“Babes—”Chris started, fingers edging the medical ointment over the cut.
“I know. It’s bad,” Ava finished for him.
“This is barely a patch job. It won’t last the round, let alone even a slight hit.”
“Better not get hit then,” Ava replied, standing groggily.
“Babes, that’s a target. You can’t give any more than you have,” Ruben said, holding her face. “If it won’t last the round...” He brought her in for a hug. “Don’t let her breathe. Give her everything you’ve got. No hesitations. Don’t stop.”
The boys cleared out of the ring, leaving the fighters staring each other down again. Ava took a deep breath, trying to summon one more round out of her exhausted body, saying to herself, “You’ve got this.”
The bell sounded and Ava burst forward. There was a second where Nash stilled in shock but she recovered quickly enough to send a punch towards Ava. Ava drove her shoulder into the seasoned pro, pushing her into the steel just as Nash had done to her. Though she didn’t hold or press her into the steel, something it seemed Nash expected. Ava backed up and popped a left jab that was swatted away but she immediately followed it with a slinging right that smashed into Nash’s cheek. Her body crunched into the Cage before Nash swung with a back fist.
Ava staggered back, forced to block a sudden flurry of punches as she heard Nash groaning through clenched teeth. Saliva was flung from Nash’s lips as the fighter pounded away at Ava, who returned fire with an elbow, splitting open Nash’s chin. Blood splattered the mat, followed by Nash herself.
“GO BABES! GO AFTER HER!” Ruben yelled.
Ava’s heart leapt. The champion was down. The legend had fallen. But she wasn’t defeated. Ava dropped quickly to the mat, throwing everything she had, but that was her mistake. She hadn’t secured Nash first, hadn’t pinned her before striking. It was only too easy for the pro to slip out of her grip, roll away and rise.
Ava bolted forward but Nash was ready, giving her a judo flip over her body and into the steel. Nash pressed her hand into Ava’s chest and screamed with exertion, laying haymakers one after the other. Ava tried to lift her arms, but she wasn’t quick enough, and her skull was rattled again and again. She whipped a quick knee under Nash’s unprotected ribs, backing her up, and lunged with a slinging right hook, but Nash dodged just in time, then backed away from Ava’s head kick just as she threw a hook of her own.
The bell for the end of the third round struck, barely drowning out Ava’s screams. Her shin had hit Nash’s fist, not her face.
The boys rushed over to her just as Nash screamed at the ref, “Check her! Check her!” She wasn’t calling for it out of concern but because she was sure the fight was over.
The boys helped Ava to her feet, almost half carrying her to her stool. Chris placed his fingers around her knee, bringing another scream. She buried her face in her hands and leant forward against his chest. It was the same leg from the first fight. A dislocation? A break? It was one or the other. Ava knew it. She didn’t have to be told. Looking into Chris’ face was enough.
“Babes, you did amazing...”
“I’m not done,” she said.
“Ava, there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Ruben said.
“I’m not ashamed! I’m not done,” she repeated more forcefully through the agony.
Ruben bent down and gently held her face so that she looked at him through exhausted, tear-filled eyes. “Babes, you couldn’t have done any more. I need you to listen to me. You can’t stand up. The ref is going to call it as soon as he sees that.”
“I’ll stand.”
Ava held on to the grate of the Cage and lifted herself an inch or two before slumping back down.
“Babes, it’s broken. What do you think she’s going to do first thing, as soon as that bell goes? Stop!” he said, having to keep her from trying to get up again. “You thought the injury was bad before, what do you think she’ll do to you?” Ruben cried, yelling now. “Do you want to be a cripple? She’s going to go straight for it. You could lose your fucking leg. Do you understand? Is that clear enough for you?”
“I have to go out my way.” She glanced over Ruben’s shoulder as the ref walked towards the middle of the mat. Or was it towards them? She couldn’t afford to sit any longer. Nash was already on her, admittedly wobbly, feet, looking directly over at their situation. “Please, guys... please don’t take this away from me.”
“Babes, I can’t watch you get hurt anymore,” Ruben said, voice thick.
Ava replied with her lips trembling, “I lost the court case. I lost Jasmine. I lost my family. I’m not losing again. Please.”
Chris reached out for Ruben and gripped his shoulder. “It’s up to her, luv. I didn’t say anything about the first match, so I have to say this now. I don’t agree with continuing. But whatever happens has to be her choice, and I’m with her either way.”
Ruben looked from one to the other, a tear streaking down his cheek as he held his hand out to her. “It’s your life babes... I’m with you.”
He had Chris pull her up gently but even that caused her to bite down hard on her mouthguard to muffle her scream. “Now look,” Ruben said, making sure to look like he was massaging her shoulders when he was really trying to block the ref’s view. “Whatever you’re thinking, you have to do it quick. She’s going to go straight for your leg. If you go down, you won’t get up.”
The ref signalled for both women to advance. The last round was seconds away. Nash, her face adorned with measures to stop the bleeding, looked directly at Ava, glanced down at the way she was limping and slowly shook her head. A look of sadness mixed with exhaustion appeared on her swollen, bloodied face. She couldn’t seem to believe Ava was actually going through with it.
Ava made her way to the centre of the mat. The pain in her leg made it twitch. Her limp caused her whole body to wobble. The ref glanced at both women and made ready to drop his hand, but Nash held up a hand and made her way to Ava. She closed the distance until they were inches away, much like they were pre-fight, but the two occasions couldn’t have been more different.