Chapter 865: Recovery

Chapter 865: Chapter 865: Recovery

Anton rushed forward like a shark that had just smelled blood.

The moment he saw Damon on one knee, he knew he had his opportunity. He wasn’t going to let it slip away.

He threw a heavy right hand as he closed the distance, but Damon managed to bring his guard up just in time. The impact still pushed him sideways, and Anton followed with a left hook aimed at his head.

Damon ducked, though his movement was noticeably slower than before.

Damn, that felt like a truck...

His head was still spinning. His vision hadn’t completely settled, and there was a strange ringing in his ears. He could feel his legs beneath him, but they weren’t responding as quickly as he wanted.

Anton noticed it too.

"He’s hurt! ANTON KNOWS IT!" Demian shouted.

The Russian champion wasn’t giving him any breathing room. He threw another combination, a jab followed by a right hand, forcing Damon to cover up while trying to get back onto his feet.

Damon took a step backward.

Then another.

"Don’t let him settle! Keep working!" someone shouted from Anton’s corner.

Anton listened, pressing forward with another hook.

Damon raised his forearm to block it, but the impact still rattled him. He tried to circle away, only for Anton to cut off his escape and drive him toward the cage.

"OH, THIS IS BAD! DAMON IS IN TROUBLE!" Demian exclaimed.

Jon leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the action.

"I don’t think we’ve ever seen anyone rock Damon Cross like that! Not like this! Anton has caught him clean, and he’s taking full advantage!"

The crowd was on its feet.

For the first time in a long while, the undefeated champion was in genuine danger.

Damon could hear the noise around him, but it sounded distant. His attention was entirely on Anton, who was throwing everything he had at him.

’Come on... get it together.’

He tightened his guard, taking a small step to the side as Anton threw another right hand.

This time, Damon managed to slip just enough of it to avoid taking the full impact.

He immediately moved away from the cage.

Anton followed, attempting to catch him with another hook, but Damon ducked beneath it and created a little distance.

It wasn’t much, but it was enough.

He took a deep breath, blinking several times as his vision gradually settled.

’Alright... I’m still here.’

His legs were beginning to cooperate again.

It was an incredible recovery, especially considering how cleanly Anton had caught him. Most fighters would have struggled to regain their composure so quickly after taking a shot like that.

But Damon wasn’t out of danger yet.

Anton was still in front of him, and the Russian had no intention of letting up.

"He’s recovering! LOOK AT DAMON!" Demian shouted.

"I can’t believe it!" Jon replied. "That was a massive shot! I’ve seen plenty of fighters fail to recover from something like that, but Damon is already finding his footing again. What an incredible display of composure!"

Anton narrowed his eyes.

He had felt that punch land.

He knew exactly how badly it had hurt Damon.

And yet, somehow, the man was still standing.

The two champions stared at each other for a brief moment before Anton stepped forward again.

Anton took a deep breath, frustration beginning to show on his face.

It wasn’t every day someone managed to catch Damon Cross that cleanly. He had landed a perfect counter, the kind of punch that could put almost anyone on the canvas, and yet he had somehow allowed Damon to recover.

He had lost his best opportunity.

Damon, meanwhile, was already moving again, keeping a careful distance between them.

His head was still a little heavy, and he could feel the lingering effects of that punch, but his vision had cleared. He wasn’t going to make the mistake of rushing back into an exchange before fully recovering.

He needed time and fortunately, there was still plenty of the round left to manage.

Anton stepped forward, throwing a jab to test him.

Damon moved his head off the centre line, avoiding it before responding with a quick one-two combination. His right hand connected against Anton’s guard, forcing the Russian to raise his arms.

Damon followed with a low kick before stepping away.

"He’s moving again!" Demian exclaimed. "Damon Cross is back on his feet, and he’s still throwing!"

"Don’t be fooled, though," Jon added. "He’s being a lot more cautious now. After taking that shot, he’s clearly trying to regain his composure. He’s not giving Anton the same opportunities he did earlier."

Damon wasn’t standing his ground for extended exchanges anymore. He was moving laterally, using his footwork to prevent Anton from trapping him against the cage.

Whenever Anton approached, Damon gave him something to think about.

A jab.

A quick straight right.

Sometimes a combination ending with a low kick.

Nothing particularly reckless, but enough to discourage Anton from charging forward without thinking.

Anton tried to close the distance with a left hook, but Damon leaned back and immediately returned a sharp right hand to the body.

He followed with a left hook upstairs before stepping away.

"Nice combination from Damon!" Demian shouted.

"That’s what makes him so dangerous. Even when he’s recovering, you can’t simply walk him down. He’s still capable of punishing you if you get careless."

Anton clicked his tongue, as he wanted to keep the pressure on, but Damon wasn’t making it easy.

The Russian threw another combination, attempting to cut off Damon’s movement. Damon blocked the first punch, slipped the second, then pivoted away before Anton could bring his left hook around.

He was buying himself time.

And he was doing it without completely surrendering control of the fight.

Just a little longer.

Damon glanced briefly at the clock.

There wasn’t much time left in the round.

Anton, however, was becoming increasingly impatient. He had already seen his best opportunity slip away, and he wasn’t interested in allowing Damon to recover completely.

He stepped forward with a powerful right hand.

Damon ducked beneath it and responded with a quick uppercut that caught Anton on the chin.

The crowd erupted.

Anton immediately stepped back, raising his guard.

"OH! DAMON STILL HAS THAT POWER!" Demian shouted.

Jon shook his head in disbelief.

"That’s the problem! You can’t afford to get comfortable just because you’ve hurt him. Damon is still dangerous, and Anton needs to remember that."

The two fighters circled again, with Damon continued moving, occasionally stepping in with combinations before withdrawing. He wasn’t looking for a knockout or trying to force an exchange.

Fortunately, the horn finally sounded.

BEEEEEEP!

Damon immediately took a deep breath, lowering his guard as he stepped away from Anton. The two exchanged a brief look before turning toward their respective corners.

Damon wiped his mouth with the back of his glove, still feeling the lingering effects of that counter.

He wasn’t particularly happy with how the round had gone.

"What do you make of that, Demian?" Jon asked from the commentary table. "I mean, I’ve never seen Damon that rattled before. We’re talking about a man who’s dominated almost everyone he’s faced inside the cage, and that was the first time I’ve seen him look like he’d completely lost control of a fight."

Demian nodded, his eyes following Damon as he returned to his corner.

"I have to agree. Anton caught him with a beautiful counter, and for a moment, I genuinely thought we were about to witness something extraordinary. We’ve seen Damon take some heavy shots before, but I’ve never seen anyone rock him quite like that."

"What’s impressive, though, is how quickly he managed to recover. Anton had an opportunity to finish things, but Damon somehow found a way to survive and even threaten him with counters."

"Absolutely. But I think this round has changed things. Anton now knows he can hurt Damon, and that’s going to give him confidence going into the next one."