The Boxing System: I Became the King of the Ring-Chapter 17: The D-Day

Javier’s woke before his alarm sounded. The ceiling stared back at him in the morning light and he was nervous already.

Across the room, Tommy was sitting on his bed, quietly lacing his sneakers.

"You awake?" Tommy whispered.

"Yeah."

The air was cold and their breath came out in small puffs. Javier looked at his hands. Rough calluses covered his knuckles. His shoulders ached from training, despite the nervousness, he was still buzzing.

Today was the d-day.

**************

The kitchen air smelt like burnt toast and coffee. Mrs. Rodriguez stood at the stove, frying eggs.

Javier and Tommy sat at the kitchen table, eating in silence. The eggs tasted the same as always and Tommy kept checking his phone.

"You boys are quiet this morning," Mrs. Rodriguez said, glancing over her shoulder.

"Just thinking," Javier replied.

"About what?"

"The matches today."

Mrs. Rodriguez turned around, wiping her hands on her apron. "You nervous?"

"A little."

"That’s totally normally. You got this." She smiled. "You boys have been working hard and I’m proud of you."

"Thanks, Mrs. Rodriguez," Tommy said.

"Just don’t come back with any missing teeth, okay?"

They finished eating and grabbed their gym bags. Tommy patted his pockets.

"Crap," he said. "Forgot my water bottle."

"Go get it," Javier said. "I’ll wait."

While Tommy ran upstairs, Javier checked his bag again. Hand wraps, mouthguard, clean shirt. Everything was there, but he checked anyway.

A soft blue glow appeared in the corner of his vision. The system window flickered to life.

[PROFILE STATUS: ACTIVE]

[READY FOR COMPETITION]

Vicente appeared at the kitchen table, translucent in the morning light. He looked calm.

"Close your eyes," Vicente said quietly.

"What?"

"Close your eyes. Think about something that makes you happy."

Javier closed his eyes. For a moment, he saw himself winning. Saw the crowd cheering, he also saw himself with money in his hands, enough to change everything.

"Better?" Vicente asked.

"Yeah."

Tommy came running back down with his water bottle. "Ready?"

"Ready."

**************

Gleason’s Gym was packed. Ringside chairs lined the ring area, all filled with people. Kids from the neighborhood, parents, and other trainers.

The air buzzed with voices and excitement.

A big whiteboard near the entrance listed the matches:

ROOKIE MATCH OF THE DAY

MATCH 1: TOMMY VEGA VS JAMAL

MATCH 2: JAVIER RESTREPO VS DEVON

SANTOS SENIOR MATCHES TO FOLLOW

"Tickets sold out," Danny called over to them.

"Hope you boys are ready for a crowd."

Javier’s stomach flipped. He’d never fought in front of this many people.

Miguel walked over, his face serious but calm. "Listen up. This is learning, not war. Control your fear. Listen to your body. Most importantly, have fun."

"Have fun?" Tommy asked. "Someone’s gonna punch me in the face."

"Someone’s gonna try," Miguel corrected.

"Your job is to not let them."

They headed to the locker room. Jamal was already there, stretching his shoulders. When he saw Tommy, he grinned wide.

"You ready to dance, group home?" Jamal asked.

Tommy just nodded, his jaw tight.

Devon sat on a bench in the corner, wrapping his hands slowly. He also looked up when Javier walked in and gave a small nod. No words.

The tension was thick and everyone could feel it.

Javier sat on a bench and started wrapping his hands. White cloth wound around his knuckles, over and over. The ritual felt calming.

"You good?" Tommy asked, bouncing on his toes.

"Yeah. You?"

"Nervous as hell, but good."

The system window appeared again:

[NEW FUNCTION UNLOCKED: OPPONENT ANALYSIS]

[ANALYZING OPPONENT PROFILE...]

[NAME: DEVON SANTOS]

[AGE: 18]

[WEIGHT: 160 LBS]

[RECORD: 0-0-0 (AMATEUR)]

[STYLE: BOXER-PUNCHER]

[STRENGTH: 71/100]

[SPEED: 68/100] 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

[ENDURANCE: 74/100]

[TECHNIQUE: 69/100]

[POWER: 75/100]

Vicente materialized beside him, invisible to everyone else.

"When you get in there, don’t rush," Vicente said quietly. "One round at a time. Use your feet. Make him come to you."

Javier nodded slightly, still wrapping his hands.

"Remember what I told you about Devon," Vicente said quietly. "He fights angry. Stay calm and pick your spots."

Javier nodded slightly, still wrapping his hands.

"You’re faster than him. Use it," Vicente added.

**************

The gym was electric now. Holiday lights still hung from the ceiling, casting colorful shadows. People who were couldn’t find a seat, pressed against the ring ropes.

Miguel stood in the center of the ring with a microphone.

Miguel climbed through the ropes and grabbed the microphone. The gym went quiet.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Gleason’s Gym December showcase!"

The crowd erupted. Kids whistled. Parents clapped.

"Today we start with our youth boxers! For these young fighters, we’ll be following Olympic amateur rules. Three rounds, two minutes each. Protect yourselves at all times!"

More cheers. The energy was electric.

Miguel waited for quiet. "First match - in the blue corner, weighing 147 pounds, from Brooklyn... Tommy Vega!"

Half the crowd cheered. "Let’s go, homeboy!" someone shouted from the back.

"And in the red corner, weighing 149 pounds, from Brooklyn... Jamal Washington!"

The other half exploded. Jamal raised his gloves and grinned wide.

***************

Tommy’s face went white. His hands shook as he put in his mouthguard. The red leather headgear felt heavy on his head.

Miguel helped him with his gloves, pulling the laces tight. "Breathe, kid. Just like practice."

Danny checked Tommy’s chest protector, and made sure everything was secure. "No jewelry, no long nails," he said, running his hands over Tommy’s gear.

He did the same check on Jamal, who was bouncing and throwing shadow punches for the crowd.

Tommy stood in his corner, breathing hard through his nose. His eyes were wide behind the headgear.

Javier pressed against the ring ropes, his knuckles white. The noise was incredible. His own heart hammered against his ribs.

The referee waved both fighters to the center of the ring. He was an old black man with gray hair and an observant eyes. The crowd quieted down.

"Alright, gentlemen. You both know the rules. Keep it clean. No hitting behind the head, no low blows. When I say break, you break immediately. Protect yourselves at all times."

His voice was firm but fair. "Touch gloves and show me a good fight."

Tommy and Jamal stepped forward. Tommy’s gloves were shaking slightly. Jamal looked relaxed, confident.

They touched gloves with a soft thud. Jamal leaned in close.

"You ready for this?" Jamal whispered, grinning.

Tommy looked him straight in the eye. "Yeah."

"Good," Jamal said. "Don’t make it too easy."

Both fighters stepped back to their corners.

Tommy bounced on his toes, rolling his shoulders. Jamal stretched his neck side to side.

The referee looked at Tommy’s corner. Miguel gave a thumbs up.

He looked at Jamal’s corner. His trainer nodded.

"Fighters ready?" the referee called out.

Both boys raised their gloves.

The gym went dead silent. Everyone held their breath.

"Box!"

The bell clanged loud and sharp.