It wasn’t spectacular.
It was effective.
At the edge of the mat, Raymond watched with growing concern. He could see the old injury affecting Cole’s movement, but he could also see how carefully the older man was choosing his moments.
Derek wanted a knockout.
Cole wanted to finish the round without letting Derek dictate every second.
At the one-minute mark, Derek was still confident.
At two minutes, he began breathing harder.
At three minutes, the crowd had stopped laughing.
Cole wasn’t dominating the fight. He had taken several solid hits, and his knee was becoming increasingly painful. But he wasn’t panicking, and Derek couldn’t seem to understand why.
“Fight me!” Derek shouted.
“I am.”
“No, you’re running!”
“Then stop chasing me.”
A few people laughed.
Derek’s face reddened.
He charged with a combination that was too wide and too aggressive. Cole blocked the first strike, moved away from the second, and used the opening to create distance.
