"Richard, this time I'm going to break your jaw."
Down in the ring, Anthony Tarver bumped his chest against Richard's and said.
"You can't do that," Richard replied with a calm smile.
"Just you wait!" Anthony sneered coldly and walked up to the boxing ring.
Richard shook his head. This guy had gotten smarter, now playing psychological games. If the memory of a jaw injury left a mental shadow, it could cause hesitation during the match, preventing a full-on attack.
But unfortunately for Anthony, Richard's mental state was excellent, completely unaffected.
Ding ding ding~
The match began.
In the first three rounds, both fighters played it steady.
Richard slowed down his attack pace, focusing more on honing his techniques, much like he did against Glen Johnson and Clinton. Anthony, on the other hand, was also very cautious, advancing step by step.
At the beginning of the fourth round, Richard smiled slightly and said, "Anthony, when are you planning to use your secret move?"
Anthony glared at him coldly, initially wanting to curse, but suddenly remembered a rumor.
The rumor said that when fighting Richard, you must never respond to his words. If you do, you'll have bad luck, because his words contain tactics, and one wrong move could lead to being tricked.
"Better use it soon, or you'll miss your chance!" Richard said, bouncing on his feet, sidestepping Anthony's attack.
Bang bang~
Anthony threw two hooks, then retreated two steps, continuing his defense.
"Anthony's going to lose," Tyson said to his companion in the audience.
"How do you know?"
"Richard's mouth is poisonous. Every time he opens his mouth, his opponent ends up losing the match unexpectedly."
"I don't believe it!"
"Then just wait and see."
Bang~
As they were talking, Anthony was knocked down.
"Haha, see? I told you Anthony would lose. Richard's mouth is definitely poisonous," Tyson said, slapping his thigh.
"Richard really is amazing. His punch weight seems to be no less than yours."
"That's nonsense. He's nowhere near my level. If it were me, I could KO Anthony with one punch, leaving him unable to get up," Tyson retorted.
Sure enough, after being knocked down, Anthony got back up, but within two more rounds, he was knocked down again.
"Roy, how could you lose to someone as weak as Anthony?" A Black man in the audience turned to Roy Jones beside him.
"It's because Richard is too strong. His punching power and speed have reached the level of a top-tier boxer. It's very difficult to win with him in the ring," Roy Jones shook his head.
"Richard's mouth really is poisonous. What if he talks to me during our match?" WBO champion Richard Hall worried silently from the audience.
"Hey, Anthony, still not using your secret move? If you don't use it now, you won't get another chance," Richard said softly from the ring. If a fighter is knocked down three times in one round, the referee will stop the match. Anthony had one more chance, and Richard wanted to force out Anthony's secret move to see how much he had improved.
Anthony gritted his teeth, glaring at Richard.
"Box!"
The referee stepped back.
The match resumed.
Richard continued to press hard, driving Anthony into a corner.
At this moment, Anthony resorted to clinching tactics again, and just as the referee was about to intervene, he suddenly released his hold and threw a left hook from a strange angle, coming in fast.
Richard's eyes narrowed, and his chin shifted slightly to the right with his body, allowing Anthony's fist to graze past his nose, narrowly missing his jaw.
Impressed, Richard quickly slid back a step, and with a left hook of his own, launched an attack at a speed that matched Anthony's.
From his previous bout with Anthony, Richard hadn't forgotten his opponent's flaw—after unleashing a big move, Anthony's defense would slow down, leaving an opening.
Bang!
The hook landed squarely on the side of Anthony's jaw, snapping his head sharply to the right, sending sweat flying.
Richard took a step back.
Anthony slumped to the ground, leaning against the corner post.
"Wow~"The crowd erupted in cheers, and applause thundered through the arena.
Richard had won again. Before the match, given that both fighters had previously defeated Roy Jones, everyone expected a fierce battle.
But after just four rounds, Anthony was knocked down five times, with the final blow being a direct KO.
If even Anthony couldn't match him, who in the light heavyweight division could possibly stand against Richard?
Clap clap clap~ Many in the audience stood up, applauding and cheering.
"Andy, how about transferring Richard's management contract to me? I promise you won't lose out," Don King, puffing on a cigar, said with a smile from the audience.
Andy squinted his eyes and smiled, "Don, isn't our current partnership good enough?"
"Based on these last few fights, Richard's potential is no less than Tyson's. I see great things for him, maybe even making him the next Tyson or even a stronger fighter. That's why I want to strengthen my cooperation with him," Don King said slowly.
"Yes, Richard is exceptional, but he's also very independent. My cooperation with him is primarily on his terms, so I can't change the contract," Andy replied.
"Is that so? How about we work together? Maybe we can create a new era, the Richard Era," Don King said, raising his fist with a smile.
"The Richard Era?" Andy repeated the new phrase softly, a flash of excitement in his eyes. If they could indeed create a Richard Era, he could potentially become a famous figure in boxing history and maybe even a billionaire.
"We can discuss it further sometime."
The match ended, and Richard had gained another IBF belt. Unlike the previous two, he remained quite calm about this one.
However, the fans were excited. Seeing him with three belts, they roared and shouted "Champion Richard."
"Richard, congratulations on winning the IBF belt and becoming the first boxer to hold belts from all three major organizations at just 22 years old. You've made history tonight. Do you have anything to share with the fans?" an HBO reporter asked, holding a microphone.
Richard smiled lightly, "This has been an unforgettable night. I didn't expect to make history here. Thank you, Las Vegas, thank you to the sport of boxing, and thank you to all the fans for your support. Stay with me, and I'll create more records and surprises in the future. Long live boxing!"
"Long live boxing!" many fans in the audience shouted together.
After the match, Richard hosted a big party at the hotel as usual, inviting fellow fighters, friends, and fan representatives who came to watch the fight.
"Richard, you're really cool. Ever thought about doing music?" asked Will.i.am, the leader of the Black Eyed Peas.
"Me? I don't know how to rap," Richard replied with a smile.
"No worries, your street dance is cool, your boxing is cool, and mixing that with rap would be even cooler. Want to give it a try?" Will.i.am smiled.
Richard thought for a moment, "Why not?"
"Haha, great. My music studio is in Los Angeles. Let's chat sometime," Will.i.am said, handing him a business card before leaving.
Richard smiled. He had never considered being a singer, but he didn't mind making more friends.
"Richard, congratulations on winning the IBF. Now no one will doubt that you're the number one in the light heavyweight division!" Don King walked over, smiling.
"Thank you!"
"Haha, Richard, once again, I'm inviting you to join Don King Promotions. I promise you, if you come under my banner, all resources will be directed towards you. I'll make you the core, and together, we'll create the Richard Era. What do you say?" Don King asked suddenly.
"The Richard Era? Sounds cool."
"Yes, the '60s and '70s belonged to the Ali Era, the '80s and '90s to the Tyson Era, so why not the next 10 or 20 years as the Richard Era?" Don King said, raising his eyebrows, speaking in a calm and steady tone.
Richard nodded, "Yes, why can't it be my era? Don, that's a great suggestion, but as you know, I'm quite happy with my partnership with Starlight."
"Richard, you must understand, Starlight is too small a platform and can't provide you with the support you deserve. For example, if you were a Don King Promotions fighter, you would already be world-famous, and your fight purses would exceed a million dollars per match. Richard, don't you want to become a boxing superstar, a billionaire?" Don King said, grabbing his wrist.
"Of course I do! But my interests are quite broad. I'm not just a boxer; I'm also an actor, so I'm not destined to follow the same path as Ali or Tyson," Richard said with some regret.
Don King frowned, hearing the implication in Richard's words. "Richard, only those who focus can reach the peak of their career. Sometimes, to go further, we must give up something. I hope you'll seriously consider it."
Richard nodded, "You're right, I'll think about it."
"Haha, you're a smart guy. I'm sure you'll figure it out," Don King laughed, patting his arm before walking away.
Richard rubbed his chin, pondering Don King's words. The old man's advice had its merits.
But everyone has their own ambitions. Even if he became someone like Ali or Tyson, what good would it do? One was tormented by illness, the other slowly fell into ruin. Neither was an ideal role model. Richard wanted to carve out a path that was uniquely his own.
"Richard, what did Don King talk to you about?" Andy came over and asked.
"Haha, he wants to poach me!" Richard said bluntly.
"Really? He just said he wanted to buy a stake in Starlight, and now he's trying to poach you. That old fox," Andy shook his head. "Did you accept?"
Richard smiled slightly, "If I wanted to be a boxing superstar, I would have joined Don King Promotions a long time ago. But I have no such ambition. The current arrangement is fine. Although I'm not making as much money, it's still pretty good."
"Indeed. Don King doesn't understand you. You value your freedom more than money. By the way, the PPV data just came in. A total of 840,000 cable TV subscribers paid to watch the fight."
"840,000? That sounds pretty good."
Last time, when he fought Roy Jones Jr., there were 1.35 million pay-per-view buys. Having 840,000 this time was still decent. According to the pre-fight revenue-sharing agreement, after the management cuts, Richard would earn about $4.5 million in prize money—a nice little payday.
"Yes, it's quite good. Even without Don King, the future of the boxing world will be yours," Andy said, raising his glass with a smile.
"Of course!"
Richard smiled lightly, clinking his glass.
Ding ding ding~
His phone buzzed. He looked at it and smiled softly.
"I'll be right there!"
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