MBO Boxing I: Everything Thread

[Bojikstan]

MULTIVERSE BOXING ORGANIZATION
NS' premier combat competition

This is the thread for all in character posts, such as profiles, RP posts, etc... All OOC posts should be directed to the signup and OOC thread, here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=422330

Boxing is one of the oldest sports in the world, and is one of the most popular. From the ancient days to now, being called the heavyweight champion has always been something prestigious and sought after. The sport has sold out massive arenas and created some of sports' biggest superstars, and boxers come from all nations and walks of life. But it's been a long time since there's been an international competition to pit the best against the best, and the Multiverse Boxing Organization was created to fill that divide. Based on international soil in Rushmore, the organization is made up of members from across the multiverse and has the goal of bringing high level boxing to every country. Now, they're officially opening their doors and holding a series of introductory tournaments.

Groups & Schedule

Featherweight groups

Welterweight groups

Heavyweight groups


Featherweight Tournament:

Round robin day 1: September 6th

Round robin day 2: September 7th

Round robin day 3: September 9th

Quarterfinals: September 10th

Semifinals: September 11th

Final: September 12th

Welterweight and heavyweight tournaments:

Round robin day 1: September 18th

Round robin day 2: September 19th

Round robin day 3: September 20th

Quarterfinals: September 21st

Semifinals: September 22nd

Final: September 23rd

Cutoff is 7:00 PM EST.

[Bojikstan]

Host Info

The MBO tournaments are being hosted in two of the largest cities in Bojikstan, Vorsji and Odena. Both of these cities, and most of the country, really, have sustained damage in the Bojikstani Civil War, but have been rebuilt enough to have a few modern districts that are good for hosting international events. This competition also marks the first time since the war that the country has opened its borders for a major international event, and comes after a long process of reconstructing the eastern cities.

There are four different arenas that will host the event, with two in each city. The first group in each city will compete in the larger venue, and the second group will compete in the smaller one. The knockout stages of both tournaments will take place at the larger venues, with the featherweight and welterweight tournament knockout rounds scheduled for Vorsji and the heavyweight tournament scheduled for Odena.

The first venue, and the site of the heavyweight knockout rounds, is Bojik Bank Arena. Located outside of a revitalized downtown in Odena, the arena is the home of the Odena Ironmakers gridiron football team and has a dome that can be opened or closed on command. It seats 60,000 for football games, and will have a capacity that’s adjusted depending on the demand for the tournament. For earlier fights, the second level may be closed off, as it often is when concerts are held at the venue.

The large arena being used in Vorsji is also a football one. Vorsji Auto Stadium is the home of the Battery, and is another domed multi purpose stadium that seats 45,000. Unlike Bojik Bank Stadium, the dome isn’t retractable, but that’s made it a popular location for indoor sports events such as basketball.

The smaller two stadiums are the City of Vorsji Arena, which is used primarily for combat sports these days, and the Odena Forum, which hosts basketball and hockey. They seat 17,000 and 16,500 respectively, and are both located in the downtown districts of their respective cities.

Vorsji

The city of Vorsji is located almost directly in the middle of Bojikstan, and is considered to have two halves. The western half identifies with the more liberal culture of the western part of the country, while the eastern half has more Christian influences and is considered part of the eastern region. It’s considered to be an industrial city, which has roots in the auto industry.

Until the invention of the car, it was a smaller town, but the manufacturing industry turned it into a major city and eventually brought other industries within its borders. These days, Vorsji Auto is still one of the largest corporations there and in the country in general, but medicine and chemical manufacturing is still a huge industry that employs more people than anyone else in the city.

Both of the venues being used for the competition are in the western half of the city, which sustained less damage during the war and was rebuild much quicker than the eastern half, which still has visible damage from many artillery strikes and much urban warfare.

Odena

Odena is the largest city in the east of Bojikstan, and can be considered post industrial. Long ago, it was the capital of the Kingdom of Odena. After the east-west unification, it was still the unofficial political center of the east. To this day, winning Odena is important to winning an election, and very few politicians are elected nationally without managing their approval ratings in Odena. While Vorsji is considered to be ‘stuck’ in the industrial age, Odena has moved on to a more mixed economy that has blue collar and white collar jobs, with industry in the outer part of the city and more upper class jobs around the downtown area. There’s been some complaints, however, that the inner city is becoming gentrified and that the traditional working class population is being forced to move out to the suburbs.

Even with the gentrification, though, Odena is still distinctly working class, and proud of that fact. There’s some problems with poverty, but most of the populace is proud of the way that they endure through it, and the way that they endured the civil war. In that war, nearly half of the city was burnt at one point by rebel forces and the eventual victors, but most of those districts have been rebuilt into some of the more modern parts of the city. Now, Odena is somewhat open to visitors. It’s still not a tourist city like Strasburg, though. The people of Odena don’t trust easily, after everything that they’ve been through, but it’s said that they warm up to newcomers eventually.

[Newmanistan]

THE ROCKET REPORT

NELSON REPRESENTS EMPIRE

by Taylor Larson,
(OOC for background info: In the NSCAA, Larson was an intern attempting to get a job with The Rocket Report. The editor felt she was only given the opportunity due to her looks, though Taylor does try to do a respectful job).

Hey everyone!

I am so excited to announce that they have hired me to work at The Rocket Report. You know initially they weren’t going to give me the job but it was thanks to all my wonderful readers, and the support of my bff Brianne Henry, who’s doing the World Bowl right now! They gave me this boxing gig, which isn’t that bad because it gives me the opportunity to cover muscular men wearing only tight shorts.

Speaking of muscular, I interviewed Shawn Nelson, who is representing Newmanistan in the flyweight division. Here it goes!

Larson: Hi Shawn, great to see you!

Nelson: Hello, what was your name again?

Larson: Oh sorry, I am Taylor Larson. I just got the job.

Nelson: From what country?

Larson: Oh sorry, I am writing for the Rocket Report! I am a hometown reporter, not someone from another country or anything!

Nelson: Oh, cool. The Rocket Report is acknowledging this. That’s nice to know, thanks!

Larson: Hey, anytime, Shawn. So, how’s it feel to be here?

Nelson: It’s weird, there are chicks in my group.

Larson: That’s weird.

Nelson: And they’re not Cassadagan.

Larson: That’s really weird.

Nelson: I had to check to see which one might be from Cassadaigua, but neither are. I’ve never seriously fought a chick before.

Larson: Yeah, will you be ok?

Nelson: It’ll take some getting used too, I suppose. I have never hit a woman. So the fact that I supposed to hit a woman will be new to me. And of course, obviously these ladies are supreme athletes, so by the time I get over it, they’ll probably win the first round.

Larson: Do you think they should have separated the genders?

Nelson: In a way, yes, but this is the way the sports world is now. Those ladies that I will fight have earned their chance, so they should be here and it should not be separated by gender if they have the ability. It’s just going to be real weird. I am just going to have to see past that, and fight the way I have trained my whole life to fight.

Larson: Great idea!

Nelson: Gotta run, Tara.

Larson: Taylor.

Nelson: Sorry, Taylor. Female names sound too much alike.

Larson: Hey now that’s not fair. Well anyway, good luck against Julie.

Nelson: Julia.

Larson: Yeah yeah, female names, sound too much alike.

[Darkmania]

Darkmania`s DaTV (Därkmänsije TeleVïsan) will brodcast all some of the matiches, due to a clash with Water Polo International Championships II. But all matches that Darkmanians is in, will be brodcased, with analyzes of some of the matches. Using the hashtag #DaTVSport, the best posts will sometimes be posted.

[Vangaziland]

Linda Henshmen started her international fighting career at the Ilysea Amphitheater Classic. The event was her first experience fighting against male opponents, outside of a male sparring partner she trained with before the event. Not only did Linda keep up, she placed first among all boxers, winning several rounds including the Championship Boxing Match.

Her sponsor was Crossing Sun MMA, now Crossing Sun Combat Sports. Her plan going into that event was to bulk up. Since that event, she's gone through a long period of 'cutting weight'. She lifted less weight with more repetitions, instead of the heavy lifting she did building up to the Classic. She also added a focus on sprinting to her cardio sessions, replacing two two-mile and two five-mile runs every month in favor of additional sprint days.

She also changed her diet, adding more fruits and vegetables to the ratio that makes up her daily calorie intake. Now she was down to featherweight, the smallest weight she's fought at. Analysts in favor of her pointed out her height. She would have a decent reach at that weight class, being a lanky 5'11.

Punching power was not her strong suit, but she was very technical. She also knew how to work on an opponent, using speed to land punches where they'll have a cumulative effect. After fighting larger men in a weight class over 175 lbs, she's expected to be able to take punches about as well as most other fighters.

She'll still be at a disadvantage. Before the fight, she appeared on a few shows and blogs. One podcast dedicated to fight sports had one of the most open interviews. Henshmen seemed more comfortable around the fight fans than the mainstream journalists.

They asked her how she felt going into the MBO's first fight night.

"There's only one way to go into a fight like this. I want to take the opponent's head off. They want to do the same to me. We'll throw hands, then shake hands, even if one of us gets knocked out for awhile. So there's nothing to worry about. Now I do want to win. I don't want to get too hurt. But these sorts of thoughts come with the sport."

One of the hosts used her focus to talk about her meditation rituals.

"I've gotten in touch with a few forms of ancient meditation. Just for the mental clarity. It gives me an edge. Like, I can literally take the butterflies in my stomach and fold them away. If nothing else, it helps fizz away the anxiety. I just think about what I have to do."

She talked about missing the Olympiad.

"Well I didn't have a record in my new weight class. Plus my cutting was still in progress. So I found myself ineligible. It's a missed chance and I hope I'll get a shot at a medal someday."

Four female boxers won Bronze medals for Vangaziland. One male earned a Silver. It was a decent set of results, but top Vannish boxers failed to medal. These medals represented underdogs stepping up to win medals they had only slim expectations to reach. Tony Toca won his silver in the flyweight class and could have easily been chosen to fight in the MBO instead of Henshmen.

"Maybe it'll be better for me to get more time in this weight class. Pick up more experience. Fighting guys in leagues like the MBO will be great training for the Olympics."

Several cable networks were set to cover the fight. They were subscription channels, with fight sports getting less attention in mainland Vangaziland than other sports. Many plans included at least one of the networks, they just had to be chosen from a list of specialty networks.

Those who did not have the channels could order the fight for 15-20 NSD, depending on the local provider. The same could be said for many televised games or events limited to specialty channels. In the event of certain scenarios, the fight would reach a larger audience, possibly even on a national broadcast.

"I just hope I can help live up to the hype as a fighter", Linda said. "We all want to see the league do well, and be a part of the reason why."

[Dainer]

Bala "The Bullet" Saturno

"Just don't call me a girl"

Ring attire: brass colored gloves, green and black chest piece and trunks, black boots.

Style: Ruthless aggression. She's all about staying close to the opponent and pressuring them with a wide variety of techniques, punishing mistakes with her dynamite punches. At 5'9", she's got more range than most outboxers in the weight class, which helps her keep opponents at arms reach. She doesn't handle defense as well, so her constant attack is also a weapon against other aggressive boxers who might be able to put her on the back foot.

Raised by a family with history in the Daineri Army Rangers, she grew to idolize the toughness and poise of those soldiers. To this day she despises anything deemed to be girly and delicate, and reacts angrily to anyone implying femininity about herself. Thinking of joining the corporation, she started training in martial arts and eventually took up professional boxing after being convinced by some early successes (consisting mostly of her sending amateur fighters to the canvas with a single dash-in and knockout punch). She harbors a rivalry against Marina "The Maniac" Todd, who beat her gym mates in successive bouts. Even now, after both fighters have gone separate career paths, she claims to want to one day return to the ring with Todd and avenge the honor of her trainers.

[Romaian]

---

---

Today's interview with 2016's Romaian featherweight boxing champion - Alexandros Leonardas


- With what thoughts do you approach this responsible duel and the tournament?

- I was prepairing at OAKK Olympic Boxing centre in Constantinoupoli under management of Romaian boxing team's experienced coaches.
Now I am in great shape, ready to show tomorrow everything I can, and to please the audience with my performance, I first of all tune to victory and think about how to use the opponent's weaknesses.

- What can you say about rivals from your group, did you read their interviews?

- We did not communicate closely with them, but they create the impression of confident fighters. I didn't pay attention to anything instead of training.

- How do you manage to lead yourself to the fight in a psychological, emotional way?

- I manage to lead myself to fighting well. Now my emotional background is stable. I'm already quite an experienced athlete and found in myself those mechanisms that need to be turned on before the fight. Something needs to be thrown away, something to exclude. I try to less to stay in society. This is one of the options for attending a fight.

- What can you wish the fans who come to support you today and will believe in your victory?

- First of all, I want to express my gratitude to them for what they are experiencing, watching, getting sick. Who can not come, let him turn on the TV - for me it will also be a good message, and I will feel a part of their experiences.

Source: OlympionWeb

[Filindostan]

Boxing is one of the least popular sports in Filindostan. It is always overshadowed by Football, Basketball, and Volleyball in terms of popularity and knowledge among the people of the nation. Usually in the newspaper prints, there was only a portion of the Sports section where boxing is being discussed or reported. These news are even nonexistent in radio and television broadcasts.

There's one article written on the newspapers about three Filindostani boxers making the trip to Bojikstan for the MBO.

Boxing - Three boxers go to Bojikstan to play boxing

SAN MARCO - The Filindostani National Sports Commission has sent three boxers for the Multiverse Boxing Organization. They are Willi Suharto (featherweight), Manuelito Pacquio (welterweight), and Akil Waranyaka (heavyweight). No updates were gathered on whether they were sent with budget coming from the FNSC or if they used their own pockets to participate. We here at FNN will try to cover the updates for them. We wish them well.

These kind of news reports just show how boxing is ignored in the country. The three boxers (and their trainor) will hope to change their thinking of the sport soon.

[Wrexwic]

Abigail Kaldwell. The Wrexish name seemed to convey an almost stately innocence. That sounded like the name of someone devout, chaste and even-tempered spirit. Maybe this Abby was just into sports or pugilism. None of the earlier statements were typical to the Wrexish people. They were the wild bunch of the Vannish Empire.

It was a rough place to live at times, with way more corruption in the government than should be allowed. Vangaziland places lots of pressure on the satellite, just over 500 miles off the mainland's Central Eastern Coast. At one point fines were levied, but that was just hurting the people. The fine was in response to the Wrexish government funneling money away, in quasi-legal manners, from the Wrexish people.

Prime Minister Goodsen has made a tough stance on Wrexwic a major part of his term. Conditions have already started to improve. For people in their 20s or older, the past was already set in stone. Abigail Kaldwell grew up poor. Sports were her way into better schools. Boxing turned out to be where she stood out the most.

When she made the roster of Wrexwic National Boxing, a scholarship to a university was guaranteed. She even got to study in Vangaziland for a year. When she saw how well people lived on the other side of the channel, her curious dislike for the Vangazi festered into mild hatred. Kaldwell grew up in a rural farm town where locals got drinking water from a well. The crops relied mostly on irrigation and nearby rivers.

She also found herself fighting from a young age. Whatever anybody had, another person wanted to take. This was true all throughout her early life. If it weren't for college, she'd be in the provincial militia with her brothers and sisters.

She was already expecting to send large portions of money back home to them. Certain prize and sponsorship money could do wonders for the town, as well as the militia. They could use top of the line harvesters and maybe new 4x4s for the platoons.

Wrexwic needed a star on the international stage. They didn't have much funding for national programs. Kaldwell found herself propped up into the MBO, thanks to several sponsors.

It was clear Kaldwell had her sights set on one fighter.

"I'm not impressed with Linda Henshmen", Kaldwell said on a radio show. "She's the most overhyped fighter since Joahna Fousie."

When pressed, Abigail added, "I don't care how many men she's fought. She hasn't fought me. I won't take it easy on her."

The comment was a major jab, insinuating that Henshmen didn't win 'The Classic' on her own merit. When asked how she'd compensate for Henshmen's reach, the 5'8 boxer said, "I'll step in and light her up."

Many boxing fans found Kaldwell's aggressive talk welcome in the world of combat sports. Henshmen seemed not to respond but did send a hidden dig in her own interview on a late night talk show.

"Abby Kaldwell? Who is she again?" That was a dig, Abigail would not have wanted a stranger to call her Abby, especially not that Vangazi Linda. "Oh she's from Wrexwic? I hear it's nice there."

She said the last sentence with a bit of a smile and sarcasm in her glance. She knew of the nation's struggles and downplayed them on a national broadcast.

Kaldwell responded with a social media post about "The Dangers of Cheap Dye Jobs". Most figured she was talking about Henshmen, who died her normally dark hair a platinum shade of blonde for the MBO. It was technically done at a fancy place in Vangaziland, where it was also cut and styled. Still, it was just a back and forth strike on Kaldwell's part.

There was a long road separating both fighters from meeting after the group stages. Talks already started about setting up a fight between the two. The bad blood between these two seemed based more on true feelings than hype.

[Bojikstan]

Day 1 Cutoff! Will you be one of the ones to jump to an early lead? We'll find out soon.

[Bojikstan]

Day 1 Results

Vorsji Group A
Akiro Ota (HUI) 11–18 Willi Suharto (FID)
Alexandros Leonardas (ROA) 9–5 Hailey Alexander (NJA)

  Vorsji Group A             Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Willi Suharto                1   1  0   18  11  +7    3
2 Alexandros Leonardas         1   1  0    9   5  +4    3
3 Hailey Alexander             1   0  1    5   9  −4    0
4 Akiro Ota                    1   0  1   11  18  −7    0

Vorsji Group B
Julia Sabo (BJK) 3–3+ Shawn Nelson (NEW)
Linda Henshmen (VNG) 8–3 Skyler Sanchez (PLT)

  Vorsji Group B             Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Linda Henshmen               1   1  0    8   3  +5    3
2 Julia Sabo                   1   0  0    3   3   0    1
  Shawn Nelson                 1   0  0    3   3   0    1
4 Skyler Sanchez               1   0  1    3   8  −5    0

Odena Group A
Gregório Jung (LIS) 4–9 Alex Dermer (DMN)
Paulo Estático (LAS) 11–8 Tomas Souvier (NEG)

  Odena Group A              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Alex Dermer                  1   1  0    9   4  +5    3
2 Paulo Estático               1   1  0   11   8  +3    3
3 Tomas Souvier                1   0  1    8  11  −3    0
4 Gregório Jung                1   0  1    4   9  −5    0

Odena Group B
Rick Leigh (COL) 7–10 Abigail Kaldwell (WRX)
Bala Saturno (DAI) 14–7 Felix Fitzgerald (QUE)

  Odena Group B              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Bala Saturno                 1   1  0   14   7  +7    3
2 Abigail Kaldwell             1   1  0   10   7  +3    3
3 Rick Leigh                   1   0  1    7  10  −3    0
4 Felix Fitzgerald             1   0  1    7  14  −7    0

[Lisander]

"No KOs? In the entire night? Isn't olympic boxing?" Cássio Jung talked to its son, Greg, in the telephone. A heart attack two months before that day prevented him to join Gregório Jung, Lisander Featherweight Champion.

"I lost on points, every fight in this night was decided on points. I can't understand. These boxers are all so much resistant. I thought I would feel bad for losing, but I was standing well over all rounds. May it be something in Bojikstan water?" Greg answered.

"Dunno, my boy. How's the team? Luiz, Kevin, Lelo. Are they right?"

"Sleeping, like babies. Those bastards."

"And you? Why aren't you sleeping?"

"I was in a call with Valentina and you called me. I'll go to sleep after it. May I have your bless?

"Then go. Good night, son. Sleep well, Jah bless you."

" 'night"

[Darkmania]

Darkmanian kicked the s*** out of his foe, and win.

---

Älex Dërmer kicked and punchced his foe Gregório Jung (LIS), ending the macht with a 4-9 to the darkmanian. Since boxing isnt one of the most popular sports in Darkmania, the news of a match vitory may change the darkmanian boxing scene.

[Bojikstan]

'Hello again, Timothy. It's been a long time since I talked to you, but I guess that means my career is helping me get over all of this. Since the last time I talked to you, I won my last two amateur fights and went pro with a 16-0 amateur record. I had my first professional fight yesterday, and it was actually hosted here in Bojikstan. Vorsji, to be specific. Not the part where we fought our battles, but the western part that wasn't touched as much by the war. We're hosting some tournaments as part of an international thing, and the Boxing Federation selected me to represent us because some of the LBL vets were busy with their own fights. I promised that I wouldn't disappoint them, but my first fight was actually a draw,' says Julia Sabo, standing on the hotel balcony and staring out into the Vorsji night.

'It wasn't much fun. I felt like I disappointed everyone, because I'm the only Bojikstani fighter in this division and I should have done better in front of my own crowd. It is what it is, though. I landed one good punch that should have been a knockdown, but Nelson had more of a chin than most of the amateur fighters that I've gone against. He's from Newmanistan, and it's my first time fighting a foreigner. I'm just shifting focus now and trying to make sure I get into the final eight. I really need the prize money, because my coaches can't afford to keep the gym open much longer without it. I want to help them, but I don't have much money myself right now,' she continues.

'I'm fighting for you, too. And well, all of my dead Army friends, and everyone else that we lost during the war. I think it's fitting that the final is here in Vorsji, where so many things happened with the war. If I won here, it would help me heal and get past what happened. It would give me some better memories of this city, you know?' she adds, before turning and walking back into the main hotel room. 'I know you're watching. I'm going to make you proud next time, I promise.'

[Vangaziland]

Linda Henshmen jumped to the top of her group, after winning her first fight. She won a convincing 8-3 victory, looking quick and technical. This was her first fight as a featherweight. She's dropped a considerable amount of weight and muscle mass since her 2015 fight at 175 lbs.

"Linda looked good out there", said her trainer Kip Bellzi. "She's done lots of working out at this weight, so she didn't loose her speed or power. She wouldn't be able to fight the people she fought at higher weights. It looks like she should be alright here, though."

Henshmen fought a defensive fight, protecting her face and moving to avoid heavy strikes. She did take a few hard punches, but made herself too mobile of a target to get hit too often. She also threw her long arms out in searching jabs, some of which connected for points.

"With the whole thing about boxing against both genders... We (female fighters) have to develop certain styles", Linda said. "We have to be defensive. We also have to strike back. The timing. That's what I try to base my style on. It's about judging that split second and deciding whether to move, strike, or cover."

Her fight drew slightly better numbers than Vannish media executives thought. With this being an early fight, they estimated bigger fights could draw large numbers, if promoted well enough.

"I'm glad to be a part of the MBO", said the female boxer. "It puts an international eye on our sport's athletes. A lot of the world's best boxers don't get much airtime outside of their country. One of the most interesting things about boxing is watching different cultures compete. That goes back to ancient times."

Fight fans throughout Vangaziland and her allies were buzzing at talk about the new league. Their social media posts and insider fan talk had begun to spread to their friends and family. New fight fans were trickling into the MBO on a daily basis.

[Filindostan]

Three hours before Willy's fight with Akiro Ota

Willy and his trainer thought that the tournament will be played with professional boxing rules (i.e. topless, no headguard, and a 10 to 12 round 10-point must system). However when he entered the arena lockers, he saw that the featherweights gearing up had the amateur boxing gears. Filindostan didn't get the notice that the tournament will be played with the Olympic format.

"Susilo, I need the gears. Where can we purchase one?"

"Ah, I don't know. Oh fck we're doomed!"

"Can we borrow from our co-competitors?"

"I don't think that would be permitted though."

Fortunately for them, a Filindostani migrant was able to notice the situation and went to a boxing shop nearby. Twenty minutes later he approached the two and gave him the gears. Susilo offered to pay but the migrant said that it's out of goodwill and wishes the boxer well.

After the 18-11 win, they went to the boxing shop the migrant to purchase additional gears and the gears for their other boxers. They were surprised to see that the shop owner was the migrant himself - Markus Padilla. He provided additional gears to the boxers, knowing that the commission does not provide adequate budget for the boxing team.

"We wish you all well. Come visit the shop frequently." He said.

[Wrexwic]

Where Linda attacked with timing and technique, Abby Kaldwell fought with pure aggression. She closed distance, chasing down movements that looked to gain the angle's advantage. She was the opposite of a defensive fighter. Her opponent Rick Leigh came at her ready to fight.

The scoring would end close. They both exchanged rapid strikes. Kaldwell took a few punches that had a major effect on her. Since she was usually standing close, she'd often wrap Rick up in a clinch. She had to catch her breath, but more often she was using the time to let a few hard punches lose their sting.

She managed to land more clean punches and won her first fight against a male opponent.

When she was asked about that, she replied, "Wrexwic is rough. It's not the first time I've had to fight a man. It's also not the first time I won."

Both Wrexish and Vannish fight scouts noted that Kaldwell 'shows potential'. It's still considered too early in her career and the tournament to make long term conclusions. With the way citizenship laws work with nations in the Vannish Empire, dual citizenship is common. With Vangaziland failing to win a medal in any freestyle weight class, they would be glad to bring 'Abby the Wrex' to the Vannish National Boxing Team. Henshmen was likely to make the next Olympiad, but would probably go up a class for it.

The two could find themselves competing in the Featherweight class together. How would their rivalry pan out if they both fought ach other in a medal match?

Kaldwell's trash talk on Henshmen helped grow the buzz around the MBO in Vangaziland and Wrexwic. Fans wanted to see these two fight. Some say now is the time to really boost boxing as a spectator sport in The 'Mainlands'.

Wrexic was really counting on Kaldwell. Her fight received way more attention in the Wrexish media than Henshmen did in Vangaziland. Wrexish from Southline to Tremooty saw someone from their nation compete and earn a victory against an international challenger. Without having many international representatives, the nation was taking in the feeling with pride.

They knew it was a long tournament, but they had hope. That hope was drawing them into becoming boxing fans. Fighters from other countries intrigued the Wrexish too. They were especially interested in Bala Saturno who seemed just as aggressive as Abigail.

[Bojikstan]

Day 2 cutoff! Will you clinch the next round, or be left to decide your fate on the last day?

[Bojikstan]

Day 2 Results

Vorsji Group A
Willi Suharto (FID) 8–4 Hailey Alexander (NJA)
Akiro Ota (HUI) 6–12 Alexandros Leonardas (ROA)

  Vorsji Group A             Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Willi Suharto                2   2  0   26  15 +11    6
2 Alexandros Leonardas         2   2  0   21  11 +10    6
3 Hailey Alexander             2   0  2    9  17  −8    0
4 Akiro Ota                    2   0  2   17  30 −13    0

Vorsji Group B
Shawn Nelson (NEW) 11–9 Skyler Sanchez (PLT)
Julia Sabo (BJK) 2–9 Linda Henshmen (VNG)

  Vorsji Group B             Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Linda Henshmen               2   2  0   17   5 +12    6
2 Shawn Nelson                 2   1  0   14  12  +2    4
3 Julia Sabo                   2   0  1    5  12  −7    1
4 Skyler Sanchez               2   0  2   12  19  −7    0

Odena Group A
Alex Dermer (DMN) 6–4 Tomas Souvier (NEG)
Gregório Jung (LIS) 9–4 Paulo Estático (LAS)

  Odena Group A              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Alex Dermer                  2   2  0   15   8  +7    6
2 Gregório Jung                2   1  1   13  13   0    3
3 Paulo Estático               2   1  1   15  17  −2    3
4 Tomas Souvier                2   0  2   12  17  −5    0

Odena Group B
Abigail Kaldwell (WRX) 4–7 Felix Fitzgerald (QUE)
Rick Leigh (COL) 5–8 Bala Saturno (DAI)

  Odena Group B              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Bala Saturno                 2   2  0   22  12 +10    6
2 Abigail Kaldwell             2   1  1   14  14   0    3
3 Felix Fitzgerald             2   1  1   14  18  −4    3
4 Rick Leigh                   2   0  2   12  18  −6    0

[Bojikstan]

Day 3 cutoff... Time to see who makes the final cut.

[Bojikstan]

Day 3 results

Vorsji Group A
Alexandros Leonardas (ROA) 9–8 Willi Suharto (FID)
Hailey Alexander (NJA) 7–5 Akiro Ota (HUI)

  Vorsji Group A             Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Alexandros Leonardas         3   3  0   30  19 +11    9
2 Willi Suharto                3   2  1   34  24 +10    6
3 Hailey Alexander             3   1  2   16  22  −6    3
4 Akiro Ota                    3   0  3   22  37 −15    0

Vorsji Group B
Linda Henshmen (VNG) 11–5 Shawn Nelson (NEW)
Skyler Sanchez (PLT) 7–12 Julia Sabo (BJK)

  Vorsji Group B             Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Linda Henshmen               3   3  0   28  10 +18    9
2 Julia Sabo                   3   1  1   17  19  −2    4
3 Shawn Nelson                 3   1  1   19  23  −4    4
4 Skyler Sanchez               3   0  3   19  31 −12    0

Odena Group A
Paulo Estático (LAS) 6–3 Alex Dermer (DMN)
Tomas Souvier (NEG) 6–13 Gregório Jung (LIS)

  Odena Group A              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Gregório Jung                3   2  1   26  19  +7    6
2 Alex Dermer                  3   2  1   18  14  +4    6
3 Paulo Estático               3   2  1   21  20  +1    6
4 Tomas Souvier                3   0  3   18  30 −12    0

Odena Group B
Bala Saturno (DAI) 3–10 Abigail Kaldwell (WRX)
Felix Fitzgerald (QUE) 10–14 Rick Leigh (COL)

  Odena Group B              Pld   W  L   PF  PA  PD  Pts 
1 Abigail Kaldwell             3   2  1   24  17  +7    6
2 Bala Saturno                 3   2  1   25  22  +3    6
3 Rick Leigh                   3   1  2   26  28  −2    3
4 Felix Fitzgerald             3   1  2   24  32  −8    3

Quarterfinals bracket:

#1 Linda Henshmen vs #8 Julia Sabo
#2 Alexandros Leonardas vs #7 Bala Saturno
#3 Willi Suharto vs #6 Alex Dermer
#4 Gregorio Jung vs #5 Abigail Kaldwell

[Romaian]

---

---

3 Days - 3 wins.
Bookmakers preferred to bet on Alexandros Leonardas in quarterfinals.

Incredible! Confident, constant victories of Leonardas become now obvious thing.

Group stage:

Group A:
Alexandros Leonardas v. Hailey Alexander

Alexandros said that the main thing to win any battle is working hard, training hard, be confident and don't pay much attention to reviews, vis-a-vis' interviews. Anyways, any fighter or even sportsman can't escape from a sort of pressure at the first international tournament with unknown opponent, psychological prepariness makes sense so, Leonardas looked more confident and gloriously won.

Result: 9-5

Akiro Ota v. Alexandros Leonardas

Unfortunately, Alexandros didn't gave us interview before and after fight. This fight was a fantastic mixture of tactics, technics and psycology, Leonardas found his opponent's weaknesses and attacked it. Fantastic victory!

Result: 6-12

Alexandros Leonardas v. Willi Suharto

The hardest fight during this group stage, both of fighters deserved victory, physical tireness because of heavy intense of the schedule, fighters haven't got enough time to prepare and to recover. Leonardas had the hardest match and the hardest victory, so Leonardas going to Quarterfinal.
Result: 9-8

Quarterfinal's prognosis:
#2 Alexandros Leonardas vs #7 Bala Saturno

505Bet:

11-6

UniBet:

7-3

Source: OlympionWEB

[Vangaziland]

Henshmen won her latest fight 11-5, adding a 3-0 stretch to her record. She has one loss on her overall international record, from the group stage of the Ilyseum Amphitheatre Classic. If she were to lose now, she'd be out of the tournament. She would have to go 6-0 overall to win the belt. That number alone increased the stats and made things statistically harder for her to accomplish.

Still, Henshmen had been putting in quite the effort. She stepped up her sparring time between fights. This cut into her recovery time. Any boxing tournament with regularly scheduled matches would have less recovery time than leagues where promoters schedule fights on an individual basis. There were exceptions.

Olympiad heavyweight boxer Tellef Nordeson travelled Vangaziland scheduling fights until he was first noticed. That was still on a temporary basis, but pushed the limits by fighting for days in a row. There was still some downtime between MBO fights, but fighters had to recover quickly. At least when compared to the sorts of fighters who fight twice a year, they did.

Linda picked up 1st seeding with the highest point differential. She scored 28 points, second only to Alexandros Leonardas at 30. She gave up 9 less points than Leonardas on defense. Linda would be facing Julia Sabo, ranked 2nd in her group and the 8th seed.

"I'm not going to underestimate anyone", Linda said at a press conference. "Look at the score she just put up against Skyler Sanchez. I think Julia's just finding her form. I think she's also put in a lot of work training, behind the scenes."

Henshmen seemed anxious on camera. From her point of view, she had a lot to lose. If she went 3-0 and lost in the first round, it could tarnish her legacy. Crossing Sun Combat Sports would be happy enough getting the international exposure. Once again, one of their fighters had a great group stage. 3 wins in front of international TV audiences. They knew that even if Linda lost, they could work for the future.

She spent the day before her next match listening to music, doing yoga and capped the day off with a trip to a sauna. She woke relaxed and clear-headed.

Several Vannish celebrities have posted about attending Henshmen's next fight. Some would also try to catch Kaldwell's fight. Several sports stars would be in the stands. Hectare Yulssen, captain of Vangaziland's national basketball team and Juell Sampsen, a forward, were sitting ringside. Footballer Oskolde was sitting near them. 100m Gold Medalist M.C. Ristoff was also in town, with an entourage of track teamsters.

Absent were any members from the National Gridiron Team. The news before the past MBO fight 3 swirled around a gambler, believed to be on that team's starting roster. The player wagered about 400K total on the Vannish and Wrexish boxers'' 2nd fight. He made back his losses by doubling it all down on Linda Henshmen's last fight. The anonymous account actually earned a small profit, despite the scandal.

It closed hours later, having been revealed by a leaker working for the company. The gambler had not been revealed yet, but saved himself face by not losing 400k-800K. Instead, a few additional thousands placed on the original 390K bet brought net profit of around 15K.

The gambler was wise to cut their losses before having to climb out of another giant hole.

Linda tried her best to tune out all the outside drama as fight time came nearer.

[Wrexwic]

Abby Kaldwell was known to be a tough fighter, but she didn't have the sort of professional reputation Linda Henshmen did. This was Kaldwell's first international event. She's only fought professionally for a 18 months. Her first victory came against one of Wrexwic's most distinguished fighters. Now she finds herself fighting against talented competitors from around the world.

"It's been tough", Kaldwell said to a blogger. "Tough on the body. Stressful on the mind. The loss really hurt."

Kaldwell took a few hits in her 4-7 loss to Felix Fitzgerald. She still gathered herself together to win the next match 10-3 against another rising female star. Bala Saturno. Saturno seeded at 7th and would be facing Alexandros Leonardas.

That was quite a tough match for Bala. Kaldwell told the internet boxing blog she was rooting for the other lady. "I like Bala's style. She's very 'in your face'. If she steps into him, she might be able to pull it off."

She was then asked if she thought Linda Henshmen could beat Leonardas. "Bala would have a better chance of winning. Linda is too dainty to actually box."

Abigail pouted and rolled her eyes as soon as the Vangazi was mentioned. Kaldwell REALLY wanted to fight Linda. She forced her promoter to call the Vannish team at 9 PM to try to immediately schedule a fight. Henshmen's camp brushed them off, not taking the Wrexish too seriously.

There could be money in a Wrexish-Vangazi fight, but they'd pitch the idea to the marketing team. The Corporate crew could look over the numbers and see what kind of profit the fight could pull. It also seemed to make sense to let the MBO's effect increase in the two Imperial countries.

The Featherweight Division was going well, but there were still two others left. As these fights tabulated, more and more fans would be drawn into international boxing. It seemed like the movement was also creeping into other countries as well.

Wrexwic was really starting to get behind Abigail Kaldwell now that she'd progressed past the group stage. Towns were preparing for downtown pubs and restaurants to flood with boxing fans. It would actually be a welcome boost for businesses around the night scene. Bars were preparing after-parties. If Kaldwell wins, patrons are estimated to spend much more money.

Still, it is the edge of seat feeling of facing the unexpected that makes any sport worth watching. Kaldwell was far from invincible. She was going up against Gregório Jung, a fighter from Lisander who showed a lot of heart. He'd most likely show up ready to knock heads off. Unlike Henshmen, Kalwell wasn't anxious.

She would go with her plan and adjust when necessary. To her, the result was fate. She did all she could. Not many analysts expected her to get even this far. This was all part of an experience she'd never forget. If nothing else, maybe she could find a spot in the Olympiad with her dual Vannish citizenship. She might even be able to push this Linda fight hard enough to become a millionaire from the purse alone.

If only Linda would stop being a goody two shoes and trash talk back. Little did she know, Linda was springing a trap for the Wrex.

[Bojikstan]

Quarterfinals cutoff. Soon, eight will become four.