After returning to Los Angeles, the crew continued filming the remaining special effects scenes. Richard couldn't rest either. He spent another week in the studio, finishing up Pitch Black.
After wrapping up, he felt completely drained, both physically and mentally.
"I don't think making movies is worth it. Two and a half months for $2 million, but in a fight, I'd make that in under three minutes."
In the car, Richard leaned against the window as he spoke.
"You're not planning to quit acting, are you?" Mike asked with a smile.
"No, just venting a bit."
"Haha, you don't have much scheduled in October. You can take some time to rest and focus on your training."
"Yeah, I need a break!"
Back at his hillside villa, Richard greeted Mrs. Bündchen before collapsing onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep from the afternoon until midday the next day, getting a full rest.
After waking up, he resumed his boxing training, putting in five hours of hard work, sweating profusely. Exhausted, he went to bed before dark and slept soundly.
At 6 AM the next morning, his alarm went off, and he got up on time, resuming his usual routine—morning runs, training, and weight-cutting. In the afternoon, he visited a newly opened boxing bar.
The bar was on Santa Monica Boulevard, surrounded by other bars, making it a lively area with lots of foot traffic.
The boxing bar was named "The Fist," with a sign featuring a cartoonish fist. The interior was similar to a typical bar, except for a boxing ring on the left side.
When Richard walked in, there weren't many people around. Two muscular Black men were sparring in the ring—Paul and his new sparring partner.
"Hey, Richard, done with your movie?" Paul waved his fist.
Bam!
The sparring partner wasn't paying attention and got punched in the face, staggering back.
"Fuck, Booker, pay attention, will you?" Paul complained, rubbing his cheek.
"Sorry, I didn't notice," the sparring partner grinned.
Paul rolled his eyes. "Richard, this guy's name is Gian DeNiro. He's a new boxer signed by Andy. Don't be fooled by his size—he's even clumsier than me in the ring."
"Hey, Richard, nice to meet you! You're my idol!" Gian DeNiro grinned.
"Nice to meet you too. You're not bad," Richard said with a slight smile, noting that DeNiro's smile seemed familiar.
"Richard, it's been a while since we sparred. Want to get in some rounds?" Paul suggested.
"Sure, let's see if you've been slacking off," Richard replied, putting on his gloves and stepping into the ring.
People in the bar noticed him and crowded around the ring.
Richard didn't pay attention to the crowd. He touched gloves with Paul, and they started sparring, going at it with the same intensity as their previous training sessions. The energy in the bar was high, with the audience cheering loudly.
"Richard, have I improved?" Paul grinned.
"You have, but not by much," Richard said with a slight smile, then threw a sweeping hook. Paul tried to dodge, but the punch was faster than he expected, landing square on his chin.
"Your reaction time still needs work. You should focus on that in your training."
"Everyone says I've made a lot of progress. Try me again?" Paul asked, bouncing on his toes.
"Oh really?"
Richard took a quick step forward, his right hand aiming straight for Paul's gut. Paul took a step back, raising his hands to defend, but Richard's left fist came even faster. One punch feinted, the other real, his fists driving swiftly toward Paul's midsection.
Paul's expression changed, and he tried to lean back, but he was too slow. Richard's fist grazed his nose before pulling back.
"And this is your improvement?" Richard teased.
"Fuck, it's not that I haven't improved; it's that you're improving too fast! Richard, you're a freak."
Paul scowled and threw a hard punch.
Richard sidestepped, blocking the punch. "Your progress is just too slow. Stop training here. There are too many distractions—you can't focus on your training or think through each move properly."
"I don't train here all the time, alright? But fine, I won't come here anymore," Paul said, bouncing on his feet.
Bam! Bam!
They continued sparring as the crowd around the ring grew larger. By the time they finished, the area around the ring was packed, resembling the scene of a small boxing match.
"Richard, I'm a big fan. Can I get your autograph?"
"Sure!" Along the way, fans and boxing enthusiasts asked for autographs, and Richard didn't refuse, signing for over twenty people.
"Richard, what brings you here today?" Andy asked, pouring a glass of red wine as they sat in a booth.
"I happened to be free today, so I thought I'd drop by. The bar seems to be doing pretty well," Richard replied, looking around at the nearly full establishment.
"Haha, it only really gets busy on the weekends. We hold boxing matches here, and the winner gets a week of free drinks. Every weekend, at least five to six hundred people show up."
"Not a bad idea," Richard said with a smile.
"There's a fight between Roy Jones Jr. and Antonio Tarver this weekend. Do you want to go? I have tickets," Andy offered.
"Sure, save one for me."
When the weekend came, Richard, along with Paul, Norman, and Mike, drove to Las Vegas.
That evening, at the MGM Grand Arena, the IBF light heavyweight title match took place, with Roy Jones Jr. challenging IBF champion Antonio Tarver.
"Richard, who do you think will win?" Norman asked.
"Roy Jones Jr. His skills are a bit better than Antonio's."
"Really? Then I'll bet on Roy Jones Jr. to win," Norman said, heading over to the betting booth.
"Place a $10,000 bet for me too," Richard said, with Mike and Paul following suit.
Ding, ding, ding!
The match started at 7 PM.
In the first three rounds, the two fighters fought cautiously, with Roy Jones Jr. rarely attacking, and Antonio Tarver being equally cautious, focusing on defense.
It wasn't until the fourth round that Roy Jones Jr. began to attack, delivering a fast combination of punches. He landed four quick punches in a row, with the last one striking Antonio's cheek.
Antonio staggered and fell against the ropes.
"Wow!" The crowd erupted in shock as the champion nearly got knocked down by the challenger, marking the first exciting moment of the match.
Angered, Antonio quickly launched a counterattack, landing several fast punches on Roy Jones Jr., one of which hit him square on the chin.
Bam!
Roy Jones Jr. staggered and fell to the ground.
"Wow!" The crowd gasped again.
"Haha, Richard, looks like you misjudged this one," Norman laughed.
"No way, Roy Jones Jr. is definitely stronger than Antonio. This might be part of his strategy, using this as a chance to tire Antonio out. I've used tactics like that before," Richard speculated.
"Really? Let's wait and see then."
Bam, bam, bam!
Sure enough, Antonio Tarver's attacks came faster and harder, with punch after punch landing.
"Just as I thought," Richard smiled.
"Wow!" The crowd gasped again just as Richard was smiling—Roy Jones Jr. had been knocked down once more.
"Richard, is that part of the strategy too?" Norman asked.
Richard rubbed his chin, unsure how to respond. While it's possible to go down while luring an opponent in, you must hold your ground during an all-out attack—otherwise, you're done for.
Still, he believed Roy Jones Jr. would win.
Bam, bam, bam!
The fight continued for two more rounds. This time, Roy Jones Jr. managed to hold his ground, but in the seventh round, he made repeated defensive mistakes, getting knocked down twice by his opponent.
Richard knew then that the match was as good as over.
The fight went on for ten rounds, but in the end, Roy Jones Jr. lost.
The arena was filled with disappointed murmurs. Roy Jones Jr. had won a silver medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. After turning pro, he dominated from middleweight to super middleweight, and then to light heavyweight, widely regarded as one of the most talented boxers in history.
But after meeting Richard, he suffered his first loss, then a second. Many had thought he was the second-best light heavyweight after Richard, but now he had lost twice in a row to Antonio Tarver. This performance left many fans disappointed.
Richard was also disappointed.
Roy Jones Jr.'s loss meant that Richard's plans had fallen through, and his $20 million bonus plan would have to be postponed.
"Richard, didn't you say he would win? I just lost $50,000 because of that," Norman grumbled.
"I'm disappointed too. His skills are clearly superior to Antonio's, so how did he lose?"
"Haha, Roy Jones Jr. must've been broken by you, Richard. How's he supposed to win with a shattered mentality?" Paul laughed.
Richard shook his head, watching Roy Jones Jr. walk dejectedly back into the tunnel, feeling sorry for him.
(End of Chapter)