Alone on top of the world.
Jack Fire Phoenix
A boxing match that tells a tale of defeat.
“I stand at the pinnacle of my generation, may my fists lead me through the light and into my darkness. Let the world know that I am reborn. I am Jack Fire Phoenix.”
The roar of the crowd shook the stadium to its screws and bolts. Lights spun and twirled around until it stopped on the perfectly cut square boxing ring.
The announcer walked to the middle of the ring. His suit, sharper than a knife’s edge. “Alright, alright, alright! It’s the show you’ve all been waiting for. In the right corner from the edge of hell’s inferno. Even God has forsaken him; he rises from his ashes. Master of his destiny. Jack. Fire. Phoenix!”
The right corner exploded in flames and geysers of fire as Jack walked out in a cloak of red and orange. He wore a garb that resembled a rooster. Immediately upon being seen by the audience, he started to cackle like a bird.
The crowd roared in enjoyment at his cry. It was all he had left.
He smiled to the screams of his name and the countless ‘I love you’s. He could only be alive at this moment. Everything else just seemed to fall to the wayside. To which nothing was there for him.
He made his way down the catwalk to the ring alone. It was all part of the act. The coach, the doctor, and the manager would walk down only after he had reached the ring. The Phoenix only rises alone was the reasoning behind this. Jack had heard a fan say this to him one night. It just seemed to stick to him.
“In the left corner, the rising star, with ten wins, all close calls. The man who walks the tightrope of defeat. His fists so fast that even God would need a second glance. The man, the myth, the legend of legends, Godspeed!”
Jack looked up to the left corner, tensing up. The corner exploded with silver streamers, and classical guitar music filled the arena. Godspeed strolled out with his team. He had a gentle look to him but determined eyes.
Jack just smiled, and a strand of sweat slid down his face. Such an innocence, he thought. He wiped the sweat away with his glove. They were worn and bruised.
The Phoenix had been through many fights; it had been ages since his debut. He looked back to his team, who was showing up. He scanned around looking for her, but she wasn’t there.
“Has been for a long time,” said Jack to himself. He had wondered if he didn’t pick up boxing would his life be different. He shook the thoughts away and reassured himself that without boxing, he would be nothing.
A thought many boxers have had once or twice. Their fists are their tool and trade. It’s all they know, ingrained into their very soul. A fighter clawing away at their own life and sanity. A losing battle that only ends in death.
Jack and Godspeed walked up to the middle, the referee waiting for them.
“I want a clean fight. Remember to protect yourself and Andrew-”
“It’s Godspeed,” said Andrew.
“I don’t care what you call yourself, boy. If I feel like you are in danger, I’m calling the fight.”
“Getting the royal treatment,” Jack said, grinning but then stopped. He had to be careful his persona was getting the better of him. You play the role long enough, and you become the lie.
Jack knew this, and usually, he would have better control. But, recently, he had been losing sight of himself. If she was here, he thought.
“Watch it, Jack, same goes for you. Andrew just got a terrible record. I don’t want any deaths,” the Ref said, and both men nodded. “Touch gloves and then back to the corner.”
Both men touched, and Andrew looked down at his glove.
“To your corner,” said Ref.
“Sorry,” said Andrew coming back to reality.
Jack leaned back to his post grinning, he was now looking for blood.
“Watch out for-,” said his Max hanging off one of the ropes.
“Didn’t ask, so shut it. I got this,” said Jack. Max just let out a sigh and moved away from the ring.
Max was his coach and had been from the start. Jack had been trying to get rid of him for years, but somewhere along the way, he just stopped.
Max wasn’t going anywhere, and he told Jack that he wasn’t when they first met.
You got talent kid, and I’ve seen talent like that before. But this time is going to be different. I’m with you till the end, ya hear. Till Hell freezes over, Jack remembered. This made him chuckle. It was such a strange promise, but he obliged, and after fame and fortune got to Jack’s head, after she left, Jack didn’t need Max anymore.
On the other side, Andrew leaned back on his post, still staring at his glove.
“What’s wrong, Andy,” said a girl. This was Zee, his childhood friend and biggest fan. Without her encouragement, he wouldn’t be where he was today. It was all thanks to her and his Coach, Larry Turmen.
“Just a feeling, his gloves felt weird,” Andrew said.
“Don’t worry about it,” said Larry placing his hand on Andrew’s shoulder. “We’ve prepared for it. Let’s dethrone this fake champion.”
“Yeah, I got this.” Zee looked down and then back up to Andrew. His face seemed strained, like there was pain behind.
“Go get them, tiger,” she said, but Andrew didn’t respond. He was changing, and Zee couldn’t keep up.
The fighter’s life is not an easy one. You need to train like your life is on the line every day because you don’t know what match is going to be your last.
Somewhere along the line, you come up with two choices. You can continue fighting and be squashed by the talented until you crawl your way to victory, or you can look into the dark for an easier and profitable option. Cheating isn’t shameful but necessary.
The bell ranged, and the two men dashed forward. Andrew being cautious, but Jack being aggressive. He flung a couple of shots that Andrew dodged with ease, but the pressure didn’t let up.
Andrew felt like he was fighting a raging beast. Any other man would have panicked, but a fighter can be calm in the most dangerous of situations. Soon Jack would tire himself out, and Andrew would counter.
Yet Jack didn’t let up. In fact, he only got faster until one got through. Andrew blocked the hit but felt himself rising a couple of centimeters off the ground.
Heavy, he thought. He didn’t have time to wonder because the barrage wasn’t done. Andrew backed off just as another hit swiped past him, and now he could feel the pressure coming from Jack.
“Tch,” said Jack regaining his stance. “So close.”
Andrew looked up and took his stance. He pushed away his fear and smiled. Jack was looking more like a raging hawk than human.
“Begone, Demon!”
Jack took a step back and then caught himself. Andrew had dashed forward, and the fight continued. The sounds of feet stepping and fisting pounding filled the stadium, and the crowd roared.
“Damn it, Jack,” said Max. The fight was getting rough, and Jack was taking more hits than he wanted. He could handle it, but the problem was he wasn’t getting any more hits on Andrew.
Andrew was being cautious and going in for a couple of hits and then backing off. An ol’ hit and run tactic. The first bell rang, and the two went back to their corners.
“Shit. Shit. Shit,” said Jack. He didn’t expect Andrew to have such heavy punches. He started to wonder if he had the same thing as him. He glanced down at his gloves. His leg was gyrating due to nerves.
“He ain’t like you, Jack. That’s all skill right there. You got it too, you know,” said Max.
“I didn’t ask for your advice.”
“I’m just talking to myself, but if you keep getting hit out there, you’re going to lose those guns you have. A crutch can only take you so far.”
The bell rang, and the two men dashed around, but Andrew got there first. He started out with a right but missed and then a left, which missed as well. However, Andrew didn’t let up and went out for another combo. Then black for a couple of seconds.
Andrew staggered back. He could only hear Jack cackling. Lucky shot, he thought. He tried to move back further but was stopped. Looking down to see Jack’s foot on top of his.
Immediately he went for a guard, but Jack got through, landing a blow to his ribs and then another blow to his face. The pain started to hurt and itch.
All that talent is pointless if you can’t move, Jack thought, getting some extra blows in before letting go of Andrew’s foot. He had to be careful that Ref didn’t see it, but it was too late.
The Ref jumped in and separated the two.
“Watch it Jack, another shit move like that, and you’re done.”
“Sorry, sorry, it was an accident. You know how these fights get,” said Jack like a politician too good at his job.
“You going to…let him off,” said Andrew trying to stay on his feet.
“Back to your corners,” said the Ref ignoring Andrew. It wasn’t the first time something like this happened, and it wasn’t going to be the last.
Jack placed his full weight on the post.
“Should’ve just ended it. Wasting all our goddamn time,” said Max.
“Ah, shut it. I got a crowd to entertain, and plus just seeing his pretty face is pissing me off.”
“So you’re torturing him now.”
“I’m teaching him that the boxing life ain’t as bright as he thinks.”
On the other side, the coach reassured Andrew that everything was going to be okay.
“Just keep doing what you’re doing and watch out for his feet. I don’t think he’s going to pull that shit again.”
“I got this, Larry. Just tell me what I got to do,” yelled Andrew. Larry stepped back, and so did the rest of his team.
“We’ve got this, Andy,” said Larry.
“You ain’t the one up here taking those blows man. They feel like battering rams. My right arm is starting to go numb.”
“Then take them out. Stick to his sides and take them out,” said Larry.”
The bell rang again, and the two were at it again.
“I don’t like it, Larry,” said Zee. “Can’t we just call it?”
“It’d break him. He needs to learn this the hard way. I’m afraid he wasn’t ready for this fight. Even if he wins, we’ve lost him.”
“Sticking to my sides huh, these ribs ain’t going to take a beating from those kiddie punches,” cackled Jack.
Andrew ignored his antics and continued to focus on the task at hand. One. Two. Punch. He got one in, and Jack shifted his stance. Trying to take out my guns, huh, Jack thought. Let’s see how he likes this. He threw his hands around Andrew, catching him off guard. The tussle lasted maybe a second before the Ref spilt them up, and Andrew started to scream.
Andrew went in for a hit, but this time, Jack countered it by punching full force into Andrew’s fist. A small crack could be heard, and Larry started to raise the white cloth.
Jack went for another attack, this time at the chin. It’s over kid, go back home, he thought.
But before the fist made contact, Andrew began to scream louder and then rammed his head into Jack’s fist. Another crack could be heard, and Jack was now the one in pain. The Ref jumped in again, separated the two, and the bell rang.
“The man’s a freak,” said Jack spitting out some blood and flesh.
“What happened out there,” said Max.
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
“He broke it, didn’t he?”
Jack didn’t say anything, just sat there, trying to keep calm.
“Why isn’t he going down?”
“He’s got something you don’t,” said Max.
“You want to tell me, old man?”
“Nah, not really.”
“Useless.”
“Look around, Jack. This boy is a lot like you.”
“Fuck off.”
On the other side, Andrew was in pain.
“The fucker bit off my ear,” he grunted.
“It’s alright, just a piece. It’s still all there,” reassured Larry.
“I think my fist is broken, but I got him with that headbutt.”
“He’s got to have something in gloves.”
“I’m ending this now,” said Andrew standing up. The doctor was just finishing putting on some balm on his wounds.
The bell rang again, and the two men made their way to the center. Andrew struck first, hitting Jack’s left fist. He winced in pain, but his face twisted in disgust like he was close to puking.
The crowd had gone silent by now. All their wandering eyes focused on these two men who were battering out their lives like blacksmiths beating heated melt. The punches echoed throughout the room of over thousands of spectators.
Andrew started focusing on Jack’s right arm. He knew his left was out of commission. Yet Jack didn’t get where he was just by pure luck. He had trained just as hard as anybody. His talent might have been what attracted views and Max, but it was his hard work that put him over the top.
Like most boxers, Jack had started out with, full of light and strength. Dreams of being the best and having a legacy worthy of transcending their one life. Yet every good man just needs one bad day to lose what matters most.
He had lost a match to a more talented fighter and was beating himself up over it. Jack wasn’t sound of mind at the moment and ended pushing a lot of people away. One of the people he pushed away was a girl by the name of Claire. She was a childhood friend of his, and their relationship wasn’t lovers, but it was getting close.
Jack said some things, and she left. It was a cold night, and she went home by herself. Along the way, she was attacked, and by the next day, her face was on the news. Jack just felt himself sink, and he started to blame himself.
“You ain’t special, boy,” said Jack trying to block Andrew’s punches.
“Go down.”
“You’re going to lose this, just like all the rest.”
“Go. Down.”
“You go down,” yelled Jack landing a blow to Andrew’s stomach, making him stagger back to catch his breath. Jack could finish it now, but his legs were losing strength; the pain was getting to him. He had taken too many blows.
“Go…down,” roared Andrew regaining his composure and landing a fat hit right into Jack’s face. He went down, and as he fell, he noticed Zee and Larry on Andrew’s side. They were not smiling, but fear shaped on their face. Lady bear, he thought.
The Ref started to count. Jack laid there, eyes closed, in the dark. His life began to shuffle to the counting. A woman showed up sitting on a white chair in his mind.
“Is this how the famous Jack Fire Phoenix is going down,” the woman asked.
“Isn’t that what you wanted,” Jack said, walking forward. His feet staggering and shuffling their way across the dark. Until he fell to his knees before her.
“Of course, not silly. I just want the Phoenix I love back,”
“He’s gone. Along with you.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
“Yes,” Jack screamed. “He died with you. I’m just this cackling fool who goes out there every night with a loaded fist and a death wish. Somedays, I get hit in the head just so I can forget.”
“There are better ways.”
“I don’t drink anymore, never since that night.”
“So getting beaten to death every fight is better?”
“Yes,” he said.
“Than I guess I wasn’t that important to you,” the woman said. Jack looked up at her with tears in his eyes. “If I was important to you, you wouldn’t try to forget me but try to live for me.”
“What?”
“I didn’t get to experience the beaches you promised me or the life in the hills. I didn’t even get to have the kids we wanted. It’s selfish, I know, but being beaten to death just to forget everything is worse. So, Jack, don’t stop living for my sake. Live for both of us.”
“I can’t.”
“You can. That kid, he’s got a family just like you, but he’s losing it, so teach him that he’s not alone.”
Jack shot himself upright, stopping the Ref in his count. He got up to his feet. The doctor on hand walked over and started to ask Jack some questions.
“I’m fine,” said Jack pushing the doctor aside. Jack went back to his post and took a seat.
“For a minute there, I thought you were a goner,” said Max, taking a sip from his water.
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s a first.”
“I mean it. I’m sorry, can you undo my gloves.”
“What?”
“I’m ending this. For good this time.”
“About damn time,” said Max stepping into the ring and undoing the gloves.
On the other side, Andrew was getting his forehead treated. He noticed that Jack was getting his gloves off.
“That little shit,” Andrew grumbled. “He’s underestimating me. He should have stayed down.”
“Andy, calm down. We got this,” said Larry.
“I got this,” said Andrew walking back to the center. “ Come on, chicken shit.”
Jack stood up from his seat, and the Ref walked up to him. There was a concern on his face.
“Put your gloves back on,” he ordered.
“Come on, Rudy. This is my last match, do this one for me.”
“You’re going to get banned.”
“I know,” said Jack. “Open your hands.” Rudy opened his hand, and two bloody metal plates landed in them. “Do with them what you like, but I’m done. Just let me teach this brat something I forgot when climbing the ranks.”
Jack walked past Rudy and to the center.
Rudy stood there with the weights in his hand. This match all rested on his approval. If he let the match go on, then it would also be his last as well. If he refused, Jack would be slammed. He knew Jack ever since his big debut and watched him spiral down. Maybe somewhere in this fight, Jack saw the same thing happening to Andrew.
“Alright, Jack. One last match,” Rudy said, placing the weights in his pocket, and the bell rang.
Andrew went straight for the face, but Jack just smiled and swiped the punch away. Knocking Andrew off balance. There was a new sense of strength and calmness in Jack.
“I broke that fist kid, be more careful with it.”
“Don’t go telling me what to do.”
“I’m not just giving you some advice. But, I mean, you did break mine.”
Andrew went at it again, and Jack just simply moved out the way and landed a punch. It stung, and Andrew backed off.
“I’m going to defeat you.”
“You will, but not alone.”
“What?”
Jack started dancing around Andrew, hitting him here and there. The boy tried to fight back, but Jack was far too fast. Even with one hand, Jack was superior.
Then an old man in the audience started to chant Jack’s name. This was Phoenix they had been waiting for, not the demon that had entered the match but the one that had brought them to his side all those years ago. The grace of the Phoenix.
The joy that Jack had once felt from boxing had returned to him like a lost child returning home to his father. This was what he was missing, and Andrew had lost it during this fight.
Andrew dropped his fist, and with all his strength, tried to stay standing.
“I guess this is all you mounted up to be, boy, just trash like me,” Jack said, raising his fist for a final blow.
“Andy,” yelled Zee shattering the chant and distracting Jack, but he just smiled. When Jack focused back, he only saw the red of the glove blocking his sight and smashing him straight into his face. Knocking off the ground and sending him flying a couple of meters. Nice one, girlie, Jack thought, and then black.
When he awoke, he noticed he was in Max’s arms, and Andrew was being celebrated as a winner.
“Get me up, Maxie,” asked Jack, and the two stood up.
“Good match,” said Andrew straining together a smile. He didn’t mean it and still felt like he was being looked down on.
“Stop it,” said Jack. “Listen. You ain’t in this alone.”
“What?”
“You got people. It was that girl that saved you in the end. Don’t forget that.”
“Say what you will I-”
“This ain’t a solo match, Andrew. You got friends. Keep them close. They’ll keep you sane. You don’t want to end up like me.,” said Jack, limping away.
“Thank you,” said Zee catching up with him.
“No. Thank you. He needs you.”
The two limped out of the ring and headed to the back room.
“You’re too kind, Jack, too kind for this type of world,” said Max.
“You know this could’ve ended badly.”
“You think.”
“I’m ready to go home.”
The old man from the crowd caught up to them.
“Thank you for your service,” said the old man. Then a couple more people showed all, thanking him, like a hero putting down his sword for the last time.
“I was never alone, was I,” said Jack crying.
“No. No, you weren’t.”
I stand at the pinnacle of my generation. My fist has led me through the darkness and back to the light. Let the world know that I am reborn. This Phoenix rises with friends. I am Jack Fire Phoenix.
