“Go get em’, babes,” Chris called as the door closed.
The bell sounded and Ava raced passed the ref and out to Daniels, touched gloves and then backed away a few steps.
“Hands up, babes. Hands up!” Ruben screamed.
Ava circled around her opponent, adjusting her stance when Daniels snapped a left jab. Ava swatted it away and another jab immediately headed for her, again swatted away. Ava swung with a left hook but missed by a mile. Her next hook would’ve struck Daniels’ face but the fighter moved away.
“Don’t waste your punches! Think about it, babes. Think aboutit!”
Daniels was longer in the limbs than Ava, and she trusted that reach advantage to keep Ava at bay while she pinged her with shots.Trusted her reach...
Ava took a step forward, made to fake a punch, and Daniels again saw the same opening and struck with another jab. This time Ava didn’t block it. She quickly moved forward, closing off the reach advantage, allowing the punch to glance off her shoulder as she lashed out with an elbow to her opponent’s cheek.
The hit stung Daniels, who stepped back, her hand pressing against her cheek and coming away quickly. In that second, a cut had appeared under her eye, blood streaming from it. Seeing this, Ava gritted her teeth into her mouthguard and launched a series of hooks into the side of Daniels’ head. Daniels blocked some but not all, still getting her bearings back.
Both women pressed into the Cage wall, Ava holding Daniels’ head in a vice grip before unloading with knees into her ribs. Daniels writhed under the grip but Ava didn’t stop. Daniels couldn’t protect both sides of her body. Wherever she leaned, Ava pummelled the other side.
The ref grabbed Ava and pulled her off, the bell ringing. As she turned to her team, it wasn’t their joyous reactions that told her she had won. It was the towel she spotted by the ref’s feet. Daniels’ team had quit on her behalf.
After the hugs and announcements, all three made their way back to the locker room where Ava excused herself to shower. She let the water drum onto the top of her head, sending tingles down her body, but otherwise she felt nothing. Empty. The thrill of victory had evaporated so fast it shocked her. Walking back from the Cage had been numbing, not gleeful or relieving.
Once done, she towelled off, dressed in her sweats and headed out to the main area where both her guys were waiting.
“Babes, can we talk for a sec?” Ruben asked.
“Uh... sure.”
“Are you OK?”
“Yeah... why?”
“You just don’t seem yourself. You fought a great fight. You broke her down easily and pummelled her. You just look...” Chris gestured to her. “Like you don’t realise you won your seventh straight match.”
“I do! I noticed. It’s just that I don’t feel that rush, you know? That feeling of winning. It’s just not there. I’m trying not to worry, but I am. This is bad, right?”
“No, it isn’t bad.” Ruben answered. “It’s what we wanted to talk to you about. We know, well we think we know, why you’re feeling this way. Restless and all. You’re not being challenged. This is going to be your last, provided you agree, fight in the amateurs.”
Ava leaned forward, her heart racing. “You mean...”
Ruben cleared his throat. “The pros. The big time. Look, I gotta level with you, babes. Just because you’re destroying these chicks doesn’t mean anything. You’re a big fish in a small pond. Now? You’ll be a big fish in an ocean full of sharks. Those bitches are the real deal. They’ve trained longer and harder than you. We’ve got a match lined up, opening bout at Fight Night 14 against Sarah Tremaine. Former world number five, the whole fighting world watching. Are you ready?"
“I can do it. I can do it, I swear,” she said, grasping both of their hands. “Teach me. Train me. Let me know what to expect.”
“Good. Cause we’re wasting time keeping you down here. This won’t advance you anymore. After tonight, your name will be in the papers. You get past Tremaine, then we are talking huge exposure. But,” Ruben said, holding up his hands, “we worry about that after we put her away. I’m telling you, babes, I’ve never seen ferocity like yours. You’re on the cusp of something truly special and the only thing that can stop you is you. Loss of focus and ego like I said before. Don’t get crazy, trust yourself, listen to us and we’ll get there together.”
Ava hugged him and squeezed as well. She was well and truly on her way.
11
Jasmine foundherself at the doorstep of a house she hadn’t stepped foot in, in years. A place she never thought she would ever be near again. She’d spent the last ten minutes deciding if she wanted to go in. She had to go in. No, that wasn’t right. She needed to. She had also needed to figure out what she wanted to say.
Jasmine knocked on the door and waited. Hearing footsteps approach, she held her breath until the door opened. “Hi, Mrs Beckinsale. I’m sorry to show up unannounced like this.”
“What do you want, Jasmine?”
“I’m just wondering if I can speak with Ava?”
“She’s not here.”