This was Jason Luo's first time using a flanking rush in an official match. Before, his movements had been unrefined and full of openings, so he hadn't dared to use the technique in his fight against Carl.
This time, however, Tutkason wasn't applying as much pressure. Though his rear-hand punch was heavy, Jason's Toughness was at 19 points—so long as he didn't take a clean hit to a vital spot, he could handle it without much issue.
Because of that, Tutkason was completely caught off guard by Jason's sudden change in tactics. Two jabs connected cleanly before he could react. Fortunately, the young man had been trained by an expert—his defense was solid, and his rear-hand punch crashed harmlessly into Jason's raised gloves.
Tutkason's eyes widened in surprise as he stumbled backward...
The audience gasped in unison!
This was a completely different scene from the last time they had seen Jason fight. In his previous match, he'd been a headstrong brawler—his toughness, heavy punches, and sheer determination were what had defined him in the fans' minds.
But this time, Jason had shown a glimpse of technical skill during the exchanges, then followed it up with a sharp flanking rush that lit up the arena.
Many veteran boxing fans nodded in approval. If Jason Luo could add more technical refinement to his raw power, his future would be bright indeed. Maybe—just maybe—he even had a shot at the championship.
In the ring, realizing his flanking tactic was working, Jason's confidence soared! He gave Tutkason no chance to recover, stepping in and launching a fierce offensive...
Tutkason was rattled. He hadn't expected Jason to fight like this at all, and he had no plan to counter it. Jason pressed the attack relentlessly. Every time Tutkason tried to counter, Jason slipped to the side and redirected, completely shutting down his explosive counterpunching style.
But Tutkason hadn't earned his seventh-place ranking by luck. He could take a hit, and his reaction time was sharp. After suffering twice in a row, he quickly adapted and came up with a new strategy.
He backed himself into a corner, leaning against the post in a defensive counterpunch stance. "You like dodging side to side, huh? Well, here the ropes have you boxed in—let's see you dodge now."
Jason raised an eyebrow. "Oh, clever."
The move was actually smart. Normally, retreating into the corner meant losing all maneuvering space and falling into danger, but Tutkason had explosive counterpower. If Jason tried to rush him here, he'd have to absorb a barrage of counterattacks head-on—a tricky situation indeed.
But Jason wasn't the type to back down. Fine—if it's a brawl you want, it's a brawl you'll get!
He took a deep breath and charged, unleashing a storm of blows.
One fighter stood his ground, countering with all his strength, while the other advanced like an army pressing forward. The fight turned into a brutal slugfest!
The crowd roared to life. This was exactly the kind of no-holds-barred exchange they loved. Cheers erupted across the arena, especially from Jason's supporters, who went wild as he pressed his advantage.
But when the exchange ended and Jason stepped back, he was shocked to find he hadn't gained the upper hand at all—in fact, he'd lost a few points.
Tutkason hadn't seemed particularly fast before, but once he switched to defensive counterpunching, his speed suddenly increased. His punches came in rapid bursts—a wild, clanging barrage that left Jason momentarily stunned.
Damn it, Jason thought. It was the first time he'd faced such a pure counterpuncher, and for a moment, he had no idea how to proceed.
No, this wasn't working. He needed to draw him out. Continuing to attack head-on like this was a losing game. The guy was fighting exactly the way Jason himself had in the last round—guarding tightly and waiting for a perfect opening to throw his heavy punch. Landing a knockout blow in that chaos was almost impossible.
So Jason began retreating on purpose, opening space and trying to lure Tutkason out.
But Tutkason knew better. Come out? If he did, he'd be wide open to Jason's flanking punches. Hesitating, he stayed put near the ropes.
A strange scene unfolded. Jason stood in the middle of the ring, refusing to force an attack, while Tutkason clung to his corner, refusing to step out. Neither wanted to give up their positional advantage—so both just stood there!
The referee looked between them in disbelief. "Come on, I can stand still up here—but why are you two joining me?"
All three stood motionless. The crowd didn't know what to make of it. What were they even watching anymore? How had a proper boxing match turned into this?
Finally, the referee stepped forward and ordered Tutkason back to the center of the ring. After all, no one was attacking him—staying in the corner like that wasn't going to fly.
Dragged back to the middle, Tutkason looked uneasy. Jason's side movements were erratic and hard to predict, and his heavy punches could end a fight in an instant. If this kept up, he'd be in real danger.
Sure enough, as soon as the referee signaled for the match to resume, Jason charged in again, launching a violent offensive. When Tutkason didn't counter, Jason attacked directly; but the moment his opponent tried to strike back, Jason would slip to the side, find an opening, and land a punishing blow.
Tutkason was on the ropes—literally and figuratively. He tried to retreat back to the corner again, but Jason had already anticipated it. With a swift move, Jason's rear-hand punch smashed square into his forehead.
The impact left Tutkason dazed. Seeing his chance, Jason lunged forward to press the attack!
But Tutkason knew that if Jason unleashed a full barrage now, he'd be in serious trouble. In desperation, he grabbed onto Jason tightly, clinging to him to buy time to recover.
The crowd exploded in cheers. It was obvious now—Tutkason couldn't handle Jason once he left the corner. The momentum was entirely in Jason's favor!
The fans shouted at the top of their lungs.
"Go, Jason Luo! Knock him out!"
"Jason Luo, you've got this! Jason Luo, fight!"
Locked in Tutkason's grip, Jason, being slightly taller, managed to free one arm and hammered at his opponent's ribs. Unfortunately, the awkward position limited his power—the blows did little damage.
Tutkason retaliated, swinging one arm wildly around Jason's back. Several hits landed near the back of Jason's head.
Brown shouted anxiously from ringside, "Referee! They've been clinched too long! Break them up! Break them up!... Hey, that's a foul! Hitting the back of the head is a foul!"
The referee shot Brown a glare, thinking, I'm not blind—mind your own business. With a sigh, he reluctantly stepped forward to separate the two, but said nothing about Tutkason's illegal strikes.
In a match this intense, minor fouls were often overlooked; if every small infraction was punished, the fight would never flow. Brown could only swallow his frustration.
The precious opening Jason had earned was gone. Just as he readied himself to attack again, the bell rang—ending the first round.
...
(40 Chapters Ahead)
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