Akira fixed his determined gaze on his coach. "Let me fight, coach," he said, the ambition in his voice unmistakable.

The coach frowned and shook his head. "I told you, Akira. You're not ready to face such an experienced opponent yet."

Akira's insides boiled with anger. "So, are we just going to let the gym close down? What about your daughter? Can you keep paying for her hospital bills? This gym is our only source of income, coach!" His voice trembled, but he had no intention of backing down.

The coach paused for a moment, a shadow darkening his eyes. "So what should I do? Send you in there to die? This fight isn't even legal; there's a 30-kilo weight difference, and your opponent is a former regional champion. I can't let you die in this ridiculous underground match."

Akira gritted his teeth. "But, coach..."

The coach cut him off sharply. "Enough! Let it go."

The coach's words hit Akira like a knife to the heart. Was everything really going to end here? Was he going to watch the man who had been like a father to him since childhood surrender in defeat? Was he supposed to give up on the gym where he had poured his sweat and nurtured his dreams?

Looking at his coach with silent fury, Akira spoke through gritted teeth. "When you face a wall, you break through it. That's what you told me, coach. And now you're standing helpless in front of that very wall." His eyes filled with tears, but he clenched his trembling hands into fists, trying to suppress them. As the coach's harsh words echoed in his ears, he stormed out of the gym. "Boxing won't leave me, and I won't leave it," he thought.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. With trembling hands, he dialed the number. The person he was calling was the fight organizer, Karim.

Karim’s voice was mocking. "Hey! Is it our scared little boxer calling? I thought you'd back out of the fight. Did you call to bark like your master's dog?"

Akira took a deep breath. "Shut up and listen to me. You said even if I lose, I'd get at least a thousand dollars, right?"

Karim's laughter echoed through the phone. "What? Are you going to fight? HAHAHA! Does the old man know about this? Or is the little guy dreaming big?"

Akira, growing impatient, replied, "Shut up and answer the question."

Karim's tone grew calmer. "Don't worry, little man. You'll get a thousand dollars even if you lose. But if you win, ten thousand dollars."

Akira took a deep breath, closing his eyes to feel the air of the gym. The years spent with his coach, the hours of training, the coach’s struggle for his sick daughter... Slowly, he spoke. "Tell me the place and time. I'll be there."

---

A week later, Akira had made up his mind. During that time, he hadn't seen his coach and had trained on his own. The night of the fight arrived, and there he stood, all courage, at the door of the venue.

He pushed the door open slowly, and the sounds rising from the end of the massive corridor greeted him. His steps were slow but determined. As he walked toward the light at the end of the corridor, the applause and cheers grew louder. When he finally reached the main hall where the fight would take place, the smell of heavy cigarette smoke and alcohol burned his nose. His eyes swept the crowd gathered under the dim lights. People were placing bets at the tables, and two men were fighting in the ring. For a moment, Akira felt fear. He had fought many times before, but this was different. This was hell.

When Karim spotted Akira, he walked toward him briskly. "Well, well, well! I didn’t actually think you’d show up." His mocking smile never left his face.

Akira glared at him, gritting his teeth. "Get my money ready. This will be the fighter's last day."

Karim snickered. "You know he's a big-time champion. The audience is already bored of him knocking people out with a single punch."

A shiver ran down Akira's spine. "Knocking people out with one punch?" he thought. What kind of monster was he facing?

Karim continued to taunt, rubbing his hands together. "Your fight is next, so you'd better be ready. It’s the main event of the night. Just try to stay alive for at least a minute, will you?"

---

It was Akira's turn to fight. Wrapping the worn cloths around his hands, he stepped into the arena. The ground was a mixture of dirt and sand. This wasn’t a ring—it was an arena. Each step slowed him down as he felt the weight of the floor.

Karim grabbed the microphone and spoke amid the roaring cheers. "Alright, folks! Are you ready for the biggest fight of the night?"

The crowd erupted in screams and applause.

Karim continued, "Here he is, the beast you've all been waiting for! Nineteen wins, all by knockout! Three people have died in this very arena! I give you... CAAAAANNOOOOONBAAAAALL!"

The crowd went wild. When Akira saw his opponent, he couldn’t believe his eyes. This man was a beast! He stood almost two meters tall, his body resembling a cannonball. They had told him there was a 30-kilo weight difference, but Akira was certain this man outweighed him by at least 60 kilos.

As Cannonball slowly made his way to the ring, Karim grabbed the microphone again. "AND ON THE OTHER SIDE... WHO CARES WHO'S ON THE OTHER SIDE? HE’S GONNA DIE TONIGHT ANYWAY!"

The crowd erupted into cheers again. Akira cursed under his breath at Karim. "I’ll make you pay for this," he whispered. "If I survive, that is..."

The bell rang, and the fight began. Akira immediately kept his distance. His plan was to analyze his opponent’s style. "A guy this big has to be slower than me," he thought. In a mocking tone, he called out to him. "Cannonball? Are they talking about that gut of yours? Or did you get fat by eating your opponents?"

Cannonball stepped forward with his right foot and at the same time threw a massive right hook. Akira barely ducked in time and landed a punch to his stomach. But Cannonball’s body was like a wall; the layer of fat absorbed everything.

Throughout the fight, Cannonball kept advancing with heavy steps, throwing hooks. Akira could only dodge and land punches on the giant man's belly, but none of it seemed to have any effect.

---

When the first round ended, Akira returned to his corner, out of breath. Cannonball still looked full of energy. As Karim egged him on, Akira stared at the ground in silence. "Oh, coach, I wish you were here..."

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

Suddenly, he was startled by a familiar voice from behind him. "Don't talk like I'm dead, you idiot!" As soon as Akira heard his coach's voice, he turned around. His coach was standing there, glaring at him as usual.

"Coach? What are you doing here?" Akira asked in shock.

The coach raised his voice in anger, "Did you think I wouldn’t figure out where you’d be? I couldn’t find you anywhere for a whole week. I’ll make sure to give you a proper scolding after this fight. But since you’re already in the ring… you’d better beat that guy up good."

Akira replied in a tired tone, "Easier said than done. I've hit him countless times, but it’s not working. It’s like hitting a wall."

The coach, irritated, retorted, "You idiot, have you forgotten? When you face a wall..."

Akira responded with determination, "You break through it."

---

The bell rang, and the second round began.

Cannonball sneered as he spoke, "So, is that old man the one from the rumors? The undefeated one who’s retired now and runs a gym? Heard he gave up fighting for some nonsense about starting a family. How pathetic."

As Cannonball spoke, Akira threw a punch to his face. With his height, it was an opportunity not to miss, but Cannonball continued talking as if nothing had happened.

Cannonball said, "I also heard he's got a pretty daughter. Maybe after I beat you, I’ll have some fun with her."

Akira, furious, shouted, "You bastard!" and charged at Cannonball.

The coach warned sternly, "He’s trying to provoke you! Get a grip, Akira!"

Akira said, "Don't worry, coach..."

Cannonball threw a hook with all his might, trying to use the momentum of his charge to his advantage. As he pulled back to throw the punch, Akira slipped under the hook to his right and delivered a punch to his stomach.

Determined, Akira said, "You trained me."

Several more rounds passed this way, with Akira repeatedly hitting the same spot. The bell rang, signaling the end of the fourth round.

Karim shouted angrily, "What are you doing, you idiot? Can't you see what he's planning? He's trying to weaken you by hitting the same spot over and over again. Are you really going to fall for such a trick?"

Cannonball, confident, replied, "Don't worry, boss. I've been studying where and how he's been hitting during these four rounds, waiting for him to wear out. All he can do is keep hitting the same spot, and now he's out of energy. This round will be his end."

The bell rang, and the fifth round began.

Angrily, Akira said, "You look confident, you pig..."

Cannonball kept charging forward and throwing hooks. I continued punching his stomach the same way until he pulled back for another hook. Thinking he'd throw the punch, I tried to dodge, but he stopped his fist midway and caught me wide open.

"You fell into my trap, you fool!" Cannonball shouted.

Or at least he thought so. Taking advantage of my opening, I threw a high overhand punch. Since the moment I talked to the coach, I had been expecting a big punch like this. By constantly hitting the same spot, I tricked him into thinking I’d keep doing it, and finally, he fell into my trap. Dodging his punch, I moved entirely to his side and landed a powerful punch to his diaphragm. No matter how big someone is, no living being can stay standing after a diaphragm punch. Cannonball, gasping for breath and shocked by the sudden punch, stumbled and froze in place.

Deciding it was time to shine, Akira said, "Time to shine, motherfucker!"

I threw a Superman Punch right to Cannonball’s face. With this blow, Cannonball fell to the ground, and I climbed on top of him, continuing to punch him while he was down. There were no boxing rules in this arena, and no one could stop me. My fists were covered in blood; I had punched so much that I couldn't feel my hands anymore. I didn’t know if this blood was mine or my opponent's, but I kept punching relentlessly.

The coach grabbed my arms, trying to pull me away. "Stop, Akira! You'll kill him! You’ve won, you can stop now," he said.

Panting, Akira said, "I-I won?"

I was so exhausted that I had blacked out for a few seconds without realizing it. When I came to, I could hear the crowd’s roars.

The coach said, "Let’s get out of here."

I put my arm around the coach’s shoulder and used him for support as I walked. But before we could even step out of the arena, Karim blocked our way.

Angrily, Karim said, "Where do you think you’re going?"

Exhausted, Akira said, "I'm too tired to listen to your crap right now, so give me my money and get lost."

Mockingly, Karim said, "Your money? Oh yes, here’s your thousand dollars."

Surprised, Akira said, "A thousand dollars? Didn't you say I'd win ten thousand if I won?"

The coach said, "Forget it, Akira, let’s get out of here."

Karim, taunting, said, "Hold on, old man. Where do you think you’re going? Or should I call you Coach?"

Surprised, Akira said, "What’s going on, coach?"

With a cold smile, Karim said, "Of course, you wouldn’t know. The coach and I used to be quite close—so close that we promised each other we’d go to the national tournament together."

Curious, Akira asked, "National tournament? Were you a boxer too, Karim?"

Bitterly, Karim replied, "I was a boxer, until that old man next to you made sure I couldn’t fight anymore."

Shocked, Akira asked, "The coach?"

Karim, filled with anger and bitterness, said, "Yeah, I guess he didn’t tell you everything, kid. How's my daughter doing, old friend? I’ve heard she's not doing well lately."

Angrily, the coach said, "Don’t you dare say her name, you scum!" I could see the coach trying to hold himself back; I had never seen him this angry before.

Coldly, Karim said, "Why? Did you think marrying my girlfriend meant she became your daughter?"

With teary eyes, the coach said, "Your girlfriend? Your child? You raped her! After she gave birth, she never recovered, and eventually..." The coach’s eyes filled with tears, and I could feel him trembling.

Angrily, Karim shouted, "AND WHAT DID YOU DO? YOU GAVE UP BOXING FOR A WORTHLESS WOMAN! WHAT ABOUT OUR DREAMS? YOU LEFT ME BEHIND! I HAD TO SHOW YOU HOW WORTHLESS THAT WHORE WAS!"

The coach, eyes full of rage and helplessness, muttered, "Screw boxing... Let’s get out of here, Akira," his voice shaking.

Karim pointed a gun at the coach with an angry glare. "You’re not going anywhere," he said, his voice trembling.

Akira, shocked and frightened, shouted, "W-what!"

Karim took a deep breath and said, "You took my dreams from me. You left me behind because of love. What about my love, old friend? What about boxing..." His voice was filled with pain and anger.

The coach, trying to stay calm, said, "Calm down, Karim. You don’t want to do this." The worry and desperation in his voice were obvious.

At that moment, one of Karim’s men ran up to us, panicked. "We have to go, boss! The police found out we’ve been running illegal fights. The sore losers must have ratted us out!"

Seeing the gun in Karim’s hand, the man quickly backed off. "D-damn it, I’m leaving!" he shouted.

Karim, still pointing the gun at the coach, said, "This is the end, old man. See you on the other side," and fired. Akira, using the last of his strength, pushed the coach aside and leaped at Karim. As the gun went off, a cold sensation spread through Akira's chest. Pain radiated throughout his body as he collapsed to the ground.

As Akira fell, he felt the coldness and the flow of blood from his chest. His vision dimmed, and he saw the helpless look on the coach’s face. "Is this the end?" he thought.

Karim pointed the gun at the coach again, but it jammed. "Damn it!" he shouted.

The sound of police sirens grew closer.

Karim, quickly fleeing the scene, shouted, "This won’t be the last time, old man..."

As Akira lay on the ground, shot in the chest, his sweat-soaked body grew colder.

The coach, desperate, cried out, "Hold on, Akira! Hold on!" His voice was filled with fear and sorrow.

Barely breathing, Akira said, "C-Coach, here’s the money..." When Akira had jumped on Karim, the envelope of money had fallen to the ground.

With tears in his eyes, the coach said, "I don’t care about the money. I can’t lose you too, Akira!" His voice trembled with despair. The coach crouched beside Akira and said, "Hold on, Akira, hold on!" His voice shaking.

Akira, feeling the pain in his chest, whispered, "Coach, take the money and go far away with your daughter." His breath short, he added, "Karim won’t leave you alone. There’s more than a thousand dollars in this envelope. It should be enough for a long time."

The coach, filled with agony, said, "Screw the money! Don’t you dare die, Akira! Do you hear me? Don’t die!" His voice was overwhelmed with hopelessness.

Akira questioned why all of this had happened. Boxing never abandons you, but what if you abandon it? Would you end up like the coach? In this cruel world, was it a crime to want to be happy?

The coach's desperate cries slowly faded. Akira could no longer hear anything. His vision was darkening, and the darkness was growing deeper. Finally, he was engulfed in endless blackness.

In the middle of that immense darkness, a small piece of light appeared. I was slowly moving towards the light. I touched the light and...

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. Where... where was I?