The Boxer and the Defender

Ground Zero

Now here's the big fight, who will win?

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Bailey's POV

Oh boy, this is it.

The boxing stadium here at Dignity Health Sports Park. All of us boxers here with the WBF were in the locker room, some nervous, some not, and we were surprised to know that we sold this place out. Ground Zero was officially underway.

My match with Geovana Peres is a semi-main, so we're right before the main event, which is a Championship match. I had gotten the entire USWNT team front row seats, so Kelley will be watching up close.

Katie Taylor came over to me and sat down, she's gonna be the guest referee for my match tonight, "Ready for tonight?" The Irish woman asked.

"Yeah. She's gonna be doozy."

Katie laughed and patted me on the back, "Just do what you normally do out there." She said before walking off.

I sat in silence, just thinking about the game plan Luke and Coach came up with. I need to take this seriously, because Geovana is no joke. She's a tough fighter, who loves to brawl. I need to be smart and not take any stupid risks.

I stood up and started to stretch, I stood at the curtain and watched all the matches that came before me. The place is electric and everyone is loving it. I can't help but get pumped up for my own match.

Finally, it's time for our match. Katie heads out first and then Geovana's music plays. She walks right by me, not even acknowledging my existence. After that, my music starts to play and I walk out to a huge pop.

I walk into the ring, and I can feel the nerves start to settle. I've fought in front of big crowds before, but this is different. I can feel the excitement in the air, and it's electric.

The bell rings, and we start to circle each other. We exchange a few jabs, before she goes in for a wild swing. I duck under it and come up with an uppercut that sends her flying.

The crowd goes wild and I can feel the adrenaline start to flow. We circle each other again, and I can see the fear in her eyes. I know I have her right where I want her.

The bell rings and we head back to our corners. Luke is yelling at me, but I can't hear him. I'm in the zone, and I know what I need to do.

The bell rings for the second round, and we circle each other again. She comes at me with a few wild swings, hitting me square in the face a few times. I can feel the blood start to flow, but I don't care.

I come at her with a few combinations of my own, and then she easily counters with the hardest jab I've ever received. I stumble slightly, then she hits me with another right hand. My whole vision starts spinning as I drop to the mat. The entire crowd roars in response.

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6." I hear Katie counting, "7, 8," I lift my arms up and get on my knees before quickly standing up. Katie looks straight into my eyes, "You good?" She asks.

I nod, "Yeah. I'm good." I say, my vision is still impaired, blood flowing from my nose. I happened to make the dumbest mistake of going for a wild swing, and Geovana made me pay for it dearly.

She instantly threw a left and I was out. I went limp and dropped on the canvas. When I hit the mat, my limbs started twitching.

I couldn't hear much, but the sound of the bell ringing and Geovana being announced as the winner was what I could make out. I tried to get up, but I couldn't. I was being helped by Luke, Katie and a few medics. I saw Geovana look at me and she walked over and knelt down, "Is she okay?" I heard her ask in a concerned tone.