Chapter 932 - 932: Stripped of Everything

Cabello feels the consequences of the two names almost immediately. He mentioned Vaughan and Bowman because he needed witnesses who could support his claim, yet bringing them into the hearing had opened an entirely different line of questions that he had not prepared himself to answer.

Only a short time before the fight, his own promoter, Hugo Ramirez, had been sent to prison over an attempt to sabotage Ryoma. Now Cabello had inadvertently placed two other prominent promoters under scrutiny.

For a moment, his eyes drift across the table toward Ryoma. And Ryoma is also watching him, with something amused in his expression as he rests his head lightly against one clenched fist.

Ryoma sits there with such effortless calm that Cabello cannot help feeling as though he is watching a king casually observing a hearing being held for the entertainment of his court.

"Tch…" Cabello clicks his tongue and looks away, momentarily forgetting that he is still expected to answer a question.

"Mr. Cabello," Kanemura presses.

Cabello flinches slightly, as though the question has only just reached him.

"Y-yes…"

Yet he does not immediately continue. He looks genuinely uncertain, almost as though he has forgotten what Kanemura asked him, or perhaps simply has no idea what he can say without making his situation worse.

Kanemura exhales, his expression showing little patience for the hesitation. "Do you realize what you've been doing since this hearing began? Every time we reach a point where your explanation becomes difficult to support, you move to another explanation. You keep running from one story to another, Mr. Cabello, and each one creates another problem."

"I'm not lying," Cabello snaps. "Everything I've told you is true. I had absolutely no idea what was put into my body. If you want someone to blame, then blame the medical team you assigned to the event yourself."

For a brief moment, Kanemura and Yoshida exchange a restrained glance. Neither had expected the questioning to turn back toward the WBO so directly. The implication that the organization itself might bear some responsibility unsettles them.

Cabello notices the reaction immediately. A short chuckle escapes him, and the tension in his face eases as a flicker of confidence returns to his expression.

Ryoma, meanwhile, watches the exchange calmly. He's fully aware that his role in the room is limited. But as the questioning begins to lose its direction, Ryoma grows increasingly dissatisfied with the way Kanemura is handling the situation.

Eventually, he raises one hand and steals Kanemura's attention.

"Yes, Mr. Ryoma? You want to say something?"

"I know my position here," Ryoma says. "I'm not here to take over the commission's investigation. But I want to point something out, especially to Mr. Cabello."

He looks across the table at him. "First, you said Dr. Morales injected you without telling him what the substance was. And now you are blaming Dr. Morales, knowing he can't defend himself here. The two arguments leave you with the same problem, Cabello. You can't prove you didn't take the substance yourself."

"That doctor did it to me," Cabello says.

Ryoma says nothing further. He believes he's done something strong enough. Kanemura, now understanding the direction Ryoma has given the discussion, turns his attention back to Cabello.

"What evidence do you have that Dr. Gabriel Morales administered the substance?"

"I know he did."

"That was a baseless accusation. You have provided no evidence, Mr. Cabello. No witness."

Cornered by the answer, Cabello speaks before he has time to reconsider it. "Vaughan and Bowman know about it because they were the ones who hired Dr. Gabriel Morales. They were the ones who pressured me to take it. I didn't inject it myself."

Ryoma's expression changes almost imperceptibly. A faint, satisfied smile touches the corner of his lips as he leans back, recognizing that the discussion has finally moved in the direction he wanted.

Kanemura exhales quietly and settles back into his chair. After watching Cabello's defense collapse through one contradiction after another, he finally feels that he has regained control of the hearing.

"What exactly did they do to make you take it?" Kanemura asks.

Cabello's expression falters. "They pressured me."

"You have already said that. I am asking what they actually did."

Cabello glances toward his attorney, but the lawyer remains silent, clearly unprepared for this because Cabello had never mentioned those two names to him before this.

Kanemura continues without waiting. "Did either of them threaten you with physical harm?"

"No."

"Did they threaten you with a weapon?"

"No."

Kanemura closes his folder. "Then you were not physically forced to take the substance."

"I said they pressured me."

"You are free to make that allegation. But it does not explain how two promoters supposedly compelled a professional world champion to accept a prohibited substance."

Cabello falls silent, completely can't say any argument anymore. Kanemura turns briefly toward the commission members.

"The allegation concerning Mr. Vaughan and Mr. Bowman will be recorded and addressed separately. But it does not alter the evidence before this commission today."

He looks back at Cabello. "You have now acknowledged that you accepted the substance knowingly."

Cabello's face tightens, like he's intending to argue once more. But Kanemura does not give him another opening.

"The commission will consider the explanation you have provided. But it does not remove the violation established by the medical findings."

The senior commissioner takes over the discussion before Cabello can attempt another argument. He closes the disciplinary file and places both hands on the table.

"Before this commission reaches its decision, there is one remaining matter that must be addressed. Mr. Cabello has raised the issue of his unpaid fight purse. This commission will give his representative an opportunity to state his position before we determine whether any further action is required."

Cabello's attorney straightens immediately. "Thank you. My client entered the bout under a valid promotional agreement, fulfilled his obligations as a fighter, made weight, appeared for the contest, and competed until the bout was stopped. Regardless of the disciplinary findings, Ronin cannot simply decide that the purse belongs to them."

The senior commissioner turns toward Ronin. Kurogane simply reaches for the folder beside him and removes a copy of the bout agreement. He opens it to a marked page and places the document before the commission.

"I assume Mr. Cabello's representatives have their own copy and have already reviewed its contents," Kurogane says. "Section twelve, paragraph four. The fighter's purse becomes subject to withholding and forfeiture if the fighter is found to have bribed or attempted to bribe judges, referees, or other event officials, or if the fighter is found to have knowingly used a prohibited substance in connection with the bout."

The attorney scans the paragraph again. "That provision still doesn't give Ronin the authority to make the final determination itself."

Ryoma finally speaks. "We withheld the payment because the contract expressly permits us to do so when one of those conditions is suspected. The final disciplinary determination belongs to the appropriate authority. That is why the money remains unpaid while this hearing takes place."

The attorney points toward the document. "The clause says 'knowingly used.' My client has consistently maintained that he did not know what substance was administered to him."

Ryoma's expression does not change. "He just testified otherwise. Unless, of course, you heard something different, counselor?"

The attorney pauses, then begins turning through the documents in front of him, searching for some overlooked provision or argument he can use to push back against a clause he clearly had not anticipated.

"My client did it under alleged coercion," he finally says.

Ryoma simply shakes his head. "It does not change the wording of the contract. The clause does not say 'unless the fighter later claims he was pressured.' It does not say 'unless he was unaware of the precise chemical composition.' It says knowingly used a prohibited substance."

The attorney begins turning through the documents once more. But his search produces nothing useful.

The senior commissioner looks down at the agreement, then toward Cabello's attorney.

"Counsel, do you dispute that Mr. Cabello signed this agreement?"

The attorney hesitates.

"No."

"Do you dispute the wording of this provision?"

"No."

The commissioner nods and closes the contract. "Then the commission has heard Ronin's position."

The senior commissioner closes the contract file and exchanges a brief glance with the other members of the disciplinary panel. After a short discussion, the senior commissioner straightens and looks back toward Cabello.

"The commission has reached its decision."

He looks down at the documents before him and begins reading from the written findings.

"The commission finds Mr. Cabello in violation for the use of prohibited substances in connection with the bout. He is suspended from WBO-sanctioned competition for twenty-four months and subject to the applicable financial penalty and testing requirements before returning to competition."

"Your allegations concerning Vaughan and Bowman will be addressed separately. As for the unpaid purse, the commission recognizes Ronin's contractual right to withhold payment under the provision discussed today."

He closes the file. "This hearing is concluded."

The attorney lowers the documents and leans toward Rivera, speaking quietly enough that only Rivera and Cabello can hear.

"If you want to pursue the purse in civil court, you can. But it'll only be a waste of money. And I won't be involved in it. My job is done."

Rivera simply sits back with a resigned expression, while Cabello can only stare at Ryoma across the room, his anger barely contained.

Ryoma had already beaten him in the ring and humiliated him in front of the world. Now, in a different kind of ring, he has once again left Cabello powerless, as though taking his title had never been enough.

The breached contract has denied Cabello his ten-million-dollar purse, while the commission's suspension has taken away any immediate chance of reclaiming the belt.

Cabello has completely lost, and there is nothing left for him to fight back with.