NOVEL NEXT Chapter 062: At the Competition
"Aragon! Must win!"
"Aragon! Champion!"
The social and cultural center venue was packed to its brim half an hour before the match. Nearly twenty thousand seats were filled across three levels, even the small open area around the boxing ring was occupied by media reporters, as well as tourists and Cuban wealthy who were willing to spend a hefty sum to watch the match.
Only ten minutes before the match was due to start, HBO's cameras had not been turned on, and the sports channel's host, Steve Mandanda, wandered beneath the stage empty-handed with yellow-brown sweat stains soaking his shirt collar and his forehead dripping with sweat.
The reason was simple. HBO was originally scheduled to broadcast this match and had already communicated with Cuban officials before arriving, agreeing to pay a broadcast fee. However, just before the match was to start, the Cuban officials suddenly retracted their permission, not allowing the broadcast of the match. Enjoy more content from empire
This sudden change left the HBO staff unprepared, and all the preliminary work was done in vain; both the host, Steve, and the cameraman, Sean, could only wait helplessly on-site as the higher-ups from the TV station negotiated with the Cuban government.
After a little more than a minute, an HBO staff member ran over and told Steve that they could continue to record on-site, but if Aragon lost the match, they would not be allowed to publicly broadcast the recorded tape.
"How can they do this?"
Cameraman Sean complained, looking at Steve, "Should we even record?"
"Let's record it! We'll figure it out later," Steve decided after a moment.
Amateur boxing matches were not popular in TV broadcasts because of the protective gear involved, less spectacular scenes, and the rarity of knockouts, which made them unappealing to the audience and uninteresting for HBO to broadcast.
But since Link had risen in the amateur boxing world, the situation had changed. This guy knocked out his opponent in every match, making his matches as intense as professional boxing.
In mid-June, the broadcast of the Golden Gloves Tournament super middleweight finals attracted over fifteen million viewers in North America, making it the highest-rated program in the broadcast of amateur boxing matches, with HBO earning a considerable amount of subscription fees through this program.
During Link's last match against the Haitian Pitts, blood was drawn, creating sensational visual effects. The Cuban TV sports channel sold the recorded tape of the match to TV stations across the Americas, earning over a million US dollars.
This time, Link's opponent was Lorenzo Aragon, who was even more formidable than Pitts. Because both competitors were well-known in the boxing scene in the Americas, many boxing enthusiasts were eager to see the match and find out who would win.
Where there was interest, there was a profit to be made. Commercial TV stations like HBO sent people to broadcast the match.
However, since the match involved the Cuban athlete Aragon and was set in Havana, Cuba,
if Aragon lost, it was not just a matter of winning or losing a match. It was entangled with more complex issues, which is why the Cuban government was hesitant about broadcasting the match.
Steve wiped the oily sweat from his face with a damp cloth, took out the equipment needed for the meal, and signaled Sean and several other staff members to prepare for recording.
According to the Cuban authorities, if Aragon lost the match, the recorded video could not be made public, but if Link lost, the video could be broadcast.
Link had been highly popular in America over the past two months. With his outstanding appearance, formidable strength, and bold statements, he had gained a large fanbase in the boxing community.
Plenty of people would definitely want to see even his losing footage.
Considering the situation on-site, Steve felt that Link did not have a strong chance of winning.
"Aragon must win!"
"Aragon, the champion!"
Steve's eardrums buzzed with the shouting from the spectator stands, and he moved to the corner with a microphone, addressing the camera that flashed a red light, "Good afternoon, dear viewers, I'm your old friend, Steve Mandanda.
The location where I am now is Havana, Cuba, a beautiful city located on the Caribbean Coast.
The last amateur boxing match I broadcasted for you was in Miami at the American Airlines Arena, the finals of the Golden Gloves super middleweight championship.
Today at the social and cultural center gym in Havana, I will once again broadcast an amateur boxing match for you all, which is the final match of the Olympic Americas Zone qualifiers.
After six rounds, from 18 countries, the competition among 62 Super Middleweight Boxers concluded yesterday, deciding the top two in the Americas Zone. One of them is Lorenzo Aragon from Cuba, who was the silver medalist in the 69 kg category at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games.
The other finalist is the boxer from Miami, America, Link Baker!
Yes, it was he who achieved the Super Middleweight champion title this year at the Golden Gloves Tournament with a record of 17 fights, 17 wins, and 17 KOs. In this Olympic qualification, he continued his streak by achieving all his wins through KOs, entering the finals with a current amateur record of..."
Steve glanced down at the card in his hand, "21 fights, 21 wins, 21 KOs, Oh, such impressive stats. He should have had one more win, but his opponent, the Venezuelan Boxer Alva, withdrew due to injury in the semifinals, allowing him once again to enter the Americas Zone finals with an all-KO run in 4 fights.
Today, Link will be here, facing the local Cuban boxer Lorenzo Aragon, a boxer whom 'Ring Magazine' rated among the elite amateurs. Whether Link can win again, let's wait and see."
Steve sighed, took a sip of mineral water—Havana's weather was too humid, and the gymnasium was even hotter. Working in a suit felt like torture.
"Steve, Link is coming out, do you want to interview him?"
The cameraman, Sean, pointed towards the entrance on the east side. Amid the shouts of "Aragon will win" from thousands of spectators, Link and his coaching team walked through the passage.
The seating areas on both sides of the passage were also packed with people, with about forty to fifty journalists walking and interviewing Link as they went.
Steve Mandanda took a deep breath, approached the group of journalists with a microphone and camera, and shouted out loud, "Link, I'm Steve from HBO, I interviewed you last time at the American Airlines Arena. I have two questions for you."
Link looked up at him and recognized this provoking fellow.
As HBO is a broadcasting giant and a major channel for Boxing events, boxers looking to earn PPV shares need to collaborate with HBO, so they usually give special consideration to journalists and hosts from HBO.
Link did the same, slowing his pace and asked, "Hello Steve, what are your questions?"
"About your opponent Lorenzo Aragon, how confident are you that you can beat him, can you express it in a percentage?"
Steve asked loudly with the sweat dripping from his face.
"200%!"
Link responded while walking.
"Wow!"
The surrounding journalists exclaimed in amazement.
"Aragon will win!"
The local Cuban citizens in the nearby spectator area shouted loudly, their voices swallowing up the noise created by the journalists.
"Link, I heard you would continue to 'kill' the match with KOs, do you already have a tactic, could you reveal a bit about it?"
Steve shouted.
"Of course, my tactic is to knock him down with full force."
Link waved his fist towards the camera.
"Link, I have another question. Facing over ten thousand Cuban spectators here, all chanting for Aragon's victory, does it put pressure on you?"
Steve added an impromptu question loudly.
Link smiled lightly, "You should ask Aragon that question; does he feel pressure competing against a guy with a record of 21 fights and 21 KOs?"
Steve thought about Link's response, realizing it indeed posed an interview-worthy question.
Link waved his fist again and addressed a few more questions from other journalists. Escorted by Morales and Andrea, he proceeded to the boxing ring's resting area to await the sound of the match bell.