AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The next three rounds were a complete blur.
The hits just kept coming. He was throwing more than I was, but I was landing mine. I was going for the side of his face and his ribs. We took turns pushing one another into the corner and taking our shots. The more we fought, the more I recalled the tapes of Leo’s moves and caught him off guard with my swings.
When the bell rang at the end of round five, I saw something in Leo’s eyes.
That cocky smirk was still there, but there was doubt.
Maybe even fear.
But it told me that he was giving me his best, and he was rattled. Maybe tired.
Joey and Butch were there, pulling me to the corner and cleaning up my face as Kingston clapped me on the shoulder.
“You’re doing it, brother.”
I nodded and tried to catch my breath before taking a swig of water.
“How are you doing?” Joey asked.
“I think he broke a rib. And my ear is ringing. But otherwise, I’m fucking peachy.”
Joey held my chin in his grasp, looking me right in the eyes. “We knew it would hurt. It was never supposed to be easy. You’re fighting for a motherfucking belt, Romeo. And you’re holding your own with this guy. Five down. Seven to go.”
I nodded but was also aware that he was getting in more hits than I was. “The guy is fucking strong.”
“No doubt about it. But you’re still standing. Your goal is to go the distance. No one goes the distance with this guy.”
I took one more pull from the water bottle and spit it into the bucket before pushing to my feet.
My legs were feeling it. Hell, my arms were feeling it. My entire body was feeling it.
But I clapped my gloves together when the bell rang, and I moved toward him.
The sound of the crowd faded with each passing round.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
When the bell rang at the end of round ten, the ref had to pull Leo off of me from where he’d been wailing on me with his fists after tossing me into the corner. I hadn’t been able to get out, so I’d taken the punches.
Over and over.
I stumbled a bit when the bell rang, and Butch and Joey were there. River was bending down in front of me now, looking up at me.
“You all right?” I could hear the concern in his voice, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that his face was blurry now. I’d taken a lot of shots to the face during the last few rounds.
But I am still standing.
Ten fucking rounds with this beast, and I had managed to stay up on my feet.
“You’ve got to protect the eyes, Romeo. He’s fading.”
“He doesn’t seem like he’s fading,” I said, as Butch put ointment beneath my eyes.
