Chapter 494: Losses

"That big guy won again."

In the office, Shi Dong puffed on a cigarette, watching as Ison walked away, his calm face betraying a hint of dissatisfaction.

The intermediary for this boxing match was the Koda family, who had specifically arranged for "Steel Chin" to face Ison, with the intention of having Ison lose a round.

A casino's profits come from gambling activities, and the Koda family not only operated casinos but also managed all related industries, including hosting boxing matches.

Hosting matches and setting odds based on the outcome to attract large amounts of wagers was one of the things casinos did most often.

Ison had entered the Koda family's radar after his third match. They weren't particularly surprised that the Lanse family was keeping a boxer.

In fact, many gangs kept their own boxers; these fighters would not only participate in official matches but sometimes in underground bouts as well.

Either to resolve disputes or purely for the sake of gambling.

The Koda family also had boxers and managed betting pools for the ring.

At first, they hadn't paid much attention to Ison—or at least, they hadn't taken much notice of this young fighter—but once the Lanse family began placing heavy bets on him, Shi Dong, who was in charge of the gray industry for the Koda family, took note of the big guy.

Every victory represented a massive chunk of profit snatched from the company by the Lanse family and Ison's fanatical supporters!

Shi Dong couldn't bring himself to like such a character; even if Ison had a good style and always won, he didn't make money for Shi Dong or the family.

If it were an ordinary person, he might have used underhanded tactics, such as forcing the opponent to throw the fight, but Ison had gang backing and was a member of the Lanse family, rendering those tricks useless.

"How much did we lose this time?" he asked.

A staff member in charge of the accounts looked through the ledger, pushed up his round-rimmed glasses, and said, "About three hundred thousand."

"That much?" He licked his lips, his temper rising.

The staff member nodded, flipping through the ledger, "The Lanse family bet five hundred thousand on Ison, and they did it right at the start."

"We narrowed the odds later, but it was already too late."

"Steel Chin" wasn't actually weak; he had been famous for some time, and in terms of both reputation and past record, his data was at least better than Ison's.

What did Ison have?

A rookie heavyweight who had fought four matches, three of which were against nobodies, and one against a washed-up heavyweight veteran on the decline.

Strictly speaking, "Steel Chin" was the first heavyweight Ison had encountered who was still in his prime and had some reputation.

On paper, Ison was nowhere near his opponent!

That was why, when setting the odds, Ison's odds hadn't been too low.

It was right then that the Lanse family's five-hundred-thousand-dollar buy-in directly slashed Ison's odds, but the betting tickets had already been signed at the original rate.

"Fuck!" Shi Dong cursed.

"Can't we arrange a tougher opponent for him?" Shi Dong's gaze shifted from Ison's retreating back to the others in the office.

His look was unkind and ruthless, making his subordinates feel a slight chill on their scalps.

"Also, that 'Steel Chin' guy cost us so much money—find a chance to teach him a lesson."

"Someone like that shouldn't be allowed to keep boxing!"

"Break his legs; I don't want to see him in the ring again!"

A single sentence decided a boxer's fate, but he didn't feel he was being excessive, because he had lost a large sum of money.

A young man sitting on the sofa on the other side was Shi Dong's trusted aide. He leaned back, his posture very relaxed, showing he felt completely safe and at ease here.

"Ison keeps winning. More and more people will place heavy bets on him in the next match. We must find a boxer who can beat him—not just one who poses a threat; that's not safe enough."

Shi Dong looked at this trusted aide. He had provided much help in many matters, and Shi Dong largely agreed with his point of view.

"True. Do you have any ideas?"

"Or do you have someone in mind?"

This wasn't an underground fight; it was a legitimate boxing match. To ambush Ison in this kind of setting, they couldn't use the rules of underground fighting.

Both sides had to be at a similar level of fame. For instance, if Ison wanted to challenge a world champion now, no matter what conditions or price he offered, the champion wouldn't respond.

He had to keep improving his stats and earn the right to challenge before he could even attempt it, and even then, the champion might not respond.

If you wanted to ambush Ison, finding someone too famous or too strong would lead Ison and his team to simply refuse the match!

And the fans wouldn't think anything was wrong with that; knowing you'll lose and participating anyway isn't courage—it's just pure stupidity!

His aide smiled, "I'll take care of this problem."

Shi Dong nodded and said nothing more; he trusted his aide.

"This match definitely won't satisfy them. They should be looking to start the next one soon. Arrange it as quickly as possible." Shi Dong had guessed correctly; the topic of the next match had already come up in the minibus.

"Steel Chin was of no help to your improvement. That kind of idiot only gets famous by relying on his raw talent."

"What you need is to face fighters with more technique, ones who can create trouble for you, not some idiot who doesn't know how to defend!"

The coach's assessment of Steel Chin was terrible. At the heavyweight level, the outcome is often decided by two or three punches.

Even if the world champion came today, he wouldn't dare let Ison land two punches first, so this Steel Chin was nothing to worry about.

He had managed to build a reputation likely because he had been picking opponents with no fame or talent.

Relying on raw talent to build a reputation and then scraping by for some money.

Once he encountered someone with better talent—someone whose chin and fists were both stronger than his—he was completely out of his depth.

Looking at Ison, the coach's expression softened, "Your friends are waiting for you. Remember what I told you!"

"Alcohol will ruin your athletic ability, and sex will turn you into a weakling. You have a bright future in boxing..."

"I know," Ison interrupted.

!

He knew the coach meant well, but he didn't like some of the coach's ideas—for example, that he should cut ties with the Lanse family and focus solely on boxing.

His roots were there; he wouldn't cut ties with them.

If he had to choose, he could give up being a boxer, but he wouldn't cut off his brotherhood with them.

Sensing Ison's impatience, the coach said nothing more and had the driver pull the minibus over to the side of the road. Ison hopped out eagerly.

Watching the smile on Ison's face, the coach's expression remained calm.

He believed that as Ison's fame grew, as he became a celebrity and a socialite, he would take the initiative to bid farewell to his past self!

"Hey, champ!"

Hailamu jumped out of the car and slapped Ison on the arm, all smiles, "The way you hammered that bastard into the ground was too cool!"

"He was as stupid as a punching bag, actually trying to trade blows with you!"

Ison scratched his head and laughed, "He wanted to test how heavy my fists were."

"Now he knows!" Hailamu laughed loudly, and the others followed suit.

In truth, Steel Chin had been a bit careless. He didn't think a rookie would go all-out in the first round; it didn't fit the principle of energy conservation.

Most rookies would follow the coaching staff's requirements—that is, gather as much information as possible in the first round, use only forty or fifty percent of their strength, and save their energy for the second and third rounds.

So he was certain Ison's punches wouldn't be too heavy. Even if he took a hit, it wouldn't have much impact, and he could give Ison a hint: "You can't knock me down."

But he hadn't expected that Ison wasn't a traditional rookie. The string of victories had filled him with confidence. What the hell was the principle of energy conservation?

If you can't knock me down, I'll knock you down!

And so, when Steel Chin's fifty-percent-strength punch landed on Ison's chin, Ison delivered a ten-percent-strength iron fist right onto his steel chin.

Perhaps he was the real rookie!

Soon, Ison got into the car with Lanse, and they headed to the villa. They were going to have a good time today.

"How do you feel?" Lanse asked.

Ison seemed very relaxed, "These guys are too weak. They don't pose any challenge to me. I hope to challenge someone stronger!"

Lanse nodded, "I'll help you build some hype. But I hear it's a process. Your ranking in Laizhou isn't very high yet, but win two more, and you'll have the qualifications to challenge the top contenders."

If he could achieve seven wins, seven victories, and seven knockouts, Ison would be qualified to challenge the higher-ranked fighters, officially entering the real boxing world.

Ison smiled honestly, "The coach says I'm just experiencing boxing matches this year, and next year I should consider gaining weight to fight in the heavyweight division."

"At this stage, we might not necessarily sprint for the sub-heavyweight title."

He was currently in the sub-heavyweight division, one level below heavyweight, though the difference wasn't actually that large.

His technique was still a bit rough; this was a good opportunity to hone it.

Elvin looked back at him, "If there's an opportunity, why not try?"

"If you move up to heavyweight as a sub-heavyweight champion, you'll start from a higher point!"

Ison wasn't sure; he hadn't even been a boxer for a year.

Lanse changed the subject; it depended on the coach's arrangements and Ison's own feelings about the progress of the matches.

If he felt overwhelmed now, they would likely stick to the sub-heavyweight division for a while, or even consider dropping down.

But if he felt comfortable, moving up was inevitable.

"Alright, let's not talk about that for now. There are plenty of girls who want to meet you!"

(End of chapter)