Chapter 494: 494

Chapter 494 Boxing Fight

Every night, the alley behind owl tavern was abuzz with noise and activity .

Loafers and nearby laborers loved coming here after work . There was no Tiktok or Weibo in this era . Hence there was also no turning into keyboard warriors, and entertainment was sorely limited, especially for these lower-class citizens of the society . They couldn’t afford a game of golf or attend fancy dance parties like the wealthy gentlemen and ladies, nor would they understand the sophistication of theatre .

One thing this group of men preferred, however, was a sport like boxing, where flesh met flesh and spattered blood and sweat were everywhere . Now, this was indeed a man’s romance . Combine that with some money, and the entire prospect became an exhilarating and adrenalin pumping undertaking for the underprivileged lot .

The truth was, it wasn’t just the workers, but even the rich enjoyed this brutal amusement . Among the rowdy crowd were gentlemen dressed in fine suits and hats . They tapped their canes, waving money in the air like they were toilet paper . A group of onlookers had gathered in a circle, leaving a space in the center for tonight’s two main protagonists . One was a hulk of a man who worked in a shipyard . The muscles on his arms bulged, and his chest was covered in a carpet of thick hair like a bulletproof vest . They called him Anchor Quinn, inspired by the tattoo on his right arm, and he was a regular among the underground fight club . He scored 13 winnings and six losses in the past three months, and he could have reverted the losses .

Tonight, his opponent was an unfamiliar face . Asians were rare in London, especially those who spoke fluent English . This one claimed to be a famous traveler from a wealthy family, probably equivalent to a British squire . His hands belonged to one who had never done a days’ labor, and his healthy but far from strapping physique had many of the spectators feeling less than optimistic about him .

“What the hell is this? Couldn’t they find a better fighter?”

“I bet he won’t last ten rounds against Anchor . That poor bastard will most probably end up in the hospital!”

“Ten rounds? I don’t think he can even last five! If the guy has any sense at all, he should kneel and beg for mercy before it even starts . ”

“If memory serves me right, he won’t get any money then…”

“Instead of thinking about making money, he should think about protecting his own little

life . ”

The crowd discussed among themselves, the odds between the two competitors, worlds apart .

On the one hand, Zhang Heng’s odds had jumped to 7/1, and on the other, Anchor’s was only 1 . 9/1 . In other words, if you were to place a pound on Anchor, and he won, you would earn less than two shillings . But even then, the majority placed their bets on Anchor . After all, it was free money .

It was a shame that small-scale street boxing promoters had limited funds . As a result, each indivudual betting limit was capped at five pounds, also an effective method to keep anyone from bribing a boxer to secretly manipulate the game . Otherwise, winning by quantity was also an excellent way to make money . However, for most of these workers, five pounds was a lot of money . Since it was rare that they encountered such a risk-free opportunity to make money, people had began borrowing money before the match started .

And what happened next confirmed the people’s verdict .

While Anchor had his share of shortcomingsclumsy and threw slow punches-every punch he threw was firm . Under his violent offensive, his poor opponent, the Easterner, could only dodge, and even so, still received several punches on the body .

Until now, he did not even have a chance to attack, completely subdued by Anchor’s overwhelming firepower . “Kill him! Anchor! Tear him apart! We don’t need sissies in a man’s sport!”

“Show him what English men are made of!”

The crowd’s fervent cheers seemed to give Anchor an injection of renewed strength . His awkward, clumsy movements became faster and lighter . Zhang Heng received two more punches, and he wasn’t looking too good .

The crowd exploded into applause . Holmes, who had been observing from the sidelines, wanted to laugh . So far, Zhang Heng had been on the receiving end of the punches, and it looked like he was never going to win . But only a seasoned observer could see that those punches didn’t damage Zhang Heng too badly . Anchor’s movements were so slow that before his fist struck, Zhang Heng had already raised an arm to protect himself . So, even though the Asian looked like he was at a disadvantage, he was actually holding up pretty well .

Zhang Heng’s breathing had remained unchanged since the beginning of the fight, and his footsteps were methodical . On the other hand, Anchor, who had the supposed upper hand, had begun to pant-a lack of stamina, a common problem among strength-type fighters . Especially when encouraged by the roar of the audience, he struck again with full force at the cost of slowing down after the rush of adrenaline had passed .

It was almost time to fight back, Holmes thought to himself .

Just then, Zhang Heng began to make a move . This time, when Anchor swung a fist at him, Zhang Heng did not block the blow, instead, he moved half a step forward, and with a slight tilt of the head, avoided the fist . A panicked look flashed across Anchor’s eyes . As a boxer, he recognized just how bad his situation was . He had thrown so much strength into that punch that it was impossible to retrieve it halfway .

On top of that, his chest was also wide open-a bad time to be so close to his opponent .

But he very quickly, he recomposed himself . So what if his opponent was near? Judging by the earlier sparring, his opponent’s performance had been rather lackluster . Anchor, holding true to the idea of ‘punch first, then use the opportunity to grab the opponent and put an end to this long overdue game,’ he regained confidence .

“It’s never a good habit to underestimate your opponent,” Holmes tutted, rubbing his chin .

The next thing he saw was Zhang Heng, striking Anchor’s face .

The punch was more painful than Anchor expected . A tooth, along with a spray of blood, had been knocked off . His brawny frame helped him weather the force, though, and he managed to stay upright . So, things weren’t looking too bad .

It was now his turn .

Anchor’s hand curled into a fist . He was about to strike Zhang Heng on the head, confident it would siffice to knock the Asian to the ground .

But before he could swing his arm, he received another punch on the right cheek .

What?! So fast?!

Blinded by the punch, Anchor began to stagger, and all the strength reserved in his bodywas completely drained off him .

But that wasn’t the end of it . Zhang Heng clapped Anchor’s ears hard with his palms, and the otoliths in the semicircular canals that controled the balance of the body were affected . Anchor began swaying like drunk .

He could barely walk straight, let alone fight . His mind was a puddle .

Naturally, Zhang Heng did not miss the opportunity, and ended the long but not-in-the-least-bit dangerous battle with an uppercut .

Anchor’s giant body fell to the ground with a sickening thud .

Suddenly, the once unruly cheers and shouts evaporated, and a heavy silence filled the alley . Mouths were left ajar, and waving handkerchiefs hung in mid-air . The people’s eyes were gaping wide, as if unable to process the sudden turn of events they had just witnessed .

How could Anchor, who had the very clear advantage, be knocked out just like that?

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