Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion-Chapter 754 - 548 O’Neal

"Hey, Link, I've been practicing boxing lately. How about we have a match sometime?"

At the celebration party in the MGM Hotel that evening, O'Neal saw Link and extended the invitation.

"No problem, I train at Muscle Beach Club, you can come over anytime."

"Alright, I got it. I will come find you."

O'Neal swung his fists, pretending to be fierce.

Link smiled lightly, raised his glass in a toast, and continued chatting with the other boxers.

"Shaquille, do you really want to fight Link? I bet that if it's for real, you wouldn't last 10 seconds against him."

Bernard Hopkins chuckled.

"10 seconds?! I've been in WWE, and I've defeated Big Show. Are you saying I can't last 10 seconds against Link?!"

O'Neal said discontentedly.

"What's WWE? Those wrestlers, I could knock one out with a single punch. Beating them counts for nothing."

"All you boxers like to boast. If you're so tough, why can't you beat Link? I think I could knock Link out."

O'Neal retorted.

Hoyle laughed heartily upon hearing this, "I also think Shaquille can do it. Shaquille is 216 cm tall with an arm reach of nearly 220 cm, much taller than Link. Link's punches wouldn't even reach him. Shaquille, I strongly suggest you fight a match with Link, and remember to call me when you do."

"That's right, I'm taller than Link, and I'm stronger too. As long as Link dares to fight, I am sure to win."

O'Neal declared.

"Shaquille, remember to invite me too. If I'm not there, make sure to record it and send me the video."

Mike Tyson, James Toney, Michael Jordan, and others said from the side.

——

On the other side, Link met Dino Duva and Mario; the three chatted for a while. Mario suggested he wanted to come to Los Angeles to continue being a sparring partner for him.

Link did not refuse. He now had six sparring partners, all sent by Franco and Hoyle, hoping another Morales could emerge from his sparring partners. Having one more Mario wouldn't make any difference.

"Link, if I have been your sparring partner from 2008 till now, would I have had a chance to become World Boxing Champion? If Morales can do it, I'm sure I can too."

Mario asked.

"It's hard to say, maybe."

Link said helplessly.

While chatting, O'Neal and more than a dozen burly black men surrounded them, Tyson, Jordan, James Toney, George Foreman, Hopkins and others, all dressed in suits. It looked quite intimidating, like a scene from a gangster film.

"Link, you just said you wanted to have a match with O'Neal, right? How about now? We all want to watch, what do you say?"

Hopkins proposed.

"Link, they say you can knock me down in 10 seconds. I don't believe it. Do you dare to try?"

O'Neal said with his fists clenched.

"Here? I don't think it's a good idea."

Link shook his head.

"Come on, Link, show this kid O'Neal what you're made of."

Mike Tyson urged him.

The others also persuaded Link to give O'Neal a run for his money.

It was party time, and everyone wanted to see some action.

Link thought for a moment and made a request; get O'Neal dressed in amateur boxing gear to protect his head, in case of any accidents.

O'Neal firmly opposed wearing the protective gear, saying he wasn't afraid of his punches.

Link explained that this was the rule of the boxing ring. When professional boxers spar with amateurs, they must do so amateur-style. No gear, no fight.

Under everyone's encouragement, O'Neal reluctantly agreed, though his expression was very displeased.

This was the MGM Hotel, a frequent venue for boxing matches. The hotel also had a boxing training club, and boxing gloves, protective gear, and mouthguards were quickly brought to the party.

Hopkins and James Toney helped O'Neal suit up.

Hoyle and Chris Byrd filmed with handheld cameras by the side.

"Come on, Link, you can't knock me down."

O'Neal swung his fists and tapped the protective gear on his head while shouting. His head was already big, but with the protective gear, it looked even bigger than a pumpkin.

"Come on, I'll act as the referee. Stand in position."

Tyson stood in the middle and said.

Link walked to the center and stood ready. As soon as Tyson raised his arm and shouted 'Start!', Link took a step back. O'Neal roared and started throwing punches at Link.

O'Neal's arms were long, and his fists were huge, but his speed was too slow. Link steadied his feet and avoided the first punch nimbly, then the second.

Each time O'Neal's punch seemed like it would hit him, but every time it came close to his head, he would ingeniously and narrowly dodge it. Each swing brushed past his head.

O'Neal was dumbfounded. When watching Link fight Holyfield from below the ring, he didn't think the two of them were very impressive and felt he could go up and handle it himself.

But when he actually got into the ring with Link, he realized how agile his opponent was. He simply couldn't catch Link.

"Watch out, Shaquille!"

Suddenly someone shouted from the side.

Thump!

Before he could react, a fist came smashing towards him and hit squarely on his forehead protector.

Boom!

O'Neal suddenly jerked his head back as if hammered brutally on the forehead, buzzing in his brain and the world spinning before his eyes, his eyes turning into cross-eyes with more white than black.

His massive body wobbled and involuntarily fell backward.

Tyson and James Toney supported him from behind, allowing him to slowly fall.

"Hahaha, 7 seconds, Shaquille, dare to talk tough now?"

"Shaquille, do you realize how formidable Link is now?"

"Shaquille, of all people to challenge, you had to pick Link. If he hadn't held back, one punch could have killed you."

The crowd surrounded O'Neal, who was lying on the ground, and bantered with giggles and laughter.

The previously arranged doctor came over with a flashlight to check O'Neal's eyes and left after saying there was no problem.

O'Neal lay on the ground for three minutes before he staggered to his feet, clutching his forehead.

"O'Neal, how do you feel? Do you want to sleep now?"

"You know, in the boxing ring, now only the World Boxing Champion and contenders have the privilege to be knocked out by Link. Getting KO'd by Link is also a rare experience."

Hopkins and James Toney joked beside him.

Hoyle took photos of O'Neal's big face with his camera.

"Stop it, my head hurts!"

O'Neal rolled his eyes and looked at Link opposite him, "How can you be so fast? Are you Flash?"

Hahaha!

Everyone laughed.

"It's your reaction speed that's too slow. My speed isn't even the fastest in the boxing ring. If you have time, you can spar with Mayweather, the lightweight speed is even faster."

Link said with a smile.

"Link, you are too modest. Your reaction speed is top-notch even among the lightweight, let alone flyweight class."

"Shaquille, do you now realize how big the difference is between a professional boxer and an ordinary person? Not just Link, any professional boxer here would beat you."

Hopkins said with a smile.

"Hmph, think you're so great? How about we play one-on-one on the basketball court? I could smash you."

O'Neal said, displeased.

"It's not interesting for you to say that since I haven't planned to play basketball with you."

Hopkins shook his head.

After the playful banter, everyone continued the party.

Link invited O'Neal to play basketball when he had time, and O'Neal quickly nodded, showing his teeth in a smile, deciding to dunk several times on the court to regain his lost face.

"Hey, Shaquille, how about I post the video of your match online?"

Hoyle said, holding his camera.

"No, I don't agree."

Such a video would definitely be ridiculed to death if posted online.

"Shaquille, I think you should agree. You're a retired player now, a comedian, while Link is a world-famous Emperor Superstar, a billionaire. With Link's traffic, you could definitely go viral."

"That's right, Shaquille, you just said you're going to play basketball with Link next time. I'll record another video and post it online, then you can get your revenge. Isn't that great?"

Hoyle and Hopkins and a few others persuaded.

O'Neal rubbed his forehead, thought for a moment, agreed to let the video be posted, but he also wanted to tell his followers that he was planning to challenge Link to a basketball game and regain his face on the court.

Hoyle smiled slyly, accepting this condition.

After the boxing match, Link returned to Los Angeles, rested for a day, and attended the American Music Awards held at the Nokia Center, still attending as an award presenter.

In this year's American Music Awards, singer Macklemore & Ryan Lewis received the most nominations, with 6.

Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake each earned 5 nominations, Ariana Grande, One Direction, and Imagine Dragons received 3 nominations, and Beyonce, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus, Selena, and Charlie Puth were all nominated.

This year's US album sales figures are as follows: Taylor Swift's new album "Enchanted" ranks first with sales of 2.74 million copies.

Justin Timberlake's "The 20/20 Experience" is second with sales of 2.43 million copies.

Eminem's "The Marshall Mathers" is third with 2.17 million copies.

Ariana Grande's new album "Yours Truly" ranks fifth with 1.38 million copies.

Selena's new album is ninth with 1.09 million copies.

Charlie Puth's new album "Ego" ranks twelfth with 1.02 million copies.

Others in the top ten include Luke Bryan, Imagine Dragons, Florida Georgia Line, Drake, Beyonce, and Blake Shelton.

However, the highest-selling album of the year was not one released this year, but Link's "As It Was," released last year, selling 5.91 million copies this year, exceeding the sum of the first two places.

Adele's "21" also sold 1.29 million copies this year.

This year's total US record market annual sales were about 289.4 million copies, an approximately 8% decline from last year's 315 million copies. Physical record sales continued to decline, falling by 14%, and digital album sales also experienced a decline for the first time, about 1%.

In terms of popular singles, Link's "Reality," released in September, sold 8.33 million copies in the US in just two months, precipitously ranking first, and also the only song to sell over 8 million copies this year.

Second and third are the hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's hit single "Thrift Shop" and Imagine Dragons' "Radioactive," selling 6.15 million and 5.5 million copies respectively.

Charlie Puth's single "Look At Me Now" was eighth with 340,000 copies. Ariana Grande's "Problem" ranked fifteenth with 2.8 million copies.

This year in the US record market, a total of 106 songs sold over 1 million copies, with 38 songs surpassing 2 million sales in 2013. The total annual single sales reached approximately 1.26 billion, a decrease of 6% from last year.

From these data, the American music industry is somewhat worse off compared to last year.

Billboard magazine believes that the main reason for the downturn is the impact of free music platforms like Spotify. With free music available, fewer people are willing to pay for music, and many opt for the cheaper option; additionally, it has a lot to do with Link not releasing a new album.