Life goes on

After that fateful encounter, the spark of love had returned—not just for boxing, but for the first time, for someone else.

I couldn’t go a single night without thinking about Ellie.

We’d exchanged numbers, but I knew she had a boyfriend, and as common as it was to have competitive sex at sporting events, I respected her commitment to her relationship....I didn't text her.

My fantasies were filled with that match, and in my mind I replayed all the punches, blows, and orgasms Ellie had dealt me to relive the sense of pleasure that humiliation and defeat had given me.

I went back to training with a different goal. My physique was perfect, and I was in better shape than ever—sculpted muscles, energy to spare, and my technique just kept getting better. But word of my defeat—no matter how secret it had been—was starting to spread, especially among those obsessed with the Rank, who now saw me at 117th.

My friends, starting with Max, teased me with playful and sarcastic insults, trying to find out who the mysterious opponent was who had defeated me—and, above all, how.

They wanted a video of the match at all costs, to see my defeat, but I didn’t let anything slip. I knew Max must have suspected something—after all, he was the one who’d arranged my match with Ellie—but he didn’t seem to, and he never mentioned her.

The fact is, despite my incredible physique and my continued training, something had changed in me, something had woken up. I had different urges, different needs and different goals when I was in the gym. I couldn't even look towards a ring without thinking of Ellie.

Beside that, everything went on as normal, like everyday life and training. I kept myself away from the ring, neither sparring or having another match just to be safe, until one fatefull day.