The Asian Dungeon

Nathan had always been told that boxing was was gritty, brutal, and unforgiving — a game for those who could endure the pain, keep their cool under pressure, and fight with everything they had. At 21 years old, Nathan was entering his first official fight in an open federation, a promising new beginning.

 He had worked hard in the gym, refined his footwork, and honed his jab. The crowd, filled with seasoned boxers and hopefuls, murmured as they watched him enter the ring. This was it. The moment he had been waiting for.

His opponent, however, was not what he expected.

Standing in the opposite corner was a woman, shorter than him, with dark, steely eyes. Her name was Ruth, and she had a reputation She was a veteran with a long list of victories —. Ruth didn’t play by the rules or so it was said.

Nathan tried not to let the nerves show. His coach had warned him about Ruth's unorthodox style, but he was confident. He had trained his heart out , he had perfected his punches.trained with a single minded purpose. He wasn’t about to be intimidated.

The bell rang. The fight had begun.

Nathan opened with a quick jab, trying to establish his range. Ruth, however, didn’t come at him like he expected. She danced around him, moving in a way that made it hard to keep track of her. Her footwork was light and unpredictable, like she was testing his reflexes, just waiting for him to make a mistake.

He jabbed again. She ducked, and as she did, Nathan felt a sharp pain on his foot. He looked down and saw Ruth’s foot had stepped on it — not by accident.

"Watch where you're stepping, kid," Ruth sneered, a hint of mockery in her voice. As she forced an upper cut to his abs that he could have avoided if his foot were not pinned. The crowd chuckled.

Nathan blinked, No, she seemed so confident shrugging of his blows taking the string from them rolling and twisting  his ever hit never clean. something felt off. He tried to shake it off and focused on the fight.

The next round was no better. Ruth used every dirty trick she knew — an elbow to his ribs when they clinched, a thumb in the eye when the referee wasn’t looking. Her punches didn’t come with the force he expected, but with precision and cruelty, landing on his blind spots, softening him up before another sneak attack. Easier when your opponent cant see out of one eye.

"Come on, kid," she taunted after landing a punch to his gut. "You think you know boxing? You think it’s all about power and speed? It’s about being smarter, learning when to take advantage."

Nathan’s head was spinning. He was a good boxer, but he was getting frustrated. This wasn’t fair. He hadn’t been prepared for this kind of fight. He was losing, and it wasn’t because Ruth was the better boxer — she was using everything she could to break him down mentally.

By the fourth round, Nathan’s body was beginning to slow. His arms were heavy, his movements sluggish. Ruth, on the other hand, seemed to get stronger. Every time he tried to recover, she found a new way to put him back, keeping him on the back foot foiling his aggressions or evading them.

In the fifth round, things took a turn. Ruth made a move that Nathan had been expecting: she feigned a punch to his face, and as he brought his hands up to block, she closed quickly and in the press of bodies   kneed him in the groin. The pain shot through him like a bolt of lightning. The crowd gasped, and Nathan stumbled back, struggling to catch his breath.

The referee didn’t see it. He was too focused on Ruth's well-timed feint.

"Get up," Ruth whispered, her voice low and dangerous. "You think you can walk in here and take this sport without learning what it takes? You haven’t learned how to survive yet, kid."

Nathan fought to keep his legs beneath him stumbling back only the ropes saving him, his vision blurred. He had to admit it — Ruth was schooling him. She wasn’t just fighting for the win. She was trying to teach him a lesson he wasn’t ready for.

As they moved into the final round, Nathan’s mind was a blur. His punches were wild, his energy all but gone. Ruth, as always, moved like a shadow, striking only when the time was right. She made him chase her, wearing him down with every fake, playing on his fears she faked a obvious low blow and Nathan instinctively dropped his hands ... The punch to his temple nearly sent him to the ground . The ref shrugged no foul had been committed .

The bell rang for the final time, and Nathan stood there, gasping for air, bruised and battered. Ruth had been relentless. His pride had taken a beating, but more than that, his understanding of what it meant to be a fighter had shifted.

He took a beating being picked off again and again only stubbornness keeping him on his feet  . As she picked her shots with little resistance. The bell saving him as his rubber knees  staggering from one blow to the next. 

The referee raised Ruth’s hand, signaling her victory. The crowd cheered, but Nathan felt hollow. He wasn’t mad at her — he was mad at himself for not seeing through her game. He had learned the hard way.

As Ruth walked past him, she placed a hand on his shoulder, her eyes locking with his.

“You’ve got talent, Nathan,” she said, her voice unyielding. “But you don’t know half of what it takes. This sport... it’s not just about what you can do. It’s about what you can survive. Get used to the pain. Get used to the tricks. And when you’re ready, come back. But until then, remember this: You’re not just fighting for a title. You’re fighting for respect.”

Nathan was a little punchy but one thing seemed very clear … “ Ruth .. will you teach me . “

Ruth paused turning one gloved fist on her hip , it takes humility to do that , maybe this boy has some real potential. “ Be in the gym sunday at ten …” she didnt wait for a reply turning and walking away …

Nathan watched her go … it didnt escape him that she rolled her hips and swayed as more than just his eyes followed her out .

Nathan nodded, his heart still racing, still processing the weight of her words.

He wasn’t finished. Not by a long shot.

<Published> 5 days ago, viewed 67 times.