205 Tang Yan vs Ashley West 2

Knocked down to the canvas, West faced the countdown but shaking his head hard twice, when the referee reached 3, he stood from the canvas.

The audience cheered.

Seeing West stood again, Tang Yan was slightly surprised.

He had used his unloading technique and Tai Chi to carry off West's offense, followed by the successive use of Jeet Kune to strike through West's arms.

West sure had resilience.

After West was knocked down by Tang Yan, he didn't attack again, but immediately took a defensive posture. It could be seen that after eating a loss, he learned to be good.

Tang Yan wasn't polite, seeing West take a defensive posture, he directly chose an offensive attack.

Left jab, right hook, left jab, right hook.

Tang Yan continuously fired five or six pendulum punches in one breath, all hitting West's arm.

Tang Yan feinted with his body to draw a lead, but West merely circled, standing straight-up, watchful, his hands bobbing a little, but poised and close, offering no gap for an attack.

Tang Yan prowled around his wary opponent, feinting with both hands now. But West's eyes were on Tang Yan's feet. He pivoted slowly, refusing to be drawn into a lead.

West straightened suddenly and threw a long straight left. Tang Yan's right spat out, beating the punch, and drew a trickle of red from West's nose.

West bobbed, shot another left, crouched and pointed with a right that purposely missed, offering his body up for a left. But Tang Yan wasn't drawn in, he would have left himself open for an easy uppercut if he went for it.

West scowled. He had to force this fight or lose on points, but Tang Yan wouldn't be drawn.

He circled lithely, watching for that opening, the opening that would send his opponent to the canvas. Tang Yan could hit. That he knew. His first knockdown bore witness to the fact. He didn't want another.

Tang Yan also circled tigerishly, waiting, watching.

The crowd was growing impatient. And, as far as that goes, so was West. Usually, by this time, he had the fight in his pocket. This wasn't running on schedule.

Tang Yan suddenly then threw a cracking left, but West slipped beneath it and drove him against the ropes with a relentless attack.

The referee parted the fighters as Tang Yan clinched and held on.

West circled, then fell back as the bell sounded.

....

Ding! Ding! - Round 2

The bell rang and they were back out. They sparred for a moment and then West moved quickly, stabbing with a left. Tang Yan rolled away and circled. West followed and Tang Yan edged back towards a corner, letting West trap him. West stepped in, expecting Tang Yan to slip away, but Tang Yan set himself and threw a straight overhand left to the bridge of West's nose.

West blocked and Tang Yan followed in with a right-hook to the pit of his stomach before he could recover. He heard the Brit grunt as the air was forcefully knocked out of him.

He tied West up before he could retaliate and slipped out of the corner after the clinch. West took in a deep breath and adjusted following after Tang Yan, his eyes narrow.

Tang Yan shook his shoulders to loosen the tension. He waited for West's attack.

It came with lightning swiftness. West suddenly stepped forward, cocking his left before suddenly shifting his feet quickly and slamming a hard right at Tang Yan's head.

That maneuver had worked many times for West, but Tang Yan had seen it and studied it, watching West's previous fights and he was inside the right just as quickly as West had moved. He went inside and blasted a savage left hook to West's face and sank a right into West's stomach again sending him to the canvas.

The referee rushed in ripping Tang Yan back from continuing his attack, as he checked West whilst beginning the count.

"1...2....3...4...."

A warm feeling spread through Tang Yan when he heard the air whoosh out of West. He had found a weak spot. West wasn't in perfect condition. He was soft around the midsection.

"5....6...7"

The referee had only reached seven when West lurched back up. He hunched over a little, protecting his stomach, as he bound towards Tang Yan.

Tang Yan stopped and met West head on in the center of the ring. They traded hard lefts and rights, Tang Yan took a left right to the head but as West forgot to protect his abdomen. He drove home a right hook like a pile driver stopping West mid-stride. Tang Yan saw his face go white and drove in, smashing, blasting and belting the Brit back across the ring as the bell sounded for the end of round two.

But Ashley West was a crowd favourite and 'One To Watch' for a reason and whatever his faults he intended to go down fighting. He knew that Tang Yan had found a weak spot but he also knew he had to score a knockout in the next round or two before Tang Yan could continue to smash in his mid-section.

.....

Ding! Ding! - Round 3

West rushed across the ring to unleash his years of boxing experience and skill upon Tang Yan.

Tang Yan blocked the opening blows of the rush and tried to tie West up. But West was ring-wise and kept a hand free, slamming home three damaging blows to Tang Yan's face before he could get inside his shoulder.

They broke apart and Tang Yan found West right on top of him, catching him in a corner, rocking him with hard blows to the head that sent the stars flashing. Tang Yan got his chin down and blasted back, hitting and slugging as he tried to batter his way out of the corner.

But West nailed him against the ropes and rocked him again.

Tang Yan clinched and realized shakily that he had taken a misstep and counted his chickens a little too early. The referee broke them apart but West was soon back at it again, throwing ringcraft aside as he just matched raw muscle and hitting power against whatever Tang Yan could muster.

Tang Yan knew he had to fight back but he couldn't set up and drive home the blow to the midsection he wanted and knew would stop West.

They stood toe-to-toe while the frenzied crowd had their blood lust stirred, imagining themselves in the ring with the fighters, giving and taking blows.

Tang Yan felt his strength ebbing slightly, so he suddenly gave ground, drawing West with him.

West seeing this thought he was hurt and charged, but Tang Yan set himself up and met the charge with a straight left. West had his right cocked as he got inside the left, but Tang Yan beat him to the punch, smashing a right hand into West's middle. He felt the Brit give and drew it back, before blasting it home again. He managed to connect for a third time as well before West tied him up, hanging on.

West was hurt and covering as Tang Yan moved in warily. He exploded two left hands into West's face, but the Brit refused to open up. Tang Yan drove him into a corner.

Both fighters were breathing hard from their savage fight, but West was visibly hurt and the crowd was yelling for a knockout.

Tang Yan was like a hunter who saw his prey falter, he rushed in for the kill, banging away with both hands, belting hooks to the head, blasting jabs to the face, before finally sending a crushing right to the helpless man's midsection that doubled him up onto the canvas like a broken straw.

At this, cheers resounded from the scene.

West had taken another knockdown and even if he could have gotten up again before the count it didn't matter, the referee seeing him take another beating and go down for the third time, called it.

A technical knockout.

Another TKO!

After the referee's call, Tang Yan reached out and helped West up.

"Thank you, it seems that you were right." West said dejected.

"You still have plenty of time till the London Olympics, your strength will improve." Tang Yan comforted him.

This sentence seemed to have struck a nerve with West, as he nodded gritting his teeth.

Tang Yan smiled and didn't speak, and then walked to the referee.

The referee raised Tang Yan's hand high and announced that he was the winner of the fight.

The audience cheered.

At this time, the most excited was Qin Hailong, Tang Yan's performance was spectacular, he saw a qualitative improvement every time he fought.

He really began to suspect Tang Yan could win the 63kg event.

After Tang Yan's fight ended, news of his victory swept through the major sports outlets.

Zhuang Jiajie also reposted the news that he broke into the semi-finals, attracting messages and reposts from Weibo fans. With his continuous competitive achievements, Tang Yan's fame was constantly rising. At this time, his Weibo influence had even surpassed some actresses.

After Tang Yan, there were two more 63kg fights. Which he stayed to watch.

His opponent in the next round was the famous boxer Toledo Lopez from Cuba. A veteran boxer of more than ten years, an opponent with considerable strength and experience.

....

After the quarterfinals, the World Championships also ushered in a day off.

Tang Yan wanted to take the day to relax but Estchenko came over and pulled him along to a nearby bar.

Boxers would be under medical examination before their fights. If their blood alcohol content exceeded the standard, they would be directly deprived of their competition qualifications but as long as the amount was controlled, there wouldn't be any trouble.

The bar was called 'The Challenger' and was a well-known boxing bar in Baku, where you could drink on the sidelines whilst on a stage in the middle of the bar, semi-professional boxers fought.

Tang Yan regretted it the instant he entered the bar. It was an absolute ruckus, with people milling about everywhere. Looking around the place, Tang Yan couldn't help but feel out of place and wary but Estchenko waved off his worries and said that there was something he wanted to show him.

After sitting at the bar, Estchenko ordered a Baltika Dark Lager, and then motioned to Tang Yan to look over to the boxing ring.

Tang Yan looked over. There were two boxers inside seemingly preparing to fight. But what really caught his attention was that whilst both boxers had on proper boxing gloves, one of them wore strange headgear, the black headgear completely covered his head only showing the boxers eyes and nose.

It didn't look padded so this thing obviously wasn't to protect the fighter, it looked more like it was to hide the identity of the fighter.

Ding! Ding!

The bell sounded from the sidelines and the fight began.

Tang Yan also focused his attention on the ring. To be honest, this was the first time he had seen such a place.

The boxers on both sides quickly launched a fierce attack.

After watching for a while, Tang Yan frowned unconsciously.

It wasn't that the two fighters were weak but instead the opposite, the two boxers were very strong and from their movements, it was clear they were professionally trained.

"No wonder, this place is so popular." Tang Yan watched for a while and couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

Estchenko suddenly smiled at this time, as he said: "He's not a local boxer."

"Not local? What do you mean?" Tang Yan looked at Estchenko in doubt.

"Don't you think the black-headed boxer looks familiar? Look at his fighting style." Estchenko said.

Tang Yan turned his head to look at the boxing ring. At this time, the boxer wearing the black headgear had the upper hand, and was pummeling his opponent with continuous combos leaving him no chance to fight back.

His performance attracted whistles and cheers from the audience on the sidelines.

A section of the crowd even cheered and ran towards what looked like a betting booth.

Tang Yan's eyes lit up, followed by a burst of doubt, as he said in an uncertain tone: "Is that…..Toledo Lopez?"