"Haha, Richard, congratulations on another victory!"
In the moving stretch Lincoln, Andy raised his wine glass with a smile.
"Thank you!"
Richard smiled lightly and clinked glasses.
Del Valle's strength was a notch below Roy Jones and Vasiliy, and on par with Glen Johnson. Defeating him wasn't too difficult.
"Richard, you are now the undisputed world champion. Previously, some people claimed you won the belt through tactics and luck. But after Glen Johnson and Del Valle both fell to you, no one will doubt your strength anymore."
"It doesn't matter. Those who doubt me can challenge me. I don't mind practicing with them, nor do I mind earning some extra money."
Richard leaned back on the sofa.
"Don't worry, there will be plenty of matches. Don King contacted me earlier. IBF champion Antonio Tarver wants to challenge you. However, since you fought two matches in June and July, the matches shouldn't be too frequent. We're planning to schedule it for December. How does that sound?"
Andy asked.
"That works!"
"Great. There's also British light heavyweight champion Clinton Woods, Polish champion Dariusz Michalczewski, and WBO world champion 'Destroyer' Richard Hall. These three matches are scheduled for next year, one each quarter. How does that pace sound?"
"That's fine! But the prize money is the most important. I often hear about Tyson and Lewis earning tens of millions in a single match. I want to experience earning 30 million in three minutes. Can you and Don King make that happen?"
Richard laughed, stroking his chin.
"It's tough for now. Our initial plan was for Roy Jones to win the IBF and WBO titles, then you two would have a rematch. Your third fight could definitely break the million-dollar prize barrier, maybe even 20 million.
But Roy Jones encountered setbacks, losing to Antonio Tarver. Without a heavyweight opponent, it's hard to raise the prize money."
Andy shrugged.
Richard tapped his fingers, thinking for a moment. In his memory, Antonio first defeated Roy Jones, but Jones later defeated him. Overall, Roy Jones was much better than Antonio Tarver.
"Can we arrange another match between them? Once Roy Jones has two belts, I can fight the two champions. It's better to fight Roy Jones once than to fight those two twice."
Andy frowned and thought for a moment. "It's difficult. Roy Jones has suffered consecutive losses this year, and he's been completely defeated. It's nearly impossible for him to beat two champions and win the belts."
"I believe he can. In the light heavyweight field, he's still the best guy below me. Antonio, Richard Hall, none of them can match him.
You can contact him and ask if he wants to make money. If he does, he should get back on his feet, defeat those guys, and have a rematch with me. A 20 million prize fight—I don't think he can resist that."
"You're right. This is Roy Jones' last chance. If he doesn't take it, once you get the other two belts, he'll never have another opportunity."
Andy nodded.
Richard smiled lightly. "Also, tell him that if he wants, he can come to me, and I can train with him."
"Are you serious?!"
Andy asked in surprise.
"Yes, I want him to win."
"No way, that's too risky. Don't forget, champions like Ali, Tyson, and Lewis were all defeated by their sparring partners because they were too familiar."
"It's okay. My boxing style has no fixed patterns, relying on strength, speed, and stamina. If he can surpass me, I'll willingly give him the belt. Andy, for a 20 million prize, it's worth taking a little risk."
Richard clenched his fist and said, "I need to discuss this with Don King," Andy replied, frowning in thought.
"Alright! But be quick about it. After the match, I'm planning to go on vacation to Hawaii with Gisele," Richard said, stretching lazily.
"A vacation? You? On vacation?" Andy looked at him in surprise.
"What do you mean? Why wouldn't I go on vacation?"
"Haha, seeing how hard you work, I didn't expect you'd take a vacation. It's a good change," Andy laughed.
"Well, it will become a regular thing from now on," Richard smiled. After the match, he took Gisele to the Hawaiian Islands.
Initially, Gisele didn't want to go, saying she needed to train, stay fit, and work. She didn't want to start vacationing so early, fearing it might make her complacent.
Richard didn't bother arguing with her. He simply threw her into the car, boarded the plane, and they spent seven or eight days exploring the Hawaiian Islands.
While they were on vacation, Andy and Don King reached a decision. Don King fully supported Richard's proposal, believing it was worth trying.
Roy Jones' management company also agreed to the fight plan.
If Richard and Roy Jones fought again, with their reputations, it would definitely draw a lot of attention. After all, Roy Jones was still ranked in the top 20 of the most influential boxers.
Now, there were only two issues:
First, how could Roy Jones defeat IBF champion Antonio Tarver and WBO champion Richard Hall?
Second, did Roy Jones still dare to face Richard Bradshaw again? However, a $20 million fight was a huge temptation for any boxer. Richard believed he would accept it.
"Are you done with your call? Come over and help me with the sunscreen," Gisele called from the yacht's deck, waving her hand.
"Coming, darling," Richard hung up the annoying phone and walked to the deck.
Today, they had arrived at Lanikai Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii, a crescent-shaped bay with deep blue waves, white sandy beaches, palm trees, and a few oddly shaped small islands in the bay—an ideal spot for diving and surfing.
In the morning, the two of them had spent two hours playing on the white sand beach.
By noon, as more people began to gather on the beach, Richard rented a double-deck yacht and drifted with the current in the bay. Sometimes they went ashore to explore and take pictures on the small islands; other times, they dived to collect shells underwater.
After a few hours, Gisele got tired and lay on a lounge chair, sipping sweet juice and lazily basking in the sun.
"Did Andy call about something important?" Gisele hummed, lying on the chair.
"Nothing major. I discussed a match plan with him before, planning another fight with Roy Jones to try to increase the prize money. Andy was just updating me on the negotiations," Richard said, applying sunscreen with a smile.
"Do we have to go back? We've been out for eight days now; it's time to get back to work."
Slap!
Richard slapped her lightly. "We've finally come out for a vacation, and all you think about is work. Is work really that important?"
"Hmph! Yes, it is!" Gisele glared at him and pouted, lying back on the chair.
Richard smiled gently, caressing her waist and hips. "Work is important, but so is vacation. We can relax, refresh our spirits, and strengthen our relationship, creating beautiful memories in such a wonderful place. Isn't that great?"
Gisele rested her head on her arm. "I know it's great, and I've been very happy these past few days. But you're progressing so quickly, I don't want to fall behind you."
"Why? Why compare yourself to me?" Richard asked in surprise.
"Well, I often think about Murdoch and his ex-wife. If she had been as strong, she wouldn't have been abandoned."
"Why would you think that? I'm not someone who gets bored easily or falls for someone new. Why would you worry about that?" Richard frowned.
"Don't you want your girlfriend to be more exceptional?" Gisele propped her chin and smiled.
"No, success is exhausting. I keep training hard so you don't have to. I don't want you to be too tired."
"I know, but I don't feel tired," Gisele laughed, hugging his neck.
"But I think you're working too hard. And your earlier assumption doesn't hold. If Murdoch's ex-wife had been that strong, they wouldn't have lasted 31 years together in the first place. So you don't need to be too exceptional. I want you to always be the Gisele you are now, not a cold, career-driven woman," Richard said, kissing her neck.
"Haha, that tickles~ I won't be. I'm a lazy person too, with no big ambitions. Hey, what are you doing? Stop it! There's a boat coming. Be careful not to be seen."
"It's fine!" Richard laughed, pulling a blanket over them.
(End of chapter)