"Ruby, it's been a while. You look stunning and that perfume you're wearing, mmm, enough to ensnare any man that crosses paths with you." Mateo greeted with a smile, flattering her as he reached for a hug.
"Tsk. Fuck off Mateo, I'm not a child that needs pampering after being rejected." Ruby said with a scowl on her face, though the extra seconds she kept her arms around Mateo told another story.
"Err right, you know why I'm here. How soon do you think you'll be able to knock out your opponent, do you think we should place money on a K.O in the first round or you'll want to enjoy the fight a bit", asked Ruby as she distanced herself to give Mateo room to change, her eyes tracing the contours of his upper body as she enjoyed the eye candy that unfortunately wasn't hers.
"Hmm, to be honest I think I'll want to enjoy the fight a bit. Besides this guy, Shinbreaker, sounds a bit tough, he's got a 5 match winning streak after all. I don't think it'll be that easy for me to knock him out." Mateo gave his thoughts on the matter while remembering his opponent's last few fights.
Shinbreaker was an Asian guy connected to one of their rival gangs, and although he could be said to be average or even slightly above average height when compared to his countrymen, in front of a big dense 6 foot being like Mateo, he looked tiny.
"Eh, doesn't matter if he has a 5 match or 20 match winning streak, just promise me that you'll win, we have a lot of money riding on you after all." Ruby warned as she took a few steps closer to Mateo, close enough for her comfort but too close for Mateo's.
Holding her at shoulder length so that she wouldn't get any ideas, Mateo assured her of victory and walked her out, knowing that if she stayed long enough to watch him warm up she might just jump him.
"Tsk, fuck you Mateo, I hope Shinbreaker breaks your nose and a few ribs, let's see how you explain that to your family and your precious little girlfriend." Ruby said as she walked down the corridor to the venue, muttering obscenities with each step she took.
Waving her away, he returned to his dressing room and proceeded to do his light workout – a mix of push-ups, squats and jumping jacks to keep his blood flowing.
After a bit, the officials came to call him, leading him down the path meant for contestants where his was already waiting.
"Hey monkey, hope you've got insurance. Wouldn't want your mother to go back to selling herself cheap just to have something to eat just because I killed you by accident." A heavily inked man, Shinbreaker jested while performing derogatory signs, doing his best to rile up Mateo to hit him before the fight began. "But don't worry, I promise to feed her a healthy diet of meat and milk everyday, if you know what I mean."
Seeing that his opponent resulted to trash talking and petty tricks pleased Mateo.
After all, it meant that he wanted him disqualified before the match even began, which showed how little confidence he had in beating Mateo.
Unfortunately though, his opponent made one huge mistake, which just basically cost him the match, his limbs, and if the match wasn't stopped on time– his life.
Shinbreaker was about to continue with his mental attacks when the announcer's voice rang through their corridor from the ring.
"Gooodd evening LA underworld. Are you ready to see the fight of the nightttt?"
The announcer asked from his spot in the center of the sand pit, trying his best to rile up the audience.
"Yeeeaaaahh"
"Woooo!!!"
"Horned monkey!!!"
The crowd responded with fervour, screaming their lungs out as they expressed their expectations for a good battle.
"Heh heh. Don't worry you'll get your money's worth." He shouted back.
"Introducing the challenger, weighing in at 175 pounds with a total of 9 wins and 6 losses, he is the breaker of bones, the fast, the furious– Shiinbreeaaakeerr."
Hearing his name being called out, Shinbreaker threw out one last insult to check out his luck before eventually walking into the spotlight, the cheers of the audience welcoming him.
"And now, for the local champion you've all been waiting for, weighing in at 195 pounds of pure muscle, with a total of 17 wins, 3 losses and an impressive winning streak of 10 matches which he hopes to continue tonight… .
He is, the king of combos, the speeding wall of muscle, the unhinged beast, the one the only… THE HORNNEEDD MONKKEYYY."
The announcer roared with visible delight as he called out for Mateo to take the stage.
The crowd didn't seem to disapprove of the obvious bias, their cheers and chants more intense than the earlier one they used to receive Shinbreaker with as they welcomed their champion.
Putting on his black oni mask for the audience, Mateo took his time to soak in their cheers for a bit before finally stepping out.
The place erupted even more as the audience– a mix of gangsters, criminals, lowlifes along with some non- criminally affiliated people who just had a knack for spectating violence, shouted at the top of their lungs and eventually started chanting.
"Horned monkey!!!"
"Horned monkey!!!"
"Horned monkey!!!"
Listening to his adoring fans chanting his ringname, a name they gave him after watching him practically dominate his debut match by climbing the cage used for the match and utilising it to his advantage, he felt his anger being quelled a bit and decided not to end the match as fast as he had earlier intended to do.
He decided to prolong the match for their entertainment, giving them more time to enjoy as he brought Shinbreaker closer and closer to death's door.
Passing through the ropes, he walked to the opposite end of where Shinbreaker was standing, taking his sweet time as his feet got accustomed to the sandy ring.
"Take a good long look around you monkey, because I can't promise you'll be able to see after I'm done with you." Shinbreaker spat, trying to look as menacing and domineering as possible.
Mateo just cracked his knuckles in response before throwing his mask into the eager crowd.
The referee read the only two rules- no groin attacks and no use of weapons, everything else was fair game– and with one word, FIGHT, the match began.