Chapter 3: The first session

It was dawn when Li arrived at the address the coach had given to him. The sun was barely up and the streets were silent. At the address lied an old building, its old paint peeled from the walls and the rusty old windows were covered with dust. The sign above the main door read "Shu Boxing Gym," with its letters faded and almost unreadable. Li hesitated for some time, properly digesting the sight before him. This wasn't really the kind of gym he was truly expecting, but by the looks of it, it was clear that the place had seen many fighters come and go.

Taking in a deep breath, Li stepped inside the gym. The air here too was thick with the smell of sweat and worn leather, but it wasn't as detesting as the atmosphere of the warehouse. The gym itself was small, with a few pieces of used equipment being scattered throughout it. It had a couple of heavy bags, a speed bag at the corner and a worn out ring in the center. There was no fancy equipment or high end gear.

Coach Wang was already there, wrapping the hands of a boxer who seemed Li's age. The coach glanced up as Li approached and smiled at him.

"Right on time, kid," The coach said, finishing up wrapping up the fighter's hands. "I like that. It tells you a lot about a person. Come on in."

Li walked over and nodded as his nerves started to settle a bit. He had visited some gyms throughout town, but this one seemed very odd. Where most of them had these fancy equipment for show and reputation, this one had none, but still managed to convey the atmosphere of hard work and grit.

"This is Jun," Coach Wang said, pointing towards the fighter. "He's one of my best students. Jun, this is Li Wei, the kid I was telling you about." Jun stared at Li Wei, observing him and thinking what to expect from the new arrival.

"It's nice to finally see you. Coach was telling me a bit about you." He said as he extended his hand with a firm grip.

"Thanks," Li replied as he greeted him nervously.

The coach motioned Li to follow him to a bench near the ring. "I have been training fighters for a span of thirty years, kid," he began. "In my lifetime I have seen many kinds—some with natural talent, others who work their asses to make up for what they lacked. But the only ones who truly make it are the ones that have something within them. This fire that just won't allow them to quit, no matter how many beatings they take. I have been seeing that in you for a long time."

Li Wei listened intently. It was clear that this coach had been observing him fight for a long time. He felt strange. It was the first time that anyone had seen potential in him and took him seriously.

"I'm not going to lie to you son," Coach continued "Fights here are just as brutal as the ones you have been in. But if you are willing to put in the work, I think you might have a chance at something much bigger." He turned to Li and stared deeply into his eyes." Li Wei, I would like you to join my gym and fight under its banner. I have seen great potential in you and I don't want you to waste it in that worthless warehouse."

Li was astonished for a moment. He didn't know why someone would invite him to join their gym, since he didn't ever professionally train before, but maybe this was the opportunity he so desperately needed. "Alright." He replied after a moment of silence." I'll join your gym."

Coach Wang nodded after hearing the answer. "Good. We'll start with the basics. I need to see where you currently stand and what we need to work on. Jun, why don't you take Li through some drills?"

Jun gave Li a nod and motioned at him to follow him. They started with a few simple exercises—jump rope, shadow boxing and some footwork drills. Li was a good fighter but he only knew about taking beatings and punching away. These restricted exercises were difficult for him to manage, but he slowly got used to them. It was clear that Li's style was rough around the edges. His punches were powerful and his footwork was quick but it lacked the precision of a professional.

Coach Wang watched Li closely. He made mental notes on places where Li needed improvement and called him after an hour of drills. "Not bad kid," he said. "You've got some basics down but there is a lot of room for improvement. We will probably prioritize tightening up your defense. You have the heart of a fighter, but if you keep taking hits like last night, you won't last very long." 

Li knew that the coach was probably right. It was getting harder for him day by day to continuously keep up with fights, and if wanted to keep up, he needed to be a smarter fighter.

"Let's see you in the ring." Coach gestured to the worn ring that stood in the center of the gym. "Jun will spar with you for a few rounds. I want to see how you control yourself under pressure."

Li felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins as he entered the ring. This was the first time he was going to spar with the coach's student. He felt as though this was his chance to prove himself to the coach.

"Take it easy, Jun," Coach instructed. "We are not looking to knock each other out. This is only to demonstrate control and technique to Li."

As the bell rang and the sparring session began, Jun smirked at Li, confident in his style. He moved very quickly, his footwork much smoother than any opponent Li had ever fought. He threw a few light jabs, testing Li's defenses. Li dodged the first few but was quickly met with more punches to the face. Li quickly recovered and retaliated with a right hook, but Jun was just too fast for Li to hit. 

"Keep you guard up Li," The coach called out. "Don't just drop your hands after throwing a punch."

Li adjusted his stance and focused on keeping his guard up. Jun, seeing this, adapted to Li's stance and tested him further. This forced Li to move much quicker than he used to. Surely enough, his body was fatigued by the second round, though it did not mean he was willing to give up just yet.

After the third round, Coach Wang called an end to the session. As Li exited the ring, he felt exhausted, but he had tasted what it was like to fight a professional boxer.

"You've got great potential, kid," Coach said as he patted Li on the back. " But we need to fill more room for growth. Be sure to come tomorrow. We'll keep at it until you can reach national level. And don't worry about the fees, we will manage for you, so you should focus on training." 

"Thank you, coach." Li replied, his face bright with a genuine smile. It had probably been ages since Li was this happy. He had suddenly gotten a platform that might allow him to escape his situation, but it meant Li would have to put double the effort as before.

As Li left the gym, the sun was high in the sky, casting a bright glow on the small city. As he walked home, he thought of his sick mother. He knew she would be worried about him, but he couldn't wait to tell her about the gym, about Coach Wang, and about the future that for the first time in a long time, felt within his reach.