Several days of targeted training pushed Jason Luo's understanding of boxing to a new level.
His belief in balanced development began to waver. When he discussed it with his coach, Pedro said:
"Human talent and energy are limited. Across the centuries of this ancient sport, boxing has never produced a flawless, all-round champion.
Take Deontay Wilder, the face of today's heavyweight scene. Since Lennox Lewis retired, he's ruled the division almost entirely through his devastating rear heavy punch. Many critics dismiss him as unskilled, swinging wild haymakers. But I'd argue this: when you take one attribute and push it to the extreme, its power becomes just as terrifying. Look at Wilder—no matter how good your technique is, if you can't withstand a single punch from him, what good does it do you?
And don't think Wilder is unaware of his own technical shortcomings. Why doesn't he fix them? Because talent and energy are finite, Jason. A boxer's prime is only a decade or so. You can't possibly perfect every attribute in that time. It's better to have a specialty."
Yeah, it's like everyone knows a monthly salary of 100,000 is far better than 3,000. But right now, my ability only lets me earn 3,000—not because I don't want more…
Jason Luo wavered, but his real issue was that his rapid progress mainly came from defeating opponents. Yet opponents in official matches weren't under his control, leaving his development path entirely random.
Free Attribute Points were painfully scarce. He never thought they'd turn out to be this precious…
January 2nd.
Jason entered the second elimination round. When Raul saw the draw, everyone gasped—the name was Gossagen!
In all their analysis these past days, Gossagen was the clear outlier, one of the opponents Pedro least wanted to see.
Gossagen, 26, from Sweden. Height: 178 cm. Reach: 179 cm. Weight: 76.5 kg. A madman in the ring, obsessed with Valero, who charges forward without pause, attacking with ruthless abandon.
He held an amateur record of 29–5, with 17 knockouts.
Tournament results so far:
– Preliminaries: 2 wins, 1 loss, advanced as reserve.
– Ranking matches: 4 wins, 1 draw, 17 total points, ranked 421st.
On paper, he didn't look like the strongest. But almost no one wanted to face a madman like him.
This style instantly brought to mind Valero!
Born in Venezuela, Valero was a mythic figure. His professional record: 27 wins, 27 knockouts. A perfect 100% KO rate.
In the ring, Valero was a beast. Endless, unbroken offense, never retreating even half a step—no matter the opponent.
Tragically, outside the ring he was equally unrestrained—alcohol, drugs, domestic violence… and it destroyed him.
In 2010, drunk in a hotel room, he killed his wife. Arrested, he hanged himself in his cell…
Pedro looked at the draw and sighed. "Damn it. Why him? All our work these past days, wasted. Against someone like this, tactics don't matter. It's down to raw strength."
Jason Luo felt the same headache. But the elimination stage was computer-assigned. No choice, no interference. If you got unlucky, too bad.
Seeing Jason nervous, Pedro added encouragement:
"Don't panic. The stats suggest Gossagen's real ability is limited. What's scary is his style. The key is stamina and pacing. If he can keep pressing nonstop, it means his conditioning is excellent. You have to stay calm, conserve your energy, and keep distance—pick him off from range."
Jason knew this would be a brutal fight. He could only hope he held on…
As he left the locker room, the familiar voice of Wollers rang out:
"Ladies and gentlemen, the knockout stage enters round two! The matches are only getting better. Now let's see who's up next!"
"Oh! It's Gossagen from Sweden against local boxer Jason Luo! My God!"
"How did these two collide? Gossagen's madness terrifies everyone. All we can do is wish the Wonder Kid good luck…"
In the tunnel, Jason finally laid eyes on Gossagen. Not tall, not bulky. But those eyes…
A gaze that radiated cruelty and contempt for life. No reason in them at all—just the eyes of a beast in human form.
A chill shot up Jason's spine. He shuddered.
Damn it!
Jason clenched his jaw, repeating to himself: Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid. He's still human.
When Gossagen appeared, the crowd erupted in cheers and applause.
To the fans, this madman was the perfect image of a fighter. His earlier matches had already carved him deep into their memories.
Jason studied him again. Aside from that unsettling gaze, everything else seemed normal. His behavior wasn't strange.
Before the bell, Pedro gave final instructions: "He's got great stamina. Take it easy the first round, conserve energy. Most importantly, don't get hurt."
After the referee's check, Gossagen even bumped gloves politely. Nothing unusual.
Then the bell rang.
Jason never expected that a moment ago "normal" Gossagen would suddenly explode like a beast. No probing jabs—just straight into a barrage of combinations!
The blistering pace left Jason scrambling to block and dodge with no chance to counter. Brutal!
Not only were the punches fast, but the heavy shots carried real danger. Jason could withstand some, but if he got tagged clean multiple times at that speed, it would be disastrous…
Forced backward, Jason's heart pounded. Unbelievable. First fight of the new year, and he drew this monster? How the hell was he supposed to win?
...