When Jason Luo's vacation ended and he returned to Chicago, life quickly settled back into its usual rhythm.
The first thing he needed to do was register for his Class I Professional Boxer License. Under the new regulations, all title fights were now set as twelve-round bouts, and Class II Fighters were strictly prohibited from participating—a hard rule with no exceptions.
It was mostly a procedural formality. With Rod accompanying him, Jason Luo soon obtained his certification.
Afterward, Mr. Rod filled him in on the current situation.
The reigning champion, David Morell, still hadn't accepted Jason Luo's challenge. His excuse was that he needed recovery time after his bout with Plant. However, BX Promotions had already filed for arbitration with the WBA. Once a decision came through, if Plant refused to comply, his championship title would be stripped, and Jason Luo would automatically take his place.
For now, though, Plant seemed intent on dragging things out until the last possible moment. That meant Jason Luo would face over a month of downtime—something that could disrupt his current form. To prevent that, the company planned to either set up a commercial exhibition match or accept a challenge from a lower-tier contender, letting Jason Luo choose which path to take.
When he heard the title fight was still pending, Jason Luo couldn't help feeling disappointed. But that was just how things worked—after all, Siham had been stuck in the same situation for over half a year without progress.
There was no point in rushing. Since that was the case, taking on a few lower-tier fights to maintain sharpness didn't sound like a bad idea. With the Honor System on his side, his odds of winning were high. So, Jason Luo decided to accept a lower-tier challenge.
Rod wasn't so sure. "Jason, are you sure this is wise? We worked so hard to secure this title shot. If something goes wrong, it could ruin everything. Remember what happened to Siham."
Jason Luo nodded. "You're right, but think about it this way—if we demand Morell accept our challenge and even file for arbitration, yet refuse to accept challenges from lower-tier fighters ourselves, Morell could use that to argue against us at the WBA. But if I beat the challenger, he'll have no excuse left."
Rod sighed. "Fair point. But risk is risk. The challenger this time is Tomio—the 'Little War God' who went ten rounds undefeated against Gruev. You sure you're ready for that?"
"Oh, him?"
Jason Luo knew the name. Before fighting Charlison, he'd looked into Tomio's record—a Greek fighter who claimed Spartan blood, quick on his feet and known for his aggressive style. Going ten rounds toe-to-toe with the Russian powerhouse Gruev and ending in a draw proved his strength.
After thinking it through, Jason Luo made up his mind. "I trust myself. Even if I become champion one day, I'll never shy away from a strong opponent. I just hope the company supports my decision."
"Alright," Rod said. "I'll report your decision right away. If they approve, we'll set it up as soon as possible... Oh, and there's another piece of news—your focus target, Carl Frazier, has an important fight the day after tomorrow. If he wins, he'll earn the WBO's mandatory title shot. You might want to keep an eye on that."
The news hit Jason Luo like a wave of pressure. Carl was really coming after him—this guy wasn't letting up at all!
At this pace, in just a few months, the match they'd agreed on a year ago could turn into a world title unification bout!
Good grief. The thought startled even Jason Luo himself. Still, it was too early to say. He had his own title shot in hand, yet things were still dragging on. Becoming champion was never that easy.
It was time to start paying closer attention to his old rival. To be honest, when he'd beaten Carl back in the amateur tournament, it had been more luck than skill. Carl's technical edge at the time had been significant. He only needed to build a points lead—there was no reason to go all out against Jason Luo.
Who would've thought that in just over half a year, Carl would improve this much? He really had become a true old rival!
Still, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. There's a saying in boxing: to achieve greatness, you first need a great opponent. It's true. Holyfield became a legend after defeating Tyson, and Lennox Lewis built his dynasty the same way. A strong rival gives you purpose!
Two days later, Jason Luo watched Carl's entire fight online—and was stunned. Carl knocked out his opponent, Jacobni, in just nineteen seconds. And it wasn't even with his signature left hook.
Was his opponent that weak?
Jason quickly checked Jacobni's record: 28 years old, 22 wins, 1 loss, 1 draw, with 16 knockouts. He'd earned his interim champion title after multiple fights against well-known boxers.
That wasn't weak at all.
So how did he get flattened seconds into the fight? That was terrifying! Even Jason Luo's heart was pounding. Tyson in his prime was about at this level, wasn't he? No wonder this guy was climbing so fast—with that kind of power, no one could stand in his way.
No, I need to find every way possible to keep improving. Otherwise, I might not win in the rematch. Even if I have to grind out wins to fill the gaps, I'll do it.
With that resolve, Jason Luo started pushing Mr. Rod every day until the match with Tomio was finally confirmed. At Jason's repeated request, the date was moved up—partly to pressure David Morell, and partly to free up time afterward for another possible exhibition match.