Celtic_Tiger's blog

One of the ways I reboot my boxing fiction writing is to receive story requests.   I ask for a short paragraph scenerio detailing the setting, gear, fighters and specifics.   Many years ago I wrote the story posted below about two little league coaches settling their teams long time rivalry with a private outdoor boxing match.  

If you are interested in requesting a story,  message me directly

Thanks

                “It's 8...9...10 and you’re OUT after the old ball game...”  

           (For Dan)

                     The sun's intensity by the noon hour had bathed the baseball field at Porter's Grove Park in an uncomfortable warmth. The last inning of the little league game between the Blue King's and the Red Rangers was firmly sitting at a score of 2 to 3 in favor of the Rangers. The small crowd of spectators that consisted mainly of close family or those fans who followed the entire season were crowded on a small section of bleachers. They looked eager for the game to end and be out of the uncomfortable weather. Having no prior knowledge of the two teams, a spectator would clearly be able to see the difference between Red and Blue. The Blue King's, coached by Keith Stonely seemed to follow his personal fashion theme. They had very new looking equipment from bat bags to safety helmets and their uniforms had a tailored appearance. Keith himself was never seen outside of a pair of tan Dickies and various Izod Polo shirts. His thick build which was mostly distributed to his neck, shoulders and upper chest seemed to stretch the fabric beyond its intended shape. His thick bald head was tanned like a piece of leather and his face and skin tone were well maintained. It was clear that he used lotions on it and every aspect of his features were carefully groomed. He had no hair, but his bald head framed his strong looking face, its manicured goatee of salt and pepper hair and finely trimmed eyebrows denoted a man who spent more time at a spa then any barber shop. He was very animated and always seemed on the edge of losing his temper, yelling often at the kids about plays but rarely about successes. The kids themselves were clearly not impressed with this and sometimes that disinterest in his ranting shown plainly on their faces. Keith paced the batting area watching his first batter take home plate and he often looked across the field to the Red Ranger's batting area where Lee Creighton was busy talking to his pitcher. This was Keith's biggest problem with the current little league standards, that someone like Lee could be considered a “role model” and get away with having a team of street orphans who frequently used foul language or failed to shake hands at the end of the game. This was all this asshole's example really. Looking at the man he had been in a “cold war” of glances with for a year now it was easy to pick apart his style, his personal grooming and most of all his sagging mid-section and thinning hair. Aging was wearing this chump out or maybe that was the bottle. Slightly taller than Keith at 6 foot even to his 5'10 there was a “former athlete who's going to pot” look to Lee now. He had short blond hair that was receding slightly in the front. He usually wore a white tank top but not the undershirt kind and black cargo pants or army green shorts. Dressed for a party at your local trailer park no doubt. Keith chuckled to himself. Similar upper build, Lee had bigger arms and biceps, but his abs were soft. A scruff of light dark blond hair accented his narrow face, and he had very fair skin which was ruddy. He looked like one of those guys who lives underneath the docks at the beach surfing or begging for money on the piers. The kind that would have a one-legged dog or seagull as a pet. Keith was smirking now she pictured Lee wearing an eye patch and shredded pants standing on some deserted island. What a dirty bag. Lee looked across at Keith and saw the smirk and pressing his hand against his chest, he slowly raised his middle finger like it was being cranked up by some lever.

           The first batter struck out for the Blue's and Keith broke eye contact with Lee to scold the boy with his eyes. Two more outs meant the end of the game and the season so the pressure for the Blue's to score was almost as thick as the oppressive summer heat. Danny White was next to bat, and he was one of the better hitters, he sent the ball to ground level, and it was picked up by the first basemen and the next hitter for the Blue's had all the mounting pressure placed firmly on his shoulders. The pitcher tried to use a different tactic to send the ball lower, but it instead struck the boy’s leg. Keith yelled directly at the Reds pitcher. “Hey, you blind there. Hit another of my batter’s kids and see what happens” The pitcher gave Keith a dirty look as he pointed his thick finger in the kid’s direction. Lee called to the pitcher “Focus on the box kid and not the bald guy” some of the other Red's team members all laughed when they heard this. Joey Reyes the pitcher for the Red's spit on the ground like a grown man in his posture and the next pitch he threw was too wide and the batter was able to put his weight behind it and sent the ball straight into outfield and he took off running around the bases, he was back at home before the ball got back to the infield and the score moved up to 3 to 3 now. Keith kicked dirt onto one of the nylon equipment bags and although it seemed like he was frustrated this was his odd  way of saying “good job kid” The next batter came up and looked eager to repeat the previous one's success but it was 2 out's now and as the last ball escaped his bat's aim it was the conclusion to the game and a tie breaker wasn't legal in the final game. Tie meant that both teams would get a plague and the players smaller trophies. Tying the game meant that Keith and Lee didn't have bragging rights at all. Interlacing his thick fingers in the small diamond shaped holes of the fencing, he squeezed the vinyl lined metal as if to rip it apart. His face went reddish, similar to the natural red of Lee's complexion. Each of his boys took the field to shake hands with the Red's. Storming onto the field he hurried them along and it wasn't till Lee was in his face mere inches away did he seem to notice that the parents and fans were all staring at him. “Whoa, let them shake on it and back off” Lee's Maine accent was thick, he hadn't lived in Ohio very long. Keith looked away from the twin line of kids to make full eye contact with Lee. “You want to get your beer breath out of my face Creighton, your misfits there shouldn't be shaking hands or proud of anything” He looked past Lee now, dismissing the man outright. Some of the parents, sensing a confrontation, called over to the coaches to distract their attention. Lee was about to reply when he spotted two mothers’ shaking their heads in his direction as if to say, “He's not worth it.” Spitting instead on the ground he walked over to his boys. Keith looked down to see that the spit had partially struck the bottom of his tan pant leg. Looking back at the people staring at him, he walked back to his batting area and sat patiently waiting for the kids to return.  They had a small huddle, and he expressed his desire for them to practice harder during the off season, he expected a lot more next year. Some of the boys had dejected looks on their faces and their parents gave Keith dirty looks behind his back. His ego returned to the small speck of spittle on his pant leg, and he watched Lee talking to his own teammates. “Hey Creighton, make sure your team cleans up their beer cans before you leave.” He laughed to himself as he walked around the batting fence and carrying two duffle bags, he walked toward the parking area.   Lee waited till the parents and the kids were gone before picking up his own bag and heading in the same direction. He wasn't parked in the same lot as Keith, but it was time to have a little one on one with this guy. Overdue actually.           

            Parked near the front row of slots, Keith drove a pre-owned BMW that looked pristine in the summer sun. Shiny and waxed even more regularly than the hair on the back of his hands and neck. It looked to Lee like the typical douche bag type of vehicle. He was standing near the open trunk putting away some gear and there was an unzipped dark green duffle bag sitting on the ground nearby. He didn't spot Keith at first because he was squatting down on the other side checking the air in his tires. Lee spotted the open bag’s contents and immediately recognized the familiar rounded bulge of a boxing glove. Squatting down he pulled back the fold of the bag to reveal a second one, white in color and made by Everlast. These didn't look like the kind that fitness types would use to hit a heavy bag at the club and pretend they were boxers. He stood up as a shadow cast along the parking area covering the bag, looking up into Keith's eyes the two men had a stoic expression on their faces. “You a thief now too Creighton?” It wasn't really a question but more of a statement of fact. Lee smirked. “Nah, I was just shocked to see a metrofuckual like yourself with boxing gloves, I mean does the day spa have ring too?” laughing as if a room full of people were there to see his comedy routine, Lee's voice echoed off the sun covered pavement. Keith got right up in his personal space now, both nostrils flaring and his eyes were wide and filled with ill intention. A voice from off to the right side broke in between them like a prizefight referee. Sean Higgins attended all of the games, but he had no kids there to watch, he was just a local guy who followed the Blue King's like some sort of band groupie. He was in his late forties, Irish looking with freckles and his red hair was turning white along the sideburns. “Hey, don't fight here in the parking lot.” Keith and Lee turned toward him with almost identical expressions of perplexed understanding on their faces. Sean was animated, hand moving about “Hey I know the posture of two guys about to duke it out, I see the gloves there. I know a better place for you two to glove up and box if that's what you are fixing to do.” Keith smirked “Well, not sure Lee here has any boxing gloves. Maybe he can make some out of cardboard and duct tape. They cost more than he probably has in his bank account.” Sean thought to himself that if that had been him standing there, he would have decked Keith for a comment like that right on the spot. Lee turned and walked over to his pickup and opened the smaller rear passenger door. He grabbed a black leather gym bag from the seat and brought it over. The zipper on top was jammed so it was wide open and with both handles firmly grasped with each hand, he yanked it open to reveal a pair of black boxing gloves on top of a stack of boxing gear. They were higher quality then Keith's pair, Mexican style. “Right, they were all out of duct tape on the Cleto Reyes website fucker (pronounced it fukkaaa) so lead on to this spot. I am going to give Keith an overdue boxing lesson.” Sean reached in and put his hand on their shoulders and forced them to take a step back. “You will need to follow me in your cars, don't want someone to see them still parked here and come snooping around. Think you can hold off trading punches till I return with mine.?” and his tone of voice was that of a man who was afraid he might miss something good happening during a fight while he was in the bathroom. They two men nodded and then taking up their individual gym bags, they got back in their cars and waited for Sean to return and lead the way.

          Sean followed the smaller road that led along the edge of the school's main building, designed for the bus primarily when it split off leading to the various playing fields and a picnic area on the far North-West side. Widening now it flowed into a large open lot where dumpsters were situated, and a couple of additional parking slots allowed for the three of them to park. Just beyond this area was a small trail that led into a nearby wooded area along dirt trails. Sean parked and was out of his small white hatchback and standing on the edge of the path. Keith got out and shuffled along his car to the trunk where his gym bag had been replaced. Lee got his from the back seat of the truck before stepping out and moving over to where Sean stood waiting. Sean gave Lee a look like he was grinning a bit, but he straightened out his mouth quickly when Keith approached. “Hey guys, just a short walk to the first clearing and if you prefer you can hold the match further in.” Keith pushed past Sean, shoulder ramming the smaller man as an unspoken dismissal. “Whatever, just find a shady spot and let's get this going. I have things to do today.” Lee looked at Sean and they exchanged amused expressions. The walk along the path was fully shaded and helped to repress a bit of the noon time sun's heat. Moving as a disjointed trio, the men moved into the first clearing and near the far side was a small body of water like a natural pond. Just before that was a very flat and thick looking patch of grass. It wasn't fully in the sun due to branches hanging up over top blocking it off. “That patch there, seems like it should work just fine” Keith wasn't asking this it was by tone of voice a command. Sean walked ahead and surveyed the spot, gave it a quick walk over to look for any roots or stones that might prove a hazard and when he didn't find any nodded his agreement. “Yeah, this should be suitable, I will redirect you guys if you move to close toward this pond.” Keith looked over at Sean before dropping his gym bag on the grass. “You are playing at being the referee here?”  Sean nodded. “Referee, witness whatever you want to call him. This ass kicking is overdue fancy boy. Let's get warmed up and get to boxing.” The tone of voice Lee used was devoid of any of his usual guile. It was like he was talking to a platoon of soldiers that were under his command. Keith glared at the both of them but didn't retort. He instead stripped off his polo shirt and stashed it into his bag. The heat was pretty high even out of the sun’s direct light here due to the humidity. “Hey guys I forgot the water cooler, Lee can you help me carry it over here.” Lee nodded. “Sure, this might get more than a single round and that's a good idea.” The two of them walked off out of the clearing while Keith removed hand wraps and gloves from his bag. They didn't notice his hands were shaking a bit.

             Wrapping his hands with the thick red cloth, he wanted the moment alone to center his breathing and to shadowbox a bit. He got in maybe two rounds of it before he spotted the two of them returning carrying an orange container with a white lid. It was the kind they propped up on a table for the boys to grab water from when needed. Sweat was building up fast on Keith's upper body and soaking into his hand wraps now. He felt stiff and incorrect in form. Panic pooled into the pit of his stomach, but he wouldn't let it show on his face. When they had come back into the clearing, they had brought the cooler and on top of it was a small first aid kit. Keith looked at this like some kind of arrogant assumption on Lee's part. Sean must have seen where he was glancing and spoken up. “It can't hurt to have that. It has smelling salts too.” Lee grinned and then he stripped off his white tank top and took off his ball cap. Fetching a set of white wraps from his own bag he bound his hands up with very little time wasted and got right to do some of his own stretching and shadowboxing. His timing of his jab and cross, his natural roll of the shoulders as he pivoted back and forth was impressive to watch. Sean felt like he was seeing a professional boxer warm up. Keith's stomach got an even heavier feeling. Like a kid who is about to encounter a school bully and get beat up for his lunch money. He looked over at Sean who had this supportive grin on his face and when Lee turned his back in the course of his practice, he mouthed the words “You can kick his ass.” to Keith. Like a shot or a vaccination of some kind this re-energized his ego and some of the nervous feeling in his stomach released like one or two bubbles worth. So, Sean was on his side. That wasn't expected. The image of him landing some perfect right hook on Lee's narrow jaw and sending the asshole down hard to the grass below started to play like a daydream in his mind's eye. A sudden and semi forceful tap to his stomach snapped him out of this, however quickly. Lee had used the back of his hand to deliver a jarring strike. “You with us daydreamer, let’s get to boxing sometime today. I mean you have things to do right.” His thick Maine accent wrapped around each word like some movie character.  Sean helped Lee get his gloves on and did the same for Keith and then worked to get their head gear on next. Lee refused. “Nah, I don't need to wear it. Don't expect any of his hits to leave much of a mark anyhow.” his tone of voice was really cocky. Keith opted to wear his. The kind that covered the cheeks with two guards that stuck out and made it much more difficult to cut or bruise the eye area. Taking out the mouth guards, Lee had a taped up white and Grey one that had probably been used for quite some time. Keith had a brand new “special” type that probably cost 50 dollars and had dental coverage attached. Lee just looked at his gear and it fit the kind of “fancy” type he was. White collar wannabe. Still, he was here and going to box, that much was a surprise. Deep down the male ego likes to write checks it can't always cash. Sean moved the two of them over to the center of the small area here in the clearing that they designated as the fighting area. Standing here toe to toe, he got a good look over at the two of them. Lee was taller and leaner, he had ruddy skin and slightly fading cuts in his physique of a man who worked out most of his life. His thick arms and biceps were strong and his chest hair which was a dark brown was starting to Grey but just a bit. Sweat from the warmup was glistening off each strand. Sean looked over Keith now, his black boxing gloves were in contrast to the white ones that Lee had on. Maybe metaphor. His shorter, thicker body was in a less-than-ideal shape. He had a soft stomach that was going to pot, and his pectorals sagged a little. No hair could be found though. What was he uncovering to show off was what Sean wondered. The two men looked at Sean to conduct the start of the bout and he stopped his survey in order to do so. Somewhere off to the right, further away and into the trees, an unknown person watched the scene as it was about to unfold.

                   While Keith and Lee were barking at each other while their teams met on the field to shake hands and exchange stray insults, Sean was watching Lee closely from the stands. Behind him also watching this confrontation was Daniel MacLeod, the father of the Red Rangers pitcher Steven. Whenever someone got in Keith's face, rare as that may be. He wished deep down that they would throw a punch and smash the egotistical jackass right in the mouth. This wasn't something he would get away with doing himself and it wouldn't be a good example to his son who idolized him greatly. This argument seemed different, there was something about Lee's facial expression that told him this wasn't going to be resolved quickly. Even when the two men parted to sort out their team members and pack up their gear, Lee kept looking over at Keith and his hands were clinched up into fists. Daniel thought it best he hangs around and watch what might transpire next, if nothing happened, he would just leave. Asking Karen Mills a neighbor who often sat nearby if She would be fine with taking Steven to her house to play with her son Greg this afternoon, he was happy when she agreed and didn't go into details as to what he had planned. He told her that he would be back in a few hours or less and if Steven wanted to go home sooner, to give him a call on his cell phone. Daniel left the stands before Steven arrived and moved away from the exiting fans to linger by the side of the school building. Sean didn't notice Daniel there when he walked past on the edge of the parking lot to stop and watch Lee drive around the lot to pull up beside Keith. Daniel saw Sean taking out his cell phone. He used the camera zoom to get a closer look at Lee and Keith's position in the lot. When Sean walked toward them to intercept the conversation, Daniel followed but only at half pace so as not to be spotted. When Lee returned from his truck with the duffle bag in hand and then pulled it open to pull out a pair of white boxing gloves, something shot up the back of Daniel's spine. Excitement. It wasn't until Sean arrived and after a brief conversation that it dawned on him; they were going somewhere else to finally have it out. It felt too surreal and at the same time as justice was finally being served. Managing to keep out of their general sight, he moved into the thicker section of the tree line and watched as the three men walked down the dirt trails and into the small clearing beside the pond. Then as he moved along the trees and deeper north toward the clearing itself, Lee and Sean passed him returning to the parking area which left Keith alone. He half expected to find the other man had fled when he began to crouch and move more methodically to the north-west of his current position. This vantage point gave him an excellent view of Keith shirtless, hands wrapped in cloth and doing some shadow boxing. Daniel rubbed sweat off of his brow and his blue eyes stared at the sight of this in disbelief. “So, your bravado is more than just you are running your mouth.” Daniel wasn't aware he had spoken the words as well as thought them, but his voice was too low and too far away to be detected. When Lee and Sean returned with a water cooler and a first aid kit, he figured that was going to be used to bring Keith back around after Lee knocked him senselessly. What brought even further delight, mixed with a feeling again that this was justice being done was watching Lee warm up now. Whereas Keith had a lazy jab and seemed unsure of his own moves. Lee didn't. Every punch was tight and controlled. Daniel's was the son of a boxing coach, and he knew when he saw a new boxer versus one that had been training in the sport for a while. Keith was alone too so he wasn't playing down anything. He was going to get his ass kicked. Daniel dismissed the boner his pants as just more excitement. He kept looking at Lee though and grinning, crouched here between the tree line. He absentmindedly felt himself up a bit. “Fuck him up Lee, but not in the first round. Make it last...oh yeah.” Daniel moaned and then smiled.

      Sean's thoughts were on how the first round was going to play out. He didn't see Keith shadow boxing and so he really didn't know if the two men were on equal footing. Once he got the sixteen-ounce black gloves on Keith's hands. He watched him flex his arms and rotate them at the shoulder sockets. Crossing them back and forth like they were stiffening up. He jumped up and down slightly on the frontal parts of his feet and his soft pectorals bounced a bit. Someone had referred to them as “the tits of easy living” once and he found that amusing. One good punch to the solar plexus and most of his torso would quiver upon impact like jello. Lee's torso was that a of aging athlete that had lost some of the firmness but nothing of the cuts made with weights years earlier. The same warm up motions only produced minor movement and the tightness demonstrated the strength of his chest, shoulders and biceps along each curve. Just on power, Sean figured that Lee would hit harder and probably even faster too than Keith. Still. Boxing was never predicted just on the fighters look or supposed level of athleticism. Seeing them now standing here, one in headgear and soft. The other lean, mean and without the head gear on made it seem more like a trainer and student about to spar for the first time. Motioning for them to meet each other now and touch gloves while he gave them the rules of the fight, he waited till they were standing across from each other. Keith was looking at Lee's upper chest but not in his eyes. His face wasn't pale with worry, but his usual smug expression was ironed out like some old dress shirt dug out of the closet and now seemed better than it was. Pressing together, the white leather and black leather of their gloves seemed to be applied a bit more firmly from Lee's end. It wasn't like he was pushing Keith's hands just was resting his wrists behind the cuffs. His eyes were fixed on Keith's face and the corners of his mouth and lips were parted to reveal a white mouth guard below. “Okay gentlemen, the rules are pro but slightly altered. In case of a knock down, proceed to the edge of the pond there and I will administer a standing 8 count. The three knocks down rule in a single round is in effect. How many rounds you are planning on going?” Sean paused. Lee spoke past his single type of mouth guard, his voice muffled by it “Five rounds.” He didn't ask this but just stated it. Keith nodded “Fine” his voice was blocked more so by the double guard he had in. Sean didn't know if he said Five too, but it seemed a consensus. “Good, 5 knock downs before the 5^th round ends will count as a knockout as well. Punches must remain above the belt line and to the frontal areas only. Protect yourselves at all times. If I tap your shoulder, you are moving too far out of this patch here and need to readjust. Any questions?” Lee shook his head and raised his gloves up. Keith looked at Sean for a moment as if he might have one but then he just shook his head and extended his gloves out. Lee tapped the tops of them hard as a gesture of respect and the two men walked back to the spot, they had been standing in. There were no corners per say but it was roughly as far from Sean's position on either side so that worked. Daniel tensed up. The first round was about to start. Using his smart phone’s advanced camera, he zoomed in for a better look and to start recording the fight. Sean walked over to the cooler on the large rock and filled a small pair of cups with water. He returned to fish out his own smart phone and quickly downloaded a boxing timer application. Once it was set up for 5, three-minute rounds. He set the per-round timer for fifteen second delay and raised his hands to signal the men when it was time for round one to commence. Keith finally met Lee's eyes across the grassy patch that would serve as a makeshift boxing ring. Their eyes locked and the edges of the leather headgear framed a pair of very different looking eyes. One's without the usual smirking face attached. Lee visualized his gloves pounding into Keith's lips and belly. The timer went off and Sean motioned “Fight!”

     Stiffening up his back, Keith put his defense up, but it was short of his jawline by an inch or so as he moved off angle. Stepping first forward but then around to the right-hand side, Lee suddenly veered at a different angle. Once in range he struck Keith's face with a stiff shouldered jab flush to the face, but he knew that it was going to be blocked. A ruse was all it was. Lowering slightly at the knees his real target was the wide-open solar plexus which his powerful straight right connected with. Sean could see that this punch really rocked Keith. Then before any movement could be made due to him being stunned, he was hit with two hard hooks to the side of the body. Lee working his stomach like a heavy bag, throwing in a right hook for good measure to cap off the combo. Moving back but then diagonally it was clear that he was in some discomfort. The psychology of being hit first as opposed to doing the hitting was a huge disadvantage in the sport of boxing. Lee's punches weren't pulled and if this was how hard the man could hit. This wouldn't last long. Daniel cursed “Fuck yeah, bust that ass.” but he worried this would end in round one and Keith would get off easy. The opening shots forced Keith to go on the offensive and he charged forward to deliver a series of left and right straight punches that met air or were stopped by white leather blocking them. Then between his arms another stiff jab entered pretty quickly and flattened hard against his mouth almost dead on. Sean heard the sound of leather meeting skin at high velocity, a crisp “thwap” like sound. The punch jarred Keith's arms to return quickly to defense like an auto-retract button had been pushed. When Lee got closer though it was sudden the retaliation by his opponent, ducking with more prowess than he seemed to possess; Keith twisted at the hip and smashed hard just under the rib area. A shovel hook with the laces of his black glove facing upward. The next one struck harder and it brought Lee's guard tight as his back leaned forward from the shots. Sean's facial expression was pure shock. Both men circled each other throwing jabs but neither of them connected. It was like suddenly they were equals across the board. However, Lee's speed was ever so slightly better, and he nailed Keith's left eye with overhand right. The shot wasn't expected but the next left hook to the side of the head was reflex blocked by Keith's arm, and he was able to firmly step and drive a straight right shot into Lee's nose. His gloves parted and then were painted with red, blood from the nose spraying off. Beyond landing the first blows was drawing first blood like a more powerful piece on the chessboard. Lee knew without having to see the spray that the shot busted the tiny vessels within his nostrils. Even more of a psychological merit than landing the first punch was drawing first blood, it took your opponent out of his concentration if for only a few moments. Two strong hooks from either hand were delivered to Lee's mid-section along the edge of his ribs. Keith pivoted his alternating foot each time and swung his hips into the shots. Punishing indeed. A small glob of spit flew from Lee's mouth having escaped the dam of his plastic mouth guard. Sean's facial expression was the complete opposite of Daniel's. Happiness. He didn't expect this to really be much of a fight, but Keith's training was kicking in and Lee had to really box now. The blood on his white glove was enough motivation for him to do just that. He raised his gloves and tightened his guard.

and stopped another set of body hooks with his lower arms. Immediately retaliating with two hard jabs to the nose and a right cross to the left eye knocking Keith off footing enough for Lee to land two more jabs and a right hook to the side of the lower jaw sending the heavier man to the grass hard. His vision blurred from the strikes to the nose that now too had some blood dripping from the right nostril. Sean motioned quickly for Lee to move to the pond and began the count. Daniel grabbed himself firmly with his right hand as soon as Keith was knocked down. He moved too much though, and his right sneaker broke a twig sending the sound off into the distance. Lee turned to look in its direction and Sean hit the number 4 as Keith got up off the grass. The electronic timer announced that there were ten seconds remaining in the first round. Sean looked into Keith's eyes “You okay to continue?”  Keith scowled at Sean like he was asking a stupid question and another sound signified the start of the first rest period while Sean asked the question again. Keith nodded.

        Daniel dropped down low to the grass watching while Lee stared in his direction before removing his own mouth guard and drinking water. Sean attended to Keith first who sat down on the boulder and let his nose be looked after. Lee used a towel to apply pressure to his own wounded nose and returned his gaze from the woods to Keith. “You’re going to last another round or maybe you should just admit your behavior is what brought on this fight.” Lee folded his arms across his chest as if to end the sentence with a different kind of period. Keith shook his head and then spit reddish tinged water out of his mouth onto the grass. “Fuck you lobster, a knockdown does not equate to a win. Get ready for round 2 and shut the fuck up.” Sean glared at Keith but did so after he turned away so as not to be seen. Thinking to himself that those words just gave Lee all the remaining motivation he needed to end the match in the coming round for good and all. Replacing their mouth guards, they waited till the ten second signal returned and when the timer announced the second round was to commence, they were both quickly back into the fray. Daniel started to move a bit closer, but he kept his knees bent very low as he moved along the ground. He only took his eyes off the two men boxing again for a moment and didn't miss anything. So far, they were both throwing out straight shots and blocking each other’s attempts to gain new footing. Looking up, he was in time to see Lee land a really solid left shovel hook underneath Keith's right elbow. Then a good straight right thrown while dipping down smashed into the heavier man's sweat and hair covered chest just atop the solar plexus. Lee retracted a sweat-soaked white glove after landing the stunning right and he had an opening again to Keith's face. Mere inches from its target the shot missed as the bigger man ducked down with a grace his size didn't seem to possess. What the fuck. Lee and Daniel had pretty much the same reaction. Out of the blue a left uppercut came streaking up and landed flush to the bottom of Lee's mouth. His neck tensed up and his eyes slammed closed like the lids were trying to fuse themselves together. Sean was caught off guard by this beautifully executed punch and cursed in his mind that it wasn't Lee who had scored it. Clearly stunned and open for more shots, Lee was tagged several more times to the face and a big looping right hook to the body sent him down onto his side. Daniel was nearly on the edge of the tree line now and the clearing and if he were to stand up, they would easily spot him. “No, fuck no get up Lee.” he muttered to himself. Keith raised his gloves and trotted over to the pond at Sean's behest. The count started and it was 7 before Lee moved first to a knee then stood up. His face flushed with a mix of anger and frustration, and he smashed his gloves together hard to release some of its tension. Sean didn't ask him if he was alright, just motioned for them to resume the round. Keith moved back toward Lee at a slanted angle looking for another opening, Lee waited for him to get in range. Motioning with his gloved hands for him to come in, come get it. Keith did and lunged in to strike Lee hard to the stomach area and then blocked a counter left hook to the head. This was just a rouse though and before he could retract his right arm from the initial body blow it had left his face undefended on that side. Pivoting on his hips, Lee got his right hook below the headgear line and fully passed the target with as much power as he could muster. The punch rocked Keith visibly and Sean got a great visual of his head twisting to the side and his eyes which were closed on impact popped open and they were watery and distant. This expression wasn't removed by several strong body punches that followed next. His neck acted like a sort of hinge as his head bobbed up and down with each hit to the mid-section. Had there been some commentator in the background (beside the one in Daniel's head) he would have likened Keith's motions to a chicken pecking its daily corn rations. The shots stunned Keith and he moved in grabbing Lee's thick arms in a weakly executed clinch to halt the punishment. It worked and Daniel cursed, no filter though, and Sean heard the noise over the two boxers struggling.

           Sean wanted to investigate the sound he had just heard but he had to keep his focus trained on the match. Moving in he pushed the two men apart from the clinch. Soon as he had them apart, Keith covered up his face with his gloved hands and stopped two good jabs from landing. Lee seemed to have taken on this ferocious glare in his green eyes. He wasn't letting Keith have an inch and was keen to end the fight. Alternating shovel hooks from left to right side, he got under the elbows again and the punches rocked Keith. Sean was at an angle where he could see his face behind his raised gloves, and he looked a bit queasy. “Fuck yeah, your finished chump” was the first real thought to cross Sean's mind and he gave into his desire now to see Keith lose. He never liked this asshole. Karma had chosen Lee's gloved fists as its implement of retribution. Daniel didn't think before he acted, he rushed out from the wooded area till he was on the edge of the pond and began to loudly root for Lee. “Yeah. Yeah, take him out Lee. Knock this fucking pampered son of a bitch out.” Lee heard the voice but didn't break his concentration to look back. He smirked to himself. Then he blasted a hard straight right deep into the pit of Keith's stomach. Sagging forward, his gloves finally dropped from his face. This punch had really knocked the wind out of his sails. Sean might have disliked Keith, but he was going to stop the match soon as Lee started in on the other man's exposed face. He would let him get in like 5-6 unanswered shots though. He was aware of Daniel off to the side, but he didn't see the man was coming in his direction. Two jabs had landed flush to the upper mouth and nose area before a big left hook struck the side of Sean's jaw and then a bare-fisted shot struck him in the stomach sending him lurching forward only to be struck once more to temple and side of head region by another shot. Daniel was swift to stop his interference. Keith was too busy being dazed and off footing and Lee was too involved with landing punches to see that Sean was on the grass out cold. Daniel watched the final hits play out like slow motion recap. Lee's face punches forced Keith to raise his gloves to cover up and then down again to try and stop the smashing short range hooks to the body. The cheering voice was suddenly so much closer, and Lee looked over to see Daniel a few feet away and his arms up in the air as he whooped “Knock him out!” What little Keith was aware of now was soon awash in a sea of black after some camera like flashes went off. Boxing his face and mostly the eye area, Keith took a bit of care to pound them on purpose. Glove over glove, he started to bomb the chin with shoe-shiners, tight close uppercuts that bobbed the head up and down. Then like an arrow shot from a bow, Lee arched back his right arm and glove and struck the chin dead center with a battering ram like motion. Keith's eyes rolled backward in his skull as he flew backward, his legs rising off the grass. First his sweaty back struck the ground and his arms flew upward briefly then fell down. His legs went down next, and they hit the ground a bit harder than his back had. Stopping like it had been turned off by some type of switch, Keith's head tilted slightly, and he was visibly unconscious. His eyes were red and swollen under the lid area like some kind of allergic reaction. Stung but bees. Lee lowered his gloves slightly and spit out his mouth guard onto the grass, looking from Keith to Sean (still out cold) and then to Daniel who had a single arm up and his fist clenched. “Wow, fuck.... I’ve wanted to see someone beat the shit out of him for so long.”  They both looked over Keith laying there. “Yeah, he had that coming for a while.” Walking over and putting an arm around Daniel's shoulder he got in close. “You got this all on video, right? Something for us to watch tonight when I take care of this.” He tapped Daniel's crotch. The other man smiled. “Of course, I was handsome. It's on tape and going online tomorrow” Keith smiled, and Daniel smiled too.