From Loser to champ| Brandon Lemieux (FNR4)

[BLemieux]

Fight Night Round 4 legacy story. Made in first person.

[BLemieux]

In most of these stories, the boxer is the hotshot of school. Captain of some sort of team, looked upon by all of his classmates. They get girls easily, and have many friends. I could only wish that's how I started out.

It all started out with me being a weak loser with glasses. Well, when I moved to Calgary. In Toronto, I had lots of friends. Maybe not very popular, but I had friends. Then my dad got a job transfer and we had to move to Calgary. I was going to a new school as a freshman in High School. I'm pretty nice. Clear face, too. If it weren't for the glasses, I guess I could be average on the girls rating list.

I went there confident that I would make friends. First few days I talked to a couple of people, and kept my head low in classes. I didn't wanna start off in a new high school with a bad nickname, or the reputation of being a know it all.

A pretty girl caught my eye on my second week. I went over to talk to her. Her name was Rebecca, and she was pretty nice. Same year. But apparently she had a pretty jealous boyfriend. And to my horror, he was a year older, and had been in boxing lessons since he was six. He was much bigger, with big muscles.

Of course, he beat the crap out of me. Knocked me out in 2 or 3 punches. I woke up to see my head being shoved into a toilet; I was getting a swirly. News spread fast, and I was the newest loser in the High School.

I went home that night with a black eye, a broken jaw and a bruised cheek; the great souvenirs of the class bully and how he beat me up. My mom freaked of course. She took me to the doctor, but he couldn't do anything but say that I had to wait for it to heal.

When my dad saw it, he immediately got me into boxing lessons. And I have to say, I thank him for it. We were kinda rich. In the middle between rich and moderate. We had a pretty big house. 51 inch 3d t.v.. I had a Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Online on both.

Anyways, I got private boxing lessons at my house. My dad had a fitness room, and there was still some space left, so he put up a boxing ring and got some training equipment. Maize bag, double end bag, punching bag. My trainer was a guy named Ethan McKay. He trained a lot of pro boxers. On the first day he had a present.

"First lesson, forget the glasses!" he said. He took my glasses off my face and split them in half. Then he threw them out a window.

"Hey! Those cost me 150 dollars out of my own money," I said angrily. Everything were just a bunch of blurs now. I couldn't see a thing. How was I supposed to learn to box like this?

"I have some contact lens' for you. Try em on. They're personalized for your eyes."

I stuck my arms out, but I couldn't see where they were.

"You should've gave me the lens' when I had my glasses," I said simply, while I swung my arms wildly, trying to find the contact box.

Ethan gave an annoyed grunt and put the lens' in my hands. I put them on my eyes. I could see perfectly now. I looked in a mirror, and it was a new me. Acne free face, and no glasses. I didn't look as nerdy now. Maybe this could solve some of my problems. I would still probably be a pretty big loser at my school.

Then he left.

And I sat there confused.

[BLemieux]

When I went to school the next day, some people didn't recognize me. Some of them talked to me. But the bully (Brian Lewis) still saw me as the person I really was. He told people off for talking to me, and I returned to my life as a loser. I kept my head even lower in classes. I only ever talked when I was supposed to answer questions. People who were friends of Brian (or maybe just bullied into it) spit-balled me in classes. My locker was near Brians, so I was tormented by him whenever I needed to get new books.

His girlfriend approached me one day when I was walking to school (I didn't dare take a bus) and she told me she was sorry for what Brian did.

"Why do you date him if he's such a jerk?" I asked curiously. She was so nice, I didn't see how she and Brian mixed together.

"Usually he's nicer than that. I don't know why he beat you up," she responded kindly. "I really am sorry for what he did. Some of me feels guilty for what happened to you."

"In a strange way I'm happy it happened," I said. It was the truth. I wouldn't be getting boxing lessons if it weren't for him beating me up. I loved the lessons Ethan gave me. My games were getting left behind. I was planning on getting a skateboard soon. Then I would probably sell the games. I wasn't going to waste away in front of the television anymore.

As we approached school, I started getting worried. I didn't want Brian to see me with Rebecca again. Unfortunately, he did.

"Hey loser, what are you doing with my girl?" he asked aggressively.

A couple of his friends surrounded me. It looked like I was gonna get another beating. Maybe I could defend myself better this time, although I would probably get beat up even harder. Now THAT would suck. My eye only just returned to its normal colour, and my jaw was still healed and my cheek was still somewhat bruised. I couldn't afford to get beat up again.

"Brian it's okay, we were just talking," said Rebecca quickly.

"Shut up. This nerd has what's coming to him," Brian responded.

"Are you really this much of a d**k that you would actually believe that? What the eff did I do? I'm talking to your girlfriend, it's not like I'm trying to steal her!" I said angrily.

Brian gave 1 look at me then punched me in the face

****

That night I was training harder than ever with Ethan. I was punching faster and harder. Lifting weights with new emotion. I hated Brian Lewis. He broke my nose, made both my eyes black and my cheek was broken. I wasn't sparring yet. I would have to wait 2 months to begin that. But I was signed up for junior boxing in the province of Alberta. The same league as Brian Lewis.

Of course I wouldn't be facing him. If I ever did it would be in 4 years at the provincial champions for ages 18-19. We would both have to qualify. And I was ready for that. I wanted to beat him up. He made my life miserable.

But there was good news. Brian was expelled and Rebecca broke up with him. It's not like we're dating, but we're friends now. I could probably make some friends now, too. I was brimming with new confidence, but anger still overwhelmed me.

I couldn't wait to beat up Brian Lewis.

[BLemieux]

4 YEARS LATER

4 years have passed since I vowed to beat Brian Lewis in the provincial championship. I've changed a lot since then. I'm pretty popular now. My hair changed a lot, too. It used to be orange, but I dyed it Dirty Blonde and got a small faux hawk. It suited me well. I was much stronger, actually had abs now. And maybe the biggest change of all: I've had girlfriends.

I started dating girls at around eleventh grade. My longest relationship was 2 months, so I kinda went through them a little fast. But I was happy. My trainer was still Ethan McKay, and we were really great friends. He's 40 now, but still in top shape. I guess it's kinda weird that one of my friends is more than twice my age, but it didn't matter.

My greatest friendship of all is with Rebecca, though, We're really close now. We haven't dated, though. We both think that it would destroy our friendship if we ever broke up. But I was starting to throw those feelings away...

But Brian Lewis was back. He was allowed back at the school after some counseling. In my opinion it was all a fake. But Rebecca didn't think so. They started dating again. I never talked to him, and it did kinda make Rebecca upset that her best friend didn't like her boyfriend, but she understood why I acted like that.

We were both qualified in the tournament, along with 16 other people. I was training harder than ever, because I really wanted to beat him. He was going to get what was coming to him.

He also had won the tournament last year. We're in opposite pools, though, so if I was going to beat him, it would be in the finals. And that would mean I would win, because I know I'm going to beat him. I had never been in better shape in my life. If I was going to beat him, it would be now. Or later in my life, but we probably wouldn't be in organized boxing.

But if I did win the tournament, I would win a contract from Big Boxing World Canada, and I would be up against the greats in the lightweight division. Or well... pro boxers at least. That's another reason I was training a lot: I want that sponsorship.

And I was planning on getting it.

[BLemieux]

The Albertan Provincial tournament started today. I was bursting with confidence, but also with anger. Today was finally the day I would beat that slimeball, Brian Lewis. I would finally get my revenge after how he humiliated me in front of everybody when I started going to school in Calgary. I was really hoping that he would make it to the finals. Because if he doesn't, we're not fighting each other.

My first fight is against a guy named Michael Porter. He's a pretty average fighter in the province. He only just qualified because he got really sick for most of this years fights, so he had to bust his *** to get enough fights (and win them) to make it into the tournament. I was going to end his cinderella story in the first fight of the tournament.

Before I knew it my trainer Ethan McKinnon and my father were leading me out into the ring. Before I entered the ref went over the rules with me again. Then me and my father touched heads.

"Be confident. Ethan has taught you well these past few years. I'm really proud of you, son," he said.

"Thanks," I replied happily before entering the ring. Michael entered the ring, too, and we met at the center of the ring and touched gloves. He looked like he was in good shape. But I was in better, and I knew I have superior skill.

We went back to our corners and waited for the bell to ring. When it did we met at the center of the ring. He threw the first punch and it was slow as hell. I dodged it then threw a counter punch. I kept throwing hooks and uppercuts. He couldn't respond, so I kept throwing them. He finally got his block up, so I proceeded to start punching his body and screwing up his ribs.

He started blocking the body. I came up with an uppercut and for some reason he tried to duck it. The force of my powerful uppercut and the fact that he was ducking into it was too much for him, and he stood dazed, his legs wobbling like steamed spaghetti noodles. I threw punch after punch and he eventually fell to the ground.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5,

He got up at the count of five, and I continued to dominate until the end of the round.

"Your doing great, son. Keep throwing those punches and he'll go down."

And he was right. I kept doing the same thing at the beginning of the second round. Uppercuts, hooks, a couple of haymakers, and he was down for the count! My first knockout. I raised my hands into the air. My father and Ethan lifted me into the air and I punched the air in my boxing gloves.

1 fight down, 3 to go.

[hockeyplaya2724]

You're doing a great job with this, I can't wait until your next update

[BLemieux]

While I was waiting for all of the people to be eliminated in the first round, I went to the local Tim Hortons for a coffee and donut. My first fight tired me out (also the fact that I woke up at 4 am to make it to the town the tournament was being held) and I needed some coffee to get me wired again. The donut was because I loved the Tim Horton's donuts, which were the best in the country in my opinion.

When I went back to the gym Brian was fighting in the beginning of the second round. He looked like he was in top shape. I don't know how he could qualify for the lightweight division for his size, but somehow he did. I saw Rebecca at the corner of the gym and I went to go talk to her.

"Hey, Rebecca, what's up?" I asked as I walked towards her.

"Oh, nothing. I came with Brian to watch him fight."

"Well you'll have to watch me mess up his pretty little face in the finals. You may wanna leave," I joked. But I was serious about messing up his face. He absolutely positively deserved it for what he did to me 4 years ago. At least I had a reason: it was competition, and it was also revenge. He just did it because I was talking to his girlfriend.

"At least I wasn't so dumb I got held back" I was always thinking to myself. I was laughing so hard when he came back last year in eleventh grade. I was hoping to provoke him at the time so that he would attack me again (and thus be expelled again) but he just glanced at me, gave me a dirty look, and walked away. I thought the effort must have killed him.

*****

It was time for my second fight of the tournament. I was facing a guy named Pete Serra. He's stronger than me, but is very slow and doesn't have a very solid chin. We touched gloves at the center of the ring, and when the bell rang, we ran at each other as if we were pure enemies. I guess we were once we were fighting inside the ring.

He kept throwing his slow punches, and I kept countering. When I actually got hit, I just kinda shook it off. It didn't hurt that much. I just kept playing my game and throwing punches. By the time only a minute was left in the round his eye was starting to swollen, and I pushed the attack. I stunned him on a counter then hit him with a haymaker that sent him flying to the other side of the ring. Somehow he got up in five seconds.

At the end of the round my dad kept encouraging me, telling me how I was destroying him. It was quite obvious I was, but it felt good hearing my father saying it to me.

At the start of the second round Pete didn't look much better. I kept playing my game, countering and connecting big time. Before long I had him down on the floor again, and he stayed down for the count of ten. I did fist pumps in the air, was raised on my father and Ethan shoulders again.

2 fights down, 2 to go.

[hockeyplaya2724]

Another very nice update, I can't wait until you mess up that bum Brian.