Worlds’ Title Fight (Chapter 24)

Fullerton Pierce, Chairman of the Board and majority stockholder of
WesTech International Enterprises, as well as many other subsidiaries, looked
down onto his domain from his high-rise corporate office like any other Emperor.

He had every right to act like an emperor as he was one of the wealthiest and most powereful (and feared) business man in North America, if not the world.
His Corporate grip extended to many countries. No one was safe. He even
had a hand in the White House that pulled the string of the puppet known as the President of the United States. There was hardly a person’s life that he couldn’t ruin on a mere whim. Somewhere down the line, everyone answered to him.

Pierce was a cold, vicious, calculating, and ruthless individual. He believed that he had to be that way in order to remain the Corporate ball-buster giant that he was. He was as cunning as he was intelligent. Being a child of Upper Caste parents, he went to the best preparatory schools that money could buy to assure his admittance to Harvard University and later a Master’s Degree in Business Administration. He enjoyed the wealth and power that life had dealt him and he would use exactly those things against any presumptuous fool that dared cross him.

Almost anyone would gladly live in Pierce’s shoes, for he was a man that could get anything that he desired… but for all his wealth, power and influence, he had a thorn in his side… and that thorn went by the name of Rodrigo “Peppy” Velez. It was a thorn that afflicted him for many long years and no amount of manipulation or indimidation could make it go away.

Velez was nothing more than a Mexican cockroach!

Like all cockroaches, Velez knew when to be active and when to scurry away and hide in a crevice when there was danger. Just like those testable insects, Velez was a highly adaptable survivor that, time and time again, could endure any attack that Piece led against him. A cockroach is an insect whose species has lived on this Earth for billions of years… always around… never being able to obliterate them completely… no matter how many you step on… no matter how many times the exterminator comes to visit. Cockroaches can even survive after the fallout of a nuclear explosion… just like Velez.

Velez! The mere mention of his name would make Pierce grimace in disgust. Any conversation concerning one of Velez’s great accomplishments in the
ring would empty Pierce’s mind of everything except pure contempt.

Why this hated? Pierce had his reasons….
First, he hated Velez because the little beaner always seemed to put a
monkey-wrench in his plans. If it weren’t for that sneaky, scattering cockroach, he
would have total control of the world boxing circuit. It was that rotten Velez that spoiled everything and brought in the floods of independent backers that kept it out of Pierce’s reach. It didn’t matter that Pierce owned a great many of the hotels and casinos that hosted boxing events. It didn’t matter that he controlled most of the fighter’s contracts… most of the trainers and managers… most of the promoters.

For any other person, most would be more than enough… but never to a man with an insatiable appetite for power. Most was simply not enough. He had to
have all.

Only through total control could Pierce assure that things always went his way and that no one could usurp his power. While Velez was still around, he could never have that total control or have that comfort zone.

Pierce hated the movie It’s a Wonderful Life. He could feel the same
frustration that Mr. Potter felt when that bleeding-heart, George Bailey, was doing just enough to keep the millionaire from totaling controlling Bedford Falls. What the hell did George Bailey know? He worked all his life and the only thing he showed for it was a drafty old house, a useless uncle, a boring wife, and a stupid kid that didn’t know how to spell frankincense. How many times did Pierce pray, every Christmas, when he was subjected to this impractical sentimental drivel, that Bailey would finally lose it and gun down his family and a few other useless citizens of
Bedford Falls. Like George Bailey, Peppy Velez was a chump.

Power and wealth belonged to the sophisticated… the educationed… not an everyday peon. There has to be order and structure. The Upper Caste needs to
rule and guide the lower caste because, if these peasants were left to their own
devices and made to rule themselves, they would die within weeks. It was a very delicate social ecosystem… and Velez was totally screwing it up… much in the same way the rabbit was introduced to Australia.

Second, he hated Velez because he was in the same social caste. Velez
had no place in the wealthy elite. He had no right to be a self-proclaimed corporation. Pierce was descended of pure breed stock. His ancestors were Northern
European… not Central American sewage. Pierce’s forefathers were nobles that hobnobbed with barons, earls, dukes, and an occasional king. Velez’s forefathers were peasants that aspired to be beggars and thieves. Pierce graduated with an honors degree from an illustrious university. Velez was barely a high school graduate. He had to get a GED! Pierce was a mover and shaker… a captain of industry… a man whose decisions determined the livelihood of everyone that he employed. Velez was nothing more than an opportunist street punk that caught a phenomenal break… he beats people up for a living like a common thug.

Third, Pierce hated Velez because he stole away the only woman he truly loved… Jennette Marshfield. At one time, the two were lovers. It had been years ago when Jennette, fresh out of Yale, was recruited by WesTech International and personally selected to be one of Pierce’s personal financial analysts. Her intelligence and lovely physical features were not the only reason that Pierce pursued her, but she also saw the passion she had for her work. He molded her into his image. He taught her all the tricks of the trade. She became so shrewed and ruthless that her contempories started calling her “Dragon Lady” behind her back.

Just when Pierce was about to propose marriage, she unexpectedly resigned and refused any further contact with him. Pierce thought they were so much alike… so compatible… but there was a major difference. They were the same in the way that Jennette was an aggressive and tough businesswoman. They were different in the fact that Jennette did not take personal pleasure when it came to making business decisions that destroyed the lives of other people. These decisions were sometimes necessary. Business was business… but relishing in the misery of others was entirely something different. When Pierce showed that dark side, it scared Jennette because she feared that she might turn into the same type of monster if she continued to stay close to Pierce.

It was bad enough that she abandoned all personal and business ties, but the ingrate added insult to injury: she went to the enemy camp. Not only did she agree to work for Velez, but also agreed to be his wife! The thought of her giving birth to his half-breed children made him sick to his stomach. She once had a glow and a twinkle in her eye when she was in love with Pierce. Now Velez that stolen that twinkle. Why should she love that cockroach? What made him so desirable? Pierce was a much more attractive man.

Although in his mid-forties, Pierce was considered the ultimate eligible bachelor. He had a fair complexion. He had the auburn hair with the touch of grey at the temples. He stood tall at over six feet four inches where Velez was barely five feet and nine inches. He was a noble prince whereas Velez was a glorified street hoodlum. The thing that ate Pierce the most was that he knew that he could make love to her better than that Mexican cockroach. He could satisfy her in ways she never dreamed possible, while all Velez could do was grunt and snort under the
sheets like the filthy little pig he was.

If Pierce stopped being so full of himself and done his homework, he
would have figured out the real reason why she left him. Although he was
handsome, wealthy, and powerful, Jennette suddenly became turned off when she saw his evil heart. She saw that he was the type of man that would destroy something or someone if he couldn’t possess and control it himself. Jennette feared that remaining in his presence would turn her into a cold and unfeeling person. She wasn’t willing to cash in her soul for material possessions, status, and power. Pierce was unable to show her love through simple things such as being kind and generous to others… virtues that his sophisticated upbringing never gave him…. which was the fourth reason why he hated Velez….

He was jealous that, despite Velez’s humble upbringing, the cockroach managed to be virtuous… something Pierce could never be no matter how hard he tried. Pierce hated Velez because he was kind and generous to people below his station. Pierce hated Velez because he would use his wealth to live a carefree, happy-go-lucky lifestyle while Pierce’s wealth was flooded with stress, pressure, responsible, and never-ending decisions and business meetings.

Fifth, Pierce hated Velez because he loved his fans and they loved him back. He hated every time those commentators that had to praise Velez’s name everytime the champ walked into the ring. Here comes the champ, Peppy Velez. He’s a great fighter… that Peppy Velez. Did I already mention that he was a great fighter? They never called him Rodrigo Velez. It was always “Peppy” Velez… and if they wanted to call him by his middle name, the very least they could do was pronounce it correctly. It was “Pepe” Velez…
not “Peppy” Velez… Morons! It always had to be Peppy!

Peppy! Peppy! Peppy! Peppy! Peppy!

What a stupid name!

Those stupid commentators had to slip that name in every chance they got… as if the world would forget if they neglected to repeat that name after five seconds. This will be a twelve round fight here at Madison Square Garden with… Peppy Velez. Did I say… Peppy Velez? I love saying the name so much that I think
I’ll say it again…. Peppy Velez! Peppy Velez!

It was like those ass-kissing sports commentators got a hard-on and creamed in their pants every time Velez scored a decent combination. Why didn’t they just have sex with him and be done with it? No one dared speak ill of the cockroach. Anyone that talked bad about Velez was labeled as a racist. How dare anyone pick on poor Peppy! Sure… give that wetback everything. Give all those minorities in boxing the big contracts and title belts. It was a dark day (literally) when Jack Johnson won the world heavyweight title and the sport went downhill ever since. After that, it was nothing but praise for the likes of Louis, Robinson, and Ali while great white fighters like Marciano, Dempsey, Jimmy Wilde, and Barney Ross were ignored as a bunch of journeymen bums… typical!

Velez caught lightning in a bottle. Living legend… what a joke! Velez could strut around anywhere like a peacock and everyone would just flock around and adore him!

Perhaps Pierce could live with that. He could even live with the fact that Velez’s claim to fame and fortune was being an overpaid fighter. What he couldn’t live with was that after the two died, it would be Velez’s name that would be remembered and uttered from people’s lips and not his own. Velez’s legacy would
grow to tall tales much like Davey Crockett, Casey Jones, and Pecos Bill… while
the name of Fullerton Pierce would fade into obscurity.

Finally, he hated Velez because there was nothing that he could do to finish off that cockroach. Having Velez killed would only make him a martyr. He
couldn’t have Velez stripped of his world title because he was worth too much money to the Unified Boxing Association. Velez couldn’t be blackmailed because he lived the life of a saint and there was no fuel to use against him that could shatter his good image. He didn’t cheat on his taxes. He didn’t fool around with married women or under-age girls. He never got into brawls outside the ring. He never sexually assaulted, battered, or raped a woman. He was never involved with drugs or prostitutes. He never drove a car while intoxicated
Any attempt to defame Velez’s character would come back to bite Pierce
three-fold and Pierce could not afford to have his own image tarnished while trying to tarnish someone else’s. If he were to take out Velez, he would have to do it in the ring… and do it convincingly as well! That was easier said than done.

Many fighters tried and every time, Velez scored a knockout or took the winning end of a convincing decision. Pierce had many fighters try to take down the “seemingly” unbeatable Velez… to no avail! Every time, Velez would chalk up one for the win column while Pierce had to spend more money to find another challenger to defeat Velez. The fact that Velez failed to win a gold medal at the hands of DeJesus didn’t put out the cockroach’s fire… Velez only came back with a vengeance and took DeJesus’ title years later.
Jackie “the Dragon” Lee, a world champion martial artist turned boxer, and who had, pound-for-pound, a punch almost as hard as Velez, couldn’t get the job done even after three tries. Sean McMurphy, whose honor and desire to win was as great as Velez’s, couldn’t overcome that cockroach. Ironically, McMurphy, one of the people that fought Velez the best, was not on Pierce’s payroll.
Then there was Carlos Orta. Pierce came so damn close to victory with that Cuban…. Almost! Where did Velez get that last burst of energy to knock out Orta? If only the Cuban weathered the Latin Whirlwind for a few more seconds. If Orta had survived that round, he would have dethroned that cockroach… but Velez pulled the old double-cross and destroyed Pierce’s visions of grandeur.
Orta… damn him… he was so close… so damn close. Pierce almost had the last laugh… almost… almost. Almost! Unfortunately, almost only counts when you’re pitching horse shoes or throwing a hand grenade!
Today, Pierce had to accept bad news and good news.
The bad news was, that after all these years, he finally had to come to terms with the fact that no fighter on this world could beat Peppy Velez.

“No fighter… of this world… that is.…” Pierce thought to himself as a
sinister smile emerged on his face. “Not of… this world… indeed.”

And that was the good news….
Pierce was risking much by throwing in with the Acroydians, but it was
worth the gamble to finally dethrone Velez and humble that cockroach once and for all. He couldn’t wait to see Fighter X wipe the smile off Velez’s face. He couldn’t wait to see the look of defeat as Velez would fail to have the referee raise his arm in victory for the first time… and having to watch Fighter X’s arm raised instead!

How delicious!

“Mr. Piece,” the young secretary’s voice form the intercom interrupted his thoughts of retribution. “The Acroydian Ambassador and his party are here.”

“Thank you, Sabrina,” Pierce answered. “Show them in at once.”

Fullerton Pierce stood in the middle of his office and smiled as he waited for the doors to open so he could greet his new business partners.