Almighty Coach

“Ayres rejected our offer? Why? Is it because Taylor made him a better offer? That’s impossible. Taylor doesn’t have that much money,” Hopkins said with a frown.

“I did some investigation, and it turns out that Ayres’ wife met with an accident not long ago and is now paralyzed. There is a very good physical therapist who is able to help people who suffer from limb paralysis recover. So, Ayres needs a large sum of money to cover the medical cost of his wife’s treatment. Coincidentally, Taylor’s fitness coach is that famous physical therapist,” the agent said.

“What a coincidence,” Hopkins said with irritation. “Who is Taylor’s fitness coach? What is his background?”

“He’s Chinese. He is the owner of a fitness center called ‘Coach Lee’s physical fitness training center.’ Taylor trained there before he made his comeback,” the agent answered.

“It is not often you see a Chinese coach. A Chinese who is able to open a fitness center all on his own, this must mean that he is good. Not to mention Taylor’s physical condition has been quite excellent since making his comeback. Looks like this Chinese guy really has some skills,” Hopkins said casually.

“According to the information I collected, this Chinese coach specializes in track and field training. The popular para-athlete, ‘Blade Warrior’ Phillip, was also trained by this Chinese coach,” the agent said. He had obviously done his homework.

“Track and field coaches are usually good at physical training,” Hopkins said, before suddenly raising his head. “Speaking of which, is our contract with AP Fitness Training Center expiring next year?”

“Yes, it is expiring next year. What of it? You want to switch to another company?” the agent replied.

“We need to see whether there are any better ones!” Hopkins nodded his head and said, “AP Fitness Training Center provides good service, and their fitness coaches are very professional, but what if there is a better option? As a boxer of this level, I need the best coaches. If I can find a 100-point coach, why should I settle for a 99-point?”

…

Clips of Hopkins’s previous matches were playing on a big television screen.

“This is a special video clip that I made from Hopkins’s past matches. They are the highlights I picked out from the matches,” Ayres said as he controlled the television screen with a remote. “We’ve already gone through it once. So, what did you see?”

Taylor thought for a moment and replied, “Hopkins’s technique is really very good. His timing was practically immaculate, and his punches were very accurate. He could always find and take advantage of the weak spots of his opponents, even if the weak spot was only exposed for a short moment.”

“And?” Ayres pressed the rewind button on the remote and said, “I’m talking about his defense.”

Taylor thought for a few dozen more seconds before replying, “Hopkins has great judgments, he was able to see through the intentions of his opponents…”

“So, what do you think are his weaknesses then?” Ayres said, interrupting Taylor.

“His weaknesses…” Taylor looked hesitant, then said, “Hopkins is one of those athletes who doesn’t have any weaknesses. Whether it is his physique, technique, or his match judgment, they are all perfect. Truth be told, I don’t think he has any kind of weaknesses.”

“That is because you aren’t good at analyzing,” Ayres said, shaking his head. He pointed at the screen and said, “Watch it again, and pay attention this time.”

Taylor shifted his gaze to the television screen and stared at it intently. But from his expression, he obviously still did not discover anything new.

Dai Li, who was also looking at the screen, suddenly said, “I think that dodge just now was a bit different.”

“Oh?” Ayres exclaimed in surprise and asked immediately, “What do you think is different?”

“Can I watch it one more time?” Dai Li asked.

“No problem.” Ayres rewound the video to the previous scene.

“So? Do you think there’s anything different?” Ayres asked.

“I think Hopkins is deliberately trying to protect a certain part of his body in his previous defense gesture,” Dai Li said. He then changed his tone drastically and said, “I’m only guessing, I don’t know if it is correct.”

“Which part of his body do you think Hopkins is protecting?” Ayres asked quickly.

“His neck? No,” Dai Li shook his head.

“His face? No, that’s not it either,” Dai Li mumbled to himself as he shook his head. He started to playback the video in his mind, and suddenly, he finally figured it out.

“It’s his chin! Hopkins is trying to protect his chin!” Dai Li said confidently.

“Correct!” Ayres couldn’t help but clap to applaud Dai Li.

“I was correct?” Dai Li said, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

At the same time, Taylor said in a surprised voice, “He guessed correctly?”

“Coach Li, if I didn’t know you, I would definitely think that you are a very experienced boxing coach. Your observational and analytical skills are something that even most boxing coaches don’t have,” Ayres couldn’t help but praise Dai Li.

“Just a lucky guess,” Dai Li said humbly.

“No, I don’t think it is luck. Perhaps you have a talent for this sort of thing,” Ayres said. He pointed at the monitor. “Almost all boxers and boxing coaches think that Hopkins is a flawless boxer. No doubt his body seems like it was made for heavyweight boxing, and his skills, even when he was boxing as an amateur, were already top-notch. He is one of the best in the world, but that doesn’t mean that he is flawless.”

“People think that Hopkins is a perfect, flawless boxer because they are unable to discover his flaw.” Ayres pressed the pause button on the remote, freezing the frame, and said confidently, “Hopkins’s flaw is his chin!”

“You mean to say, Hopkin has a weak chin?” Taylor asked naively.

“If we compare him to the other heavyweight boxing champions, Hopkins does indeed have a weak chin.” Ayres nodded his head and said plainly, “But Hopkins has already discovered his own weakness, so during matches, he pays extra attention to defending his chin, something that coach Li noticed earlier. Take for example the move you just saw; his dodge moved him farther than usual, and if you look at it from another angle, you can see that he is prioritizing the defense of his chin.”

Ayres pressed the play button as he spoke, and explained, “In a boxing match, attacking the chin is usually the fastest way to get a KO. So in most professional matches, defending your chin from your opponent is a fundamental strategy. Boxers are required to train and strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles to minimize the impact of a punch to the chin. This is one of the most basic things that boxers do. So when Hopkins defends his chin, most people just assume that he is doing what every other boxer does, so they are unable to figure out Hopkins’s weakness.”

“That seems to be the case.” Taylor nodded. “If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have realized it. I would have just thought that it was a normal defensive move.”

“There are many excellent boxing coaches in the world, but only a few of them are able to find out Hopkins’s weakness!” Ayres said as he glanced at Dai Li. He seemed to be implying that it was quite a wonder that even though Dai Li’s specialty wasn’t boxing, he was able to figure it out.

Dai Li suddenly felt a bit embarrassed by the praise. He thought he was just lucky.

Taylor wasn’t paying attention to that topic, so he simply stated, “Now that I know of Hopkins’s weakness, I simply have to keep attacking his chin during the match!”

“If you do that, you might not be able to win the match.” Ayres sighed and shook his head. He moved as if he was some kind of highly educated gentleman.

“Why? Shouldn’t we focus on the weakness of the opponent during a match?” Taylor rebutted.

“Hopkins is a very intelligent boxer. He knows how to evaluate a situation. Do you think that he would continue to let you attack his chin once he realized what you were trying to do?” Ayres shook his finger and said, “In terms of physique, Hopkins literally has the high ground. He is taller than you by 20 centimeters. You will need to attack from below, and that in itself is already a disadvantage. Not to mention that his arm’s reach is also longer than yours by at least 20 centimeters. The chin is a body part that is always guarded very closely by boxers. If he focuses his defense there, it will be tough to attack his chin.”

Hopkins is one of the best boxers in the world, and his physique is simply superior to Taylor’s. If he chooses to adopt a defensive strategy, it will be very difficult for Taylor to attack, Dai Li thought.

“What should I do then?” Taylor asked.

“You need to pretend that you don’t know his weakness. Tire him out, and when the opportunity arises, strike,” Ayres said confidently. “I have devised a strategy for you. When the match starts, you shouldn’t try to attack his chin. You need to make it seem like you are trying to find his weakness during the match. Make it seem like you are clueless about how he fights.”

“Then you need to make him attack. He has the advantage when it comes to physique, and his technique is top-notch. If he intentionally fights defensively, you will only gain an advantage of a few points, and they are mostly irrelevant. It is only when he attacks that he will expose his weak points. Only when he exposes his weakness will you be able to seize the chance to give a fatal blow to his chin. This is the best way for you to win.”

Ayres become more and more enthusiastic as he spoke, almost as if he was giving a speech to motivate a group of salesmen.

Taylor was eating up every word that Ayres was saying. His face seemed serious, and he kept nodding as Ayres spoke. Taylor was so entirely captivated by the few simple words spoken by Ayres that he could not differentiate left from right.

Dai Li couldn’t help but respect Ayres. The way Ayres spoke exuded confidence. His speechlike explanation really showed that he was one of the best boxing coaches in the world. It was as if he was telling someone that if they listened to him, victory was guaranteed! His words were intoxicating, and whether it was Taylor or any other boxer, there was no doubt they would believe anything he said.

It is no wonder he is the legendary coach of the boxing world. He really deserves his nickname, ‘White Devil,’ even ignoring all his other qualities. Just from his speech giving ability alone, I should definitely learn from him. He was just too awesome!