206 Tang Yan vs Lopez 1

"How is this possible? And...." Tang Yan said, before suddenly pausing.

He wanted to say that the World Championships was an international competition and participating boxers weren't allowed to participate in other competitions but seeing Lopez fighting, that seemed a bit redundant.

"Not everyone is as fortunate as you and me. I have been boxing longer than you, and I have seen more. I remember the last World Championships, there were two Russian boxers. They disappeared directly after their match. They participated in the competition only for an opportunity to go abroad, they didn't want to return to their original country." Estchenko followed up.

Tang Yan listened and nodded. He could easily accept these things.

Everyone had their own circumstances.

Some fought for the thrill, others for pride and fame.

It seemed like Lopez did it for a livelihood.

Everyone had their story.

"Lopez is a regular visitor to this bar, he's been fighting here every other night, probably earning a lot from this place, at least more than he gets from back home"

"If you know about it, that means those in charge should know as well right? Why haven't they intervened?" Tang Yan quizzed.

"Why would they act and draw bad press onto the competition, as long as it's done behind the scenes and doesn't become public no one cares." Eschenko said with a smile.

"Hmmm I understand...thank you and I appreciate that you're trying to help but I don't need to win in this way." Tang Yan said standing up.

Estchenko knew that Lopez would be fighting here, and pulled him along. His purpose was obvious.

"Hmmm fine, your choice but at least take a seat and have a drink. Gain some experience by watching Lopez's fight, it'll come in useful for tomorrow if you're not gonna report him."

A slight trace of disappointment flashed across Tang Yan's face as he said:  "No thanks, I don't need it."

Although he knew Estchenko had some good will behind his actions, it was ultimately still him scheming mostly for his own self interest. He needed Tang Yan to defeat Lopez and reach the finals, so that he could gain an Olympic ticket.

Because despite him having lost to Tang Yan, if Tang Yan won gold or came runners up he would automatically qualify for London 2012 and his ticket would be passed down to Estchenko.

"Lopez is an excellent boxer." Estchenko said, still trying to persuade him.

"And I'm not?" Tang Yan replied with a stern smile.

Estchenko went to argue but seeing Tang Yan's expression he didn't force it. Then he said: "You know that's not what I meant. You don't have to watch if you don't want to, we can just talk."

"I don't mind staying out and relaxing but I don't want to stay in this bar. We have to switch!"

Estchenko sighed as he got up from his stool and drained his drink. "Fine let's go, we can find another bar"

"Sure, but by the way I'm not drinking"

.....

The Boxing World Championships began it's final two days.

The semi-finals were today and would be followed by the finals the next day.

The World Championships were second only to the Olympic Games in terms of influence in the sporting world. Winning a World Championship gold medal was something every athlete dreams of. It was the perfect step ladder to the Olympics which was the ultimate glory.

In the 49-kilogram class, Zou Shiming made a good start for the Chinese boxing team. He defeated Cubani Marti with a score of 16 to 10 and successfully advanced to the finals in the evening. His opponent in the finals was Russia's David Ayrapetyan.

There were no Chinese boxers in the 52-kg and 56-kg classes and in accordance with expectations the reigning champions Aloan and Alvarez both advanced to the finals.

After the 56-kilogram match ended, after a rest of about ten minutes, the 63-kilogram semi-finals officially kicked off.

Lomachenko pulled off another strong performance and he defeated Brazil's Carlos Alberto in the third round and successfully broke into the final. His opponent would be the winner between Tang Yan and Lopez.

So after his fight, Lomachenko stayed.

Tang Yan and Lopez were doing their final preparations, and Lomachenko was sat beside his coach discussing the upcoming fight.

Because the World Championships were held in Azerbaijan, and domestic attention on boxing wasn't very high, the previous games, even the quarterfinals, weren't broadcasted in China.

But after Tang Yan broke into the semi-finals, traction and interest rose and the Tv stations finally couldn't sit still, with CCTV being the station to win the broadcasting rights.

Tang Yan and Lopez were about to take the stage and the on-site commentators also began.

"This is not the first time China has reached the semi-finals of the World Championships, but this is the most promising opportunity for China to advance to the finals, Tang Yan is about to step into the ring. The Boxing Killer and the miracle athlete!" Yang Jian CCTV's commentator announced.

"Yeah, China hasn't performed well in the 63kg class historically but hopefully Tang Yan can break that cycle tonight!" The commentary guest Liu Xinyu said with equal excitement. Seeing Tang Yan with the opportunity to make history, they were excited.

"But his opponent is the long-known veteran Lopez. This is his fourth World Championship. Although he is older, this is a difficult opponent."

"Yeah, Lopez is a very experienced boxer. Tang Yan must pay attention to his opponent's tactics, being calm and not taking unnecessary risks will help him through this." Liu Xinyu also gave his advice.

From their words, whether it was Yang Jian or Liu Xinyu, they were eager to see Tang Yan create history for China once again.

Compared to Jackson and West, Lopez didn't have any accolades of being a European Boxing Champion or such but he was a seasoned hand who had been at his craft for a while, grinding away.

While they were talking, Tang Yan and Lopez had already completed all their preparations before the fight, and were boarding the boxing ring.