The announcer praised his resilience and his ability to recover after being hurt in the final round.
Marcus stood beneath the lights, breathing heavily.
He had won.
He had defended the championship.
He had survived a difficult fight against an opponent who had tested every part of his preparation.
But the first person he looked for was not a sponsor representative.
It was Althea.
The First Person He Thanked
Marcus barely heard the announcer finish describing the victory.
The championship belt rested across his shoulders. Its gold plates reflected the arena lights. A photographer moved in front of him and asked him to turn slightly toward the camera.
Marcus complied.
Another reporter shouted a question about the split decision.
“Marcus! Did you think you had done enough to win?”
He glanced toward the announcer.
“I thought I had done enough to give the judges a difficult decision.”
The reporter laughed.
“Were you worried when Reyes caught you in the final round?”
“Yes.”
The answer surprised the reporter.
Marcus continued.
“He's a very good fighter. He caught me cleanly, and I had to recover. I wasn't going to pretend otherwise.”
“Did you ever think you were losing?”
“Of course.”
The reporter leaned closer.
“What did you tell yourself?”
Marcus considered the question.
“To keep thinking.”
The reporter waited for more.
Marcus smiled.
“That's the answer.”
The photographer asked him to raise the belt.
Marcus lifted it.
The cameras flashed.
But even as the photographs were taken, his eyes kept moving toward the aisle.
He saw Elena first.
She was standing beside the corner, her arms folded, wearing the exhausted smile of a coach who had watched her fighter survive a difficult night.
He approached her.
She opened her arms.
Marcus leaned forward, and they embraced.
“You did it,” she said.
“We did it.”
Elena pulled back.
“No. You did the work.”
“You taught me how.”
“I gave you instructions. You had to follow them.”
Marcus laughed.
“Fair enough.”
She examined his cheek.
“Let's get that looked at.”
“It's fine.”
“Don't start.”
He raised his hands.
“I'm not arguing.”
“Good. You're learning.”
Marcus looked toward the aisle.
“Where's Althea?”
Elena followed his gaze.
“Third row. Near Raymond.”
Marcus began moving.
A reporter tried to stop him.
“Marcus! One more question!”
He kept walking.
Another photographer moved into his path.
“Can we get a picture with the belt?”
“In a minute.”
He reached the edge of the ring and climbed through the ropes.
Ben was waiting near the aisle.
The young fighter looked as though he might explode with excitement.
“You won!”
Marcus smiled.
“Apparently.”
Ben laughed.
“You actually did it!”
Marcus put an arm around him.
“How was it?”
“Terrifying.”
“Good.”
Ben looked at him.
“Good?”
“You were paying attention.”
Ben shook his head, smiling.
Marcus glanced toward Althea.
“Come on.”
They walked together.
Althea was already beginning to move toward the exit. Raymond stood beside her, holding her coat.
Marcus reached them just before they entered the aisle.
“Hey.”
Althea turned.
“Congratulations.”
Marcus smiled.
“Thank you.”
“You fought well.”
He looked down at the belt.
“I almost lost control in the fifth.”
“But you didn't.”
“Not entirely.”
Althea smiled.
“Progress isn't perfection.”
Marcus nodded.
He looked at the belt again.
Then he held it out toward her.
“Would you hold this for a second?”
She looked surprised.
“Why?”
“Because I want to say something.”
Althea hesitated.
Then she accepted the belt.
The gold plates rested against her hands.
Marcus faced her.
“Six weeks ago, I thought this was the most important thing in my life.”
He looked at the championship.
“I still care about it. I still want to defend it. I still want to become better at what I do.”
He paused.
“But I understand something now.”
Althea watched him.
Marcus continued.
“I thought being a champion meant people had to respect me. I thought the title gave me the right to expect that from everyone.”
He swallowed.
“I was wrong. I have to give people a reason to respect the way I behave.”
Althea said nothing.
Marcus glanced briefly toward the arena floor.
“I used to think strength meant being the person nobody could challenge. I thought if someone embarrassed me, I had to answer immediately. If somebody told me to wait, I treated it like they were trying to control me.”
He looked at her again.
“That night at Crownline, you asked me to let the floor dry. You were doing your job. You were trying to keep people safe. And I deliberately walked across it because I wanted to show you that I didn't have to listen.”
His voice became quieter.
“I knew what I was doing. I just didn't care.”
Althea held the belt without moving.
Marcus continued.
“I keep thinking about that. Not because I found out who you were. Not because I learned about your fights or your championship record. I keep thinking about it because you should never have needed any of that for me to treat you properly.”