Chapter 395: Lost Confidence
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In the office of the training center, Dai Li held Taylor"s physical test report and shook his head slightly. He was clearly dissatisfied with the physical test results.
"I think you need to lose at least 20 pounds of body weight. If not, your flexibility will be greatly affected," Dai Li stated.
For boxers in the same weight cla.s.s, greater body weight was generally advantageous; however, for the current Kevin Taylor, greater body weight would instead hinder his movement and flexibility.
Taylor was only slightly more than 1.8 meters tall, which was a disadvantage in heavyweight boxing. A taller boxer had more reach. In boxing, the longer the arms, the more extensive the range of attack. In the world of heavyweight boxing, it was common to see giants who were over two meters tall.
With Taylor"s current body weight, if he were to approach a two meter tall person, he might be considered light; however, when looking at Taylor"s weight relative to his height, he really needed to start losing weight.
Taylor nodded awkwardly. Even he knew that it was time for him to start losing weight.
After all, Taylor had been banned from fighting in a match for two whole years. A two year hiatus was the ultimate discipline challenge for athletes. How many athletes would maintain high-intensity training for two years with no matches?
Taylor was the same. His life during those two years was undisciplined. He had even developed the habit of drinking and smoking marijuana, which were taboos among athletes. In truth, if Taylor were not hugely in debt and so tight on money, Taylor might have been much fatter.
"I will increase my exercise intensity and start dieting," Taylor said
"Increasing exercise intensity is a must, but there is no need to diet. Just follow my training plan. Your weight will still drop quickly even if you don"t go on a diet," Dai Li said with confidence.
A look of suspicion flashed through Taylor"s eyes. He was considered a veteran athlete, and he had been the world"s greatest boxing champion. He had met quite a few top-cla.s.s coaches before, but he had never heard that a person did not need to diet to lose 20 pounds of weight.
Dai Li continued by saying, "Apart from that, you have to begin strength training. There is no shortcut there, you can only do it step by step. Also, your ban is ending soon, and you have to get your match feeling back, so you need to find a sparring partner."
"I don"t have money for a sparring partner," Taylor said in a dispirited tone.
"I can help with the wage of your sparring partner. Same old rules. Pay on credit." Dai Li paused and said, "You"ve been a boxer for so many years, you should have some connections, right? I"m sure you know better than me where you can find a suitable sparring partner. But don"t find someone too expensive, I don"t have too much money."
Taylor glanced gratefully at Dai Li.
Dai Li behind his back and said, "This used to be a gymnasium. I later turned it into a physical fitness training center. I"ve decided to clear that s.p.a.ce and build a boxing ring so that you can use it for training."
"Build a boxing ring especially for me?" Taylor did not manage to react immediately.
"Of course. You are a boxer, you need practical training. You can"t expect to just play around and train with this bodybuilding gym equipment all day!" Dai Li said.
Taylor went silent. After a minute, he finally opened his mouth and said, "Coach Li, I don"t think there"s any need for you to do that. You shouldn"t alter your training center especially for me, even building a boxing ring. It"s not worth it!"
"Why? Why do you not think that it is worth it?" Dai Li asked.
"The investment that you want to pour on me isn"t worth it, because there"s a chance I won"t even be able to fully pay your training fees." Taylor lowered his head in disappointment. "Don"t forget. I still owe the bank over 20 million dollars. Before I came here, I"d already received a notice from the bankruptcy court that they"ve agreed to accept my bankruptcy application. In the coming five years, I have to execute a debt repayment plan."
For an American, going bankrupt wasn"t always a bad thing. Among past US presidents, many had experienced bankruptcy, including the famous Lincoln. He went bankrupt once in 1833. There was also the current president, Trump. He went bankrupt four times, but because of celebrity effects, his brazen behavior, and his robust way of doing things, his prestige remained even after bankruptcy. And it was common to see cases similar to Trump"s among US celebrities. It was common to see the news reporting that some famous person from the US had gone bankrupt, but their lives remained luxurious and exciting.
The bankruptcy of Americans could be divided into two categories. The first involved the liquidation of a.s.sets, while the second was a deferred payment scheme. For the liquidation of a.s.sets, the a.s.sets of the person would be taken away after the bankruptcy announcement. The a.s.sets would then be auctioned off to clear debts. The credit rating of the individual would also drop to the minimum. There would be no need to pay the bank any of the owed accounts, but things like debts on taxes, divorce, and alimony fees still had to be paid.
Under these circ.u.mstances, it was difficult for the bankrupt person to find a regular job, and it was also almost impossible for them to receive social relief. They could forget about renting a home outside the slums, their children would also end up in poor schools. They couldn"t buy medical insurance, and they couldn"t buy insurance for their children; they couldn"t purchase air tickets or go overseas. They might even be monitored by the police if they entered the area of the rich.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, Americans would never choose this method of going bankrupt, because once a person became bankrupt this way, they would lose all their pride and dignity. Many homeless people out there on the streets were merely people who didn"t have money, didn"t have a job, or didn"t have a place to stay. They were not really people who were bankrupt, they just chose to live on the streets rather than going bankrupt.
Compared to the liquidation of a.s.sets, Americans preferred the deferred payment scheme as their bankruptcy method. A deferred payment meant that a.s.sets would not be taken away; however, a debt repayment plan would exist, and repayments had to be made in the future based on the person"s salary. It was actually a sort of debt reorganization. Although the credit rating of the bankrupt person would also drop, there were fewer limitations and restrictions on the person"s lifestyle. However, one thing was certain; the insolvent person who used this method still couldn"t spend their money however they liked.
Taylor had chosen the deferred payment scheme as his bankruptcy method. After a 20 million dollar debt reorganization, every single cent Taylor earned had to be returned to the bank according to the debt repayment plan. That meant that Taylor had to first give the money he earned to the bank, so it was difficult for him to withdraw too much money as payment for Dai Li"s training fee.
However, Dai Li laughed after hearing that. "You only owe the bank 20 million dollars, right? I remember your appearance fee for a single match back in the day was between 10 and 20 million, and that"s not including other earnings. You could probably clear off all your debts by fighting in just one match, couldn"t you?"
"That was me from seven years ago. I was 25 years old then, but now, I am already 32 years old. I haven"t fought in two whole years, so it"s impossible for me to return to that kind of condition. By the time I return to the arena in a month, at the end of my ban, I might not even be able to defeat my first opponent!" Taylor said with sad resignation.
I have a modus operandi for this, Dai Li thought to himself. The age-reduction card he received earlier would solve this problem perfectly.
However, the most important thing was to have Taylor recover his confidence as a boxing champion!