The four-round challenge match finally began. At the start, both fighters were cautious.
After testing his opponent with a couple of exchanges, Jonathan quickly realized that Jason Luo's Punch Speed wasn't fast and that his lead punches carried little threat. With his experience, Jonathan immediately pressed forward with an aggressive attack.
Although Jason Luo had a slight reach advantage, he still came off worse in the exchanges. His Punch Speed was slow, while Jonathan was agile and sharp. Jason's lead punches failed to land, and his rear heavy punch was dodged every time, leaving him clearly at a disadvantage.
"Bang, bang!"
After another quick exchange, Jonathan landed two sharp jabs, scoring points before retreating swiftly, unwilling to commit too much.
Fortunately, Jason Luo's durability was solid—Jonathan's heavy punches barely fazed him. But the gap in effective points was widening fast. This couldn't continue...
On the sidelines, Tony Huo grew anxious. "Jason, fight! Come on! Aim properly!"
Raul quickly held him back. "Don't shout. You'll only distract him. Be patient, let's watch."
Jason Luo was getting restless too. Jonathan was like a pesky mosquito—he'd tag you twice before you even noticed, and when you tried to swat him, he was already out of reach.
Jason adjusted his approach, stepping into the center of the ring to control space and limit Jonathan's movement. He countered whenever Jonathan came in.
The change had some effect, but Jonathan quickly caught on. He feinted left, and Jason bit, throwing a punch to intercept. In an instant, Jonathan spun smoothly past him, breaking free and ruining Jason's plan to pin him against the ropes for close-range combat.
From the sidelines, Tony also noticed Jason's intention. But when he saw Jonathan slip out, he stomped his feet in frustration. "Damn it, he let him escape! Mr. Raul, do something—if this keeps up, Jason will lose!"
Raul frowned. "Not yet. Let me think."
Back in the ring, Jason tried again to pressure him, but once more Jonathan slipped away. It was clear this tactic wouldn't work. Worse, Jonathan kept scoring points while Jason tried to press him.
The bell rang, ending the first two minutes. No doubt about it—Jason Luo had lost the round badly on points.
Back in the corner, Raul and Tony quickly wiped away sweat and reapplied Vaseline. Raul leaned close and said, "Jason, that won't work. Your opponent is too agile and experienced. I've thought it through—your only chance now is your rear heavy punch. Knocking him out is the only way you can win."
Jason knew he couldn't win on points. But with his slow Punch Speed, he couldn't land his rear heavy punch at all.
Gritting his teeth, he pulled up the system panel and dropped one Free Attribute Point into Punch Speed. A familiar rush spread through him, leaving him sharp and refreshed. His Punch Speed had risen to five.
The second round began. Right from the start, Jonathan noticed something different. With Jason's earlier Punch Speed, dodging had been easy, but now the sudden acceleration threw off his timing. Jason's rear heavy punch nearly connected, forcing Jonathan to backpedal in shock.
This was strange—had the rookie in front of him been holding back in the first round?
Even though Jason's rear heavy punch still hadn't landed, Jonathan refused to take any chances. With a massive points lead already secured, he had no intention of letting Jason turn things around.
Jonathan adjusted his tactics. He circled the ring, picking moments to exchange jabs with Jason, but kept his focus locked on Jason's rear heavy punch. The moment he sensed Jason winding up, he immediately retreated to maintain distance.
Jason grew frustrated—his opponent was slipperier than oil. How was he supposed to fight like this?
Since Jonathan refused to fight toe-to-toe, Jason improvised. Dropping his stance slightly, he pushed off with his legs, swayed his upper body, and lunged forward in a pendulum-like rush, aiming to close the gap and force close combat.
The move was sudden, but Jonathan's experience showed. Knowing he'd suffer in close quarters, he quickly grabbed Jason's neck, pressing down hard while locking his arms tight to protect his ribs.
In that clinch, Jason's fists were completely smothered. Jonathan locked on, and no matter how Jason struggled, he couldn't break free until the referee, Old Joel, stepped in and separated them.
The second round ended. Though Jason seemed to have improved, Jonathan's borderline dirty tactics kept him from gaining any real ground. His rear heavy punch was still ineffective.
During the break, Jason spat out his mouthguard in frustration. "Mr. Raul, you saw it! That guy's shameless—every time I get close, he just clings to me. How am I supposed to fight like this?"
Raul shook his head. "Jason, now's not the time to get angry. Jonathan's tactics may be shameless, but they don't break the rules. He's very experienced in the ring. We'll need another way to deal with him. But this also shows something—he doesn't want to fight you up close. That's his weakness. Keep it up, Jason. You did well in that round."
Tony added his encouragement. "Come on, Jason! He's old—he can't match your stamina. Even if you don't knock him out, just wear him down!"
Jason shook his head. If this were a longer match, that might work. But with only four rounds, Jonathan wouldn't have much trouble lasting.
After a short one-minute rest, the bell rang again. Both men returned to the ring. This time, Jonathan abandoned offense altogether, settling into a purely defensive stance. It was clear he planned to win on points.
Jason seethed with frustration but had no choice. The initiative was in Jonathan's hands. He had to keep attacking. But twice in a row, Jonathan tied him up in clinches. Finally, even referee Old Joel had enough, warning Jonathan to fight more actively before the audience fell asleep.
Jonathan, however, didn't care. With victory so close, even losing a point or two for stalling wouldn't change the outcome.
As the third round dragged on, Jason grew desperate. In a sudden charge, he stopped short. Jonathan, already moving to clinch his neck, grabbed at nothing. He realized the trap too late.
"Bang!"
Jason finally landed his first rear heavy punch of the match, smashing Jonathan squarely!
Jonathan staggered back a step, his head spinning. Jason's eyes lit up—an opening! He surged forward with a flurry of combinations. But his rear heavy punch still lacked finishing power. Jonathan recovered quickly and, with his veteran defense, managed to hold on...
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