Chapter 421: Growth

Stephen held the phone anxiously. “Barron, I will explain to the media that your statement about retiring was just something you wrote when you were drunk. Just a dumb dare with your friends.”

“No, I really want to retire,” said Phillip in a somber tone.

“Barron, I know that the results from your recent competitions have been a bit disappointing, but this is just temporary. I believe it will soon return to how things were,” Stephen said encouragingly.

“How it used to be? Seriously? Even you don’t believe that!” Phillip replied.

Stephen was silent for a few seconds. It was just as Phillip said; even he didn’t believe that Phillip would be able to return to his previous peak condition.

“Barron, listen to me. Even if you aren’t as good as you used to be, you don’t have to choose to retire,” Phillip advised.

“What can I do if I don’t retire? Come last in every race?” Phillip laughed in a self-mocking manner. “I’ve had enough of feeling like a loser. Being the last to cross the finish line every time, looking at others celebrating, and scurrying off to the locker room with my tail between my legs.”

“Barron, listen, if you care about winning so much, you can enter para-athletic competitions. You don’t need to compete with able-bodied athletes. Going by your performance now, if you enter a para-athletic contest, you will definitely get first!” Phillip continued.

“Enter a para-athletic competition? How will people look at me? They might say, ‘Hey superstar, why is a celebrity athlete like you not competing in the world championships? Why are you here trying to contest the prize money with us, disabled people?’ If I did that, I would feel like a loser. I would rather retire, and at least keep a little of my dignity!” Phillip paused for a while and said, “You don’t need to try to convince me, I’ve already decided. I am retiring!”

“Barron, you really need to reconsider this carefully…” Stephen kept trying to convince Phillip to change his mind, but he knew that it was unlikely. To a person suffering from a physical disability, dignity might well be more important than their lives.

Sure enough, Phillip interrupted Stephen as he spoke. “I’m tired, not physically, but mentally. Now, being an athlete no longer interests me. It is a heavy burden, and it makes me depressed. Sometimes I even have difficulty breathing. I am exhausted, and I don’t want to keep this up anymore! I want to retire.”

After the conversation with Phillip, Stephen could only stare into space.

Phillip was really retiring. It was a bolt out of the blue for Stephen. This meant that Stephen would lose his primary source of income.

Over the past two years, Stephen had made millions of dollars from Phillip. He bought a big house and a new car, and enjoyed the good life with that huge income. However, that good life was coming to an end. Once Phillip retired, he would no longer have any commercial value. And as his agent, Stephen no longer had any reason left for existing.

“I’m finished! I will need to sell the house!” Stephen’s looked at the luxury furnishings in his villa in dismay.

He bought the villa for 1.6 million dollars. House prices in California were relatively high, and the median house price was about 400,000 dollars. His villa was four times the median house price. It was definitely a luxury house.

Buying a house was easy, but maintaining it was another story. And no American property owner could escape property tax. The more expensive the house, the higher the tax. If one refused to pay the tax, the government had the authority to take away the person’s house, and either sell it in an auction or sell it to a bank.

If the average American were given a luxury house, they still would not be able to afford to live in it, because they would not be able to afford the property tax. For example, when Phillip had an income of a couple million dollars per year, the property tax for that house meant nothing to him. Once he lost his income, though, the property tax became a huge burden. If he worked hard for a year, he might be able to come up with the money to pay the property tax, so the only option for him was to sell his current house and move into a smaller one.

…

“The famous para-athlete ‘Blade Warrior’ Barron Phillip announces his retirement.”

When Dai Li read this news headline, his heart felt sad and heavy. He couldn’t help but sigh.

“Coach Li, don’t worry so much, cheer up!” Ayres’ voice boomed. Ayres walked over to him with a smile on his face. He glanced at the headline and said, “These kinds of things, you need to get used to them. When I was young, I felt the same as you when I saw the athletes that I trained retire. The heart feels heavy, as if you just lost someone close.”

“What did you do?” Dai Li asked.

“Work. Worked like a maniac. I put all my energy and attention into my work. With time, you will naturally forget the things that worried you,” Ayres said. He then had a hearty laugh and said, “Which is why I brought you some work.”

“You really never come, do you? Go ahead, what is it?” Dai Li asked.

“It is about Taylor’s next fight. His opponent is Highfield. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about the rivalry between these two, so this fight is crucial to Taylor. Three years ago, Highfield used a delaying strategy when he fought against Taylor. He kept dodging Taylor’s attacks to deplete his strength. He knew Taylor’s weakness, and he was able to successfully exploit it. Seeing as he was successful in that fight, I think that Highfield will definitely use this tactic again in the next match,” said Ayres

He continued, “Physical fitness is Taylor’s biggest weakness. The way he fights uses up too much of his stamina. The longer a fight goes on, the more disadvantaged he becomes. When it comes to fighting an experienced fighter like Highfield, I do not think that Taylor will be able to finish the match within a short timespan. It is very likely that the match will go on for all 12 rounds. So I devised a strategy that involves him fighting all 12 rounds.”

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“However, while Taylor debuted over a decade ago, he has never fought in a match that went on for all twelve rounds. I am worried that he might not be able to last that long. I need him to focus on his physical fitness training, to improve his stamina. I need him to last all twelve rounds. You are a fitness coach, so this is your job!”

Dai Li nodded his head. “No problem, just leave it to me. I will personally take care of this. I guarantee that Taylor will have enough stamina to last all 12 rounds.”

“Don’t be too confident. Time is an athlete’s biggest enemy. Don’t overlook Taylor’s age. He is already a 33-year-old. A 33-year-old body, with 33-year-old stamina! He couldn’t even fight for all twelve rounds when he was 22 years old, and now, we need him to be able to fight for 13 rounds. Just thinking about it gives me cold sweats,” Ayres said.

…

A group of reporters surrounded Highfield. While facing the reporters, Highfield looked relaxed, as if he was a tourist on holiday.

“Of course I have prepared. Kevin Taylor is an experienced fighter. However, I am confident when it comes to fighting him. After all, he’s never defeated me.”

“What type of strategy have I prepared? I guess it doesn’t hurt to tell you; Taylor only knows a few moves. So, facing him doesn’t require any special tactical preparation. I will simply reuse the strategy that I used to beat him three years ago.”

“Taylor’s become stronger? No, no, no. I don’t think so. I believe that the reason why he has remained undefeated since his comeback is only that his opponents were not able to find the proper way to restrain him.”

“Other things I should look out for in the match? Of course. I need to protect my ears this time. I don’t want to get bitten again. I am considering whether or not to wear an earmuff, hahaha…”

Highfield was laughing arrogantly on the television screen.

Taylor was fuming in front of the television. His eyes filled with anger. Highfield was obviously making fun of Taylor for biting his ear when he mentioned wearing earmuffs in the fight.

“Kevin, he is simply trying to provoke you!” said a calm Ayres from beside him.

“I know!” Taylor took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

“Kevin, I hope that you learn to calm down. You have gone through a lot, not to mention that you have once again climbed up the ladder and reached the peak of the boxing world. I think it is time for you to grow up.”

Taylor did not answer. He just sat there quietly, not knowing how to calm down. He was still fuming.

Ayres frowned slightly. He didn’t know how to persuade Taylor to calm down.

Beside him, Dai Li suddenly said, “Kevin, do you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you. Why? What is it?” Taylor replied without any hesitation.

It seemed as if Dai Li was deliberately trying to change the topic. “Three years ago, the reason you bit Highfield wasn’t only because you were angry, but because you were afraid you would lose, right?”

Taylor didn’t reply. He lowered his head. He did not dare to look at Dai Li. It was like giving an affirmative answer.

“You were worried that you would lose. You knew that you couldn’t last all twelve rounds. Your negative emotions made you do something that was stupid. If you felt like you were going to win, would you have bitten Highfield’s ear?” Dai Li continued to ask.

“Li, I know what you are saying. I will be calm. I have faith in myself!” Taylor’s head still hung low. He had no desire to be reminded of that incident.

“No. What I am saying is that you need to have faith in me!” Dai Li said confidently. “Have faith in my training.”

Taylor lifted his head and moved his head slightly to look at Dai Li.

Dai Li had a smile on his face. Taylor felt a sense of calm when he saw his smile.

“If you have the stamina to last all 12 rounds, you will definitely win! This is because I am the one who personally trained you.”

On the side, Ayres looked at Dai Li. He felt a sense of familiarity with the unique temperament Dai Li emanated when he spoke. That confidence. It was as if they had already won before the match even began. Suddenly, Ayres felt like he was looking at himself from ten years ago.

Interesting. This kid sure grows up fast. He is becoming more and more like a proper coach! Ayres thought, judging him using the standard of a legendary coach.