Dawn had come and gone. The late afternoon sun stung Habaz Valentine’s eyes, as he woke from his blissful slumber. And with the now setting sun, came the climax of the tournament of the best.
The final battle. KD vs Habaz. The Emotion-free vs the Emotion-abundant.
Habaz had passed out and spent the entire night & most of the day in the audience stand. The few early attendees who had seats around his area were forced to re-base themselves given the threat the angry challenger presented. He didn’t even know who he would be fighting as he missed the entire match in the previous day. Not that it mattered. Anyone stupid enough to enter his drunken path would be destroyed. Speaking of which…why am I dead sober?!
His head ached, his lips were dry, and he felt slightly nauseous.
“Well. The best way to avoid a hangover is to stay drunk, I say” he said, rising to his feet.
There was a referee who looked vaguely familiar napping a few metres beside him with a black eye.
“Hey Mate – where’s the nearest Bottle-o. I need some breakfast before my fight! Oi fella!” barked Habaz.
The referee was out cold.
“Jeez – lazy bastard’s everywhere, I swear” complained Habaz.
The fight was to commence in 30 minutes, and Habaz left in a haste to procure some refreshments. Entering a fight cold sober was just plain rude.
Not too far away, KD was staring into his reflection in the dressing room. His trainers and Shabz were getting his hand wrapping on and gloves tied. His mind was free now, his consciousness awake. He was no longer Shabz’ pet rat, but an avenger.
‘Soon’ he thought to himself, glaring from the corner of his eye at Shabz with intense hatred. First, he had to suffer, and lose his most valuable possession – his wealth.
~
In his bed, bruised and battered, Vinnie Balboa had woken up into a nightmare. Not only had he narrowly lost to Habaz Valentine, but Sensei Santiago was still missing in action, and news of his friend’s demise had reached him from a most unexpected source late the previous night. The Champion had visited him, and shared words Vinnie thought him incapable off.
The fight was apparently fixed, and Saralax had been mortally wounded before it had even started. And yet, if the champions words were true – Saralax had still bested him and died victorious on his feet! He lived and died a God of the arena!
For that, Vinnie was proud to have known and trained with the man. With that in mind though, he felt his reasons to stay to watch the finals had been extinguished. KD had made him one promise though. He would avenge Saralax, if it was the last thing he ever did. He would make those who wronged him pay.
Vinnie had no doubt in the sincerity of his words.
~
It was time. The crowd was jubilant and roaring with anticipation.
Habaz stumbled into the ring before que and before his entrance song (Gin & Juice) played, his red eyes comparable to Dracula himself. The stench of alcohol fresh on his breath. This was the final battle – no holds were barred, and Habaz had no intention of showing up weak and sober.
KD’s entrance was accompanied by the song, Numb by Linkin Park. It seemed fitting. He climbed into the ring with a purpose firmly in his mind.
Habaz could see three KD’s standing in front of him. Memories of his old coach’s advice echoed in his mind for just such a scenario, the last of his words of advice before he quit as Habaz’ trainer, largely due to him being knocked out shortly after sharing these words by Habaz himself by his ringside on a whim.
“Hit the one in the middle” he had said.
Habaz downed the last of his Captain Morgan’s rum, and flung it outside the ring just as the bell went off.
There was something different about his opponent though. He seemed calm and non-hostile. Then something weird happened.
KD smiled and started licking his lips with a cheeky grin etched on his face. Habaz felt dirty just watching him.
Habaz threw a left hook, KD ducked.
Habaz threw a right uppercut, KD weaved.
Habaz felt his blood boil before it happened, something nobody could predict from the uninjured champion.
“I give up” he said.
Silence washed over the crowd. Silence washed over everyone. Silence that was quickly replaced by outrage. They had come for a glorious fight, but instead had been delivered with entertainment on par with coming to watch a soccer match.
Shabz didn’t understand. KD had a two-word vocabulary, how…?
His life was over. He had invested everything and even borrowed more to bet on this tournament. His pet rat had betrayed him and ruined his life.
Seeing no other option, he slinked into the shadows and fled from the scene.
KD was free and Habaz Valentine was crowned the new champion of the world.
~
One Year had passed since the so-called tournament of the best. In a darkened and now abandoned gym once known as Mighty Mick’s Boxing – light beamed in as a door burst open. Two men, one tall and lanky moving with the grace of a ballerina and the other small and scrawny, stumbling in like a drunken hobo, entered in their boxing shorts. One of them was carrying a half-finished bottle of Johnny Walker Gold.
“Look Habaz. You beat me by one second, one measly second. That’s hard for a warrior like me to take, ya know?” said the tall one.
“Vhaat taer sed?! aFukn asdasd?! Five dollars?!”Gettouttaeere!’’ babbled the other.
They both jumped into the dusty boxing ring, eager to commence their private fight.
“Care to do the honours?” asked Vinnie.
“Wachaah saii ab’t Felicia?! Fucckkk You!!?” replied Habaz.
Habaz flung his emptied bottle of liquor outside the ring, to signal the commencement of their fight.
They circled each other tentatively at first, not a punch being thrown. Habaz stacked it once without any help from Vinnie, before rising to his feet with bloodlust in his eyes as if he had been tripped. Vinnie, light on his feet and nimble while Habaz moved as unpredictably and dangerously as a violent storm.
Finally, they met in the middle, and threw their best right hooks at each other’s heads. The Eye of the tiger song played in the background as the two great fighters bloodied each other to a pulp. None to witness their great fight, and yet, one that forever echo an eternity.