoonhoven W-KO5 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Lightweight Championship)

Jul. 30, Moscow, Fed. of Russia Boris “Red Heat” Palatkin W-TKO10 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Lightweight Championship)

Oct. 29, New York City, NY USA Boris “Red Heat” Palatkin W-TKO11 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Lightweight Championship)

2017
Jan. 15, Camp Eisenhower, Antarctica “Sergeant” Rick Peterson W-TKO5 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Lightweight Championship)

Jun. 10, Caracas, Venezuela Raul Pagano W-TKO9 (12 Rnds.)
(Won UBA World Junior Welterweight Championship)

Jun. 15 – Velez relinquished lightweight title because UBA stated he could not hold 2 titles at once.


Aug. 27, Melbourne, Australia Bruce Hogan W-TKO9 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Junior Welterweight Championship)

2018
Jan.2 – Relinquished Jr. Welterweight title for bid to win 7th world title in 7 different weight divisions

Jan. 30, New Orleans, LA USA Tyrone “T-Demon” King W-UD10 (10 Rnds.)

Mar. 24, Manilla, Philippines Rey Guilledo W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Won UBA World Welterweight Championship)

Aug. 31, Las Vegas, NV USA Carlos Orta W-KO12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Welterweight Championship)

2019
Nov. 16, Las Vegas, NV USA Cord “Sidewinder” McClane W-TKO9 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Welterweight Championship)

2020
Jul. 24, Las Vegas, NV USA Raul Pagano W-UD12 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Welterweight Championship)

2021
Jun. 19, San Antonio, TX USA Erich “Uberman”
von Bieche W-KO3 (12 Rnds.)
(Retained UBA World Welterweight Championship)

Oct. 31, Acroydian Free Zone, Mexico Fighter X “the Ultimate”
(For UBA /Great Acroydian Empire Worlds’ Welterweight Championship)


CHAPTER I (1)



The Captain of the Acroydian Imperial Diplomatic Flagship put down his navigation charts and activated the view screens. He rubbed his double-jointed chin and gazed at the beautiful planet. It looked more like a marble… a big blue marble in space. They had finally arrived after the long trip of millions of light years and found this seemingly peaceful world. It was the first time that the Captain had seen Terra and was impressed. In some ways, the Captain was envious as it had been a long time since he had been to a world that had not experienced war in over a century. The Terrans may have been wallowing in their own greed, but it was effective in preventing them from killing each other.
“So this is Terra,” the Captain finally spoke. “It is more beautiful than I ever imagined”

“It only looks beautiful from a distance, sir,” said the First Officer. “Terrans are no more than economic gluttons. They’ve lost their drive and determination. They are slowly stagnating and they don’t even realize it. If we hadn’t introduced them to solar energy, they still would be using fossil fuels as one of their main energy sources. They would have been slowly polluting themselves until they became a planetary toxic waste dump.”

“Then it’s a good thing that we did interfere. It would be a pity if such a magnificent world slowly killed itself off. We shouldn’t mock them too much. Their laziness, lack of drive, and their worship of financial gain was our doing. Have they made any advances in space exploration since last we were here?”

“Very crude at best, sir. The only technology they’ve invested in are satellites for telecommunication. Even if they did decide to go that route, the best they could do is get as far as Mars. They have no concept of hyper space or light speed… except in their literay fiction. They are still barbarians in that sense.”

“I wouldn’t say that. They have accomplished so much in the last ten thousand years… more than we ever could. All that’s holding them back is that they won’t stop counting money or looking at profits.”

“That’s a moot point now, sir. Terrans think in terms of days and years instead of in centuries. As long as they maintain the decadent lifestyle that we introduced them to, it will be a long, long time before they are threat to us. For now, these Terrans are nothing more than the unknowing key to our total victory over our ancient enemies. The Arch-Graf has given us the highest honor of selecting us for this mission. When we succeed, we will be the greatest heroes that Acroydia has ever known.”

“That matters little to me, Commander,” answered the Captain. “As long as we complete this mission and still maintain honor, that is my reward. I’m too old for all this sneaking around and trickery. I grow weary of this long war and can’t wait for it to end. Instead of this diplomatic mission, I’d just assume be part of an all out attack on our enemy… have one last glorious battle and die with honor and dignity rather than perpetuate deception. If only the Arch-Graf gave us all the details of our mission before we left our home world. Now we are at the mercy of the Ambassador. Just between you and me, there’s something about him that doesn’t sit well with me. I won’t stop being apprehensive until our mission is finally revealed to us. All I know is that is not a mission of destruction, otherwise we would have been ordered to fully arm this ship.”

“Nevertheless, Captain, secrecy is vital. The Arch-Graf must believe that this is highly critical when he chose to keep us ignorant. It must be for a good reason. Who are we to question the commands of the Arch-Graf?”

“I have no doubt that we are all loyal to the Arch-Graf,” sighed the Captain. “I expect nothing less. I don’t command a ship of fools. The Arch-Graf selected a fine crew. We will carry out our orders.” The Captain looked down at the control panel and took a reading. “How much longer will it take before we are in range to communicate with the Terran leaders?”

“About half a rotation, sir.”

“That still leaves us plenty of time,” the Captain slowly got up from his command chair. “It was been many years since we sent envoys to the surface of Terra. It should be an interesting and educational experience for both races… another seemingly friendly exchange of cultures. Inform the Ambassador and his staff to be ready. I wonder if the Terrans have a worthy champion to meet our challenge. This Terran sport of boxing that every crew member was required to learn about is an entertaining sport but it pales in comparison to our own defunct sport of arena-brawling. The Terran’s championship belt is our key to victory. Now we must wait for the Ambassodor to reveal our champion. I will retire to my quarters now. You are in command.”

“As you order, Captain,” the First Officer saluted his superior as the Captain took leave of the bridge.

* * * *

The Anthropologist looked out the window of his hotel room and gazed upon the sky. It was a cloudy night. Perhaps some rain later in the evening?

Although the Terran’s monitoring devices did not, as of yet, detect the presence of the alien vessel, the Anthropologist knew, for a fact, that it was out there. He was not certain as to its actual distance, but he could still “feel” their presence. It sent a cold shiver down his spine every time he thought about it. They were out there! No doubt about that. He knew that they would return to Terra sooner or later… and now was the time.

It was a simple plan. Use the Terran’s ignorance and sense of greed so the Acroydians could annihilate their enemies without the Terrans being any wiser. Would Terra know that they were unknowning pawns in an ancient war? How could they know as they had no inkling of the real schemes of the universe? It is very easy to blind humans of your real intentions when glamour and riches get in the way. That’s the advantage that the Acroydians have when dealing with a capitalistic and materialistic world. The Anthropologist couldn’t blame the Terrans for that. It was a part of their culture… a culture that the Acroydians introduced. It was the Anthropologists job to study the Terran society… not judge it.

Unlike the native Terrans, the Anthropologist had a good idea of the game that the Acroydians were playing. He had been putting his theory to the test for years. Now it was time to see how well he knew his enemies.

A glance out the window down to the outdoor swimming pool showed all
the young well-to-do professionals splashing around without a care in the world. One particular young, blond girl, wearing a small yellow bikini caught his eye. He chuckled to himself as all the other young men tripped over themselves to try to get her attention. If only he could pursue a life of such bliss.

This was not to say that the Anthropologist had a miserable lifestyle. His superior intellect allowed him to gain the resources to live comfortably while he continued his study of the Terrans. Even with his vast resources, he was barely able to obtain this hotel room. Every place of lodging within a thirty mile radius of San Antonio had been booked solid for weeks. Only through great timing and a last minute cancellation were the reasons why the Anthropologist was able to get this room. It’s amazing how a big-name national hero returning to his birth town could draw such a swarm of people. It wasn’t everyday that the “working caste” could see a living legend at an affordable price. This was a far contrast from the contests in Las Vegas where only the “well-off” could afford the price of admission. Because the Upper Crust considered this bout to be insignificant, the preferred to view the bout via closed circuit telecast at their private clubs rather than showing up at the stadium and having to sit with the “rank and file.” As a matter of fact, this show was specifically set up for the working caste.

For years, the Anthropologist followed the little champion’s career. Ever since the Anthropologist discovered this great athlete, he never missed a performance, and today was no exception.

His ticket was on a nearby table. The event was a boxing match. A certain legendary world welterweight champion had come back to his childhood home town to defend his world title against the German National Welterweight champion. The fight was to take place at the SBC center, the home of the multi-winning NBA champion, San Antonio Spurs. The preliminary bouts, which headlined all local club fighters, would start at 7:30PM.

Unknown to his enemies, the Acroydians, the Anthropologist had the uncanny ability to sense potential greatness by merely looking at an individual. He had seen this “potential greatness,” by pure chance, early in the champion’s career. He had been following the champion ever since. Now the Anthropologist’s inner senses seemed to be paying off. This champion did, indeed, go on to do great things… some that none of his contemporaries could ever hope to accomplish. Soon, the Acroydians would catch on to this individual and make contact eventually. Rumor had it that the champ would announce his retirement after the bout. Others contested that he would keep on fighting. The Anthropologist had a gut feeling that the champ would be around for a little bit longer.

When the phone suddenly rang, the Anthropologist nearly jumped out of his shoes. He couldn’t believe that he got so wrapped up in his thoughts that he allowed himself to get startled so easily. He nearly tripped on himself as he ran to pick up the receiver.

It was the concierge desk giving him his courtesy call the the shuttle bus going to the SBC center had arrivied and the next shuttle after that would not be due for another half hour. Time had flown by faster than expected. It didn’t matter. He was anxious to leave.

The Anthropologist took a last look at himself in the mirror before he left.

His appearance was that of a short, middle-aged man with dark hair along the sides
of his balding head. It wasn’t a bad thing to look plain, because it made him more
inconspicuous.

He caught a blemish below his right eye. Some silver scales were starting to show. Quickly opening up a nearby make-up case, he took out the bottle of liquid skin and applied it to the area. Within seconds, the substance took hold and the scales soon became human skin. He rubbed his finger against it to check his work. It was soft and warm, and only the most thorough of medical examinations would reveal that the tissue was false.

He had lived amongst the Terrans for a long time and, so far, no one knew or suspected what he truly was. It was relatively easy to be undetectable when everyone around you was too pre-occupied with their own problems, ambitions, and concerns. If only the Terrans knew what their real problems were.

Overall, this world contained the most ignorant, self-centered, and stubborn people that he ever encountered… and yet, because of a few enlightened and caring Terrans, it made the entire race seem worthwhile. He could never understand why he loved this world that was his second home, or why he loved its
people so much. They were capable of such evils as starting global nuclear war (fortunately for the Corporations, it was not profitable) or banding together to raise money, food, and shelter for victims whose homes where devastated by a natural disaster. There wasn’t another race like them.

The Anthropologist put his ticket inside the breast pocket of his sweater and began his trip to the elevator, then to the lobby, onto the shuttle bus, and then on to the center.

* * * *

Willie “the Hammer” Watts put the last piece of tape on the hand-wrapped fist of his fighter. The representative from the challenger’s camp intensely stared over the old man’s shoulder to make sure that the job was being done along the proper guidelines. Occasionally, one of the rep would run his hand against the wraps to make sure that there were no strange lumps that would give their own fighter any trouble… not that their would be any.

If this was forty years earlier, it would have been Willie sitting in the chair getting his hands wrapped. It didn’t seem that long ago that Watt’s chest of flab was once as smooth as an ironing board. He once had muscles of rock and a chin of granite. It was hard to picture that this old, graying, black gentleman was once a successful light-heavyweight contender. He no longer had the speed or the razor-sharp skills of his youth, but he could still throw a right hand that could make a bull stagger. A respectable record and hard work got him a shot at the championship. It was a bogus split decision against him that was one of the factors that made his dream fall short. The other factor was the routine medical check-up that resulted in the discovery of blood clots that were slowly developing in his brain. Fortunately, the damage was caught early and Willie could still live his remaining years as a healthy man, provided he quit fighting immediately. The boxing commission agreed and Willie was forced to take an early retirement to avoid permanent and irreversible brain damage. After thinking about it for a few days, Willie agreed with the decision. He didn’t like it but leaving the boxing ring was in his best interest. He had earned plenty of money in the fight game and it would last him a long time due to some very shrewd and successful investments.

Now that Willie had plenty of time on his hands, he needed something to keep himself occupied. He occasionally volunteered to teach and coach boxing to young men as an alternative to them hanging out on the street and getting into trouble. He never took coaching too seriously until he met up with the young man that was sitting before him. Although, Willie was disappointed that his dream to become a world champion had fizzled, he did have the consolation of training a world champ… and possibly one of the greatest fighters that ever lived.

Finally, Willie turned around and the rep from the challenger’s camp finally saw the old man’s face instead of the back of his head.

“How’s that look to you?”

“All right to me,” the rep answered as he took one last feel around before he took out his marker and signed the wraps. “No sign of horseshoes here.”

A few chuckles from the camp followed as the rep made their way
back to his own fighter’s locker room. Even the champ forced a half-smile from his somber face. Even after all this time, the champ was still a bit jittery before a fight. He had a habit of remaining quiet so that he could concentrate and stay focused on his battle plan.

“Make a fist, son.” Willie instructed his fighter who obeyed. “Not too tight? Feel okay, Champ?”

“Si,” the champ answered. His face, once again, took its emotionless and cold as ice stare.

“Chill out, boy,” Willie gave his champ a playful slap on the cheek. “You’re gonna’ do fine… as always.”

“Ditto,” another handler said. “That’s right, Champ. The Vegas boys say that they can’t even get a bet on Bieche to win. It’s more about how many rounds he’ll last before you knock him out.”

The Champ still kept his intense stone face and only muttered, “Mis acciones son mis palabras, mi amigo.”

My actions are my words. The young cornerman heard it times. “Yeah, yeah… and never underestimate any opponent, no matter how much of a bum you think he is, but come on… you could take this guy in your sleep.”

“Are you that sure?” the Champ answered.

“Right on!” the young handler answered as he gently touched fists with the champ.

“Si,” the champ answered softy. “Right on.”