The Chilla in Valhalla

Round 1: The bell rang, this was Jacob’s last chance, in the twilight of his career, he could finally become World Middleweight Boxing Champion. With the old champ having retired, and the #1 contender out with injury, it had gone to #2 and #3 to fight for the vacant title. Jacob knew his opponent #2 very well. Bjorn Karlson was his longest-term rival, they were 2, 2, and 1 against each other, Jacob knew this would be their final bout. Jacob did not hesitate, immediately going in for a Gazelle Punch, Bjorn dodged before going for a Flicker Jab, Jacob dodged that. They knew each other far too well, and now that had just 12 rounds to end this rivalry once and for all.

Round 2: Bjorn felt like that first round could have killed him, although with his age, that was the case for all first rounds. He was already getting into the mindless state where his body worked on its own. As the next round began, he continued to ponder on the build up the fight. It had been hyped up as a clash between two true warriors, as such, Bjorn took notes from his personal heritage and claimed in an interview that the loser would be dining in the halls of Valhalla.

Round 3: Each minute of the fight blended together at this point. Neither man had managed to land a clean and direct blow yet, there was always a dodge or a guard. Jacob was ready though, bracing himself for the impact whenever it came, but he was going the get the first shot in. Dodging under a jab, Jacob was able to uppercut Bjorn in the chest as if trying to punch the heart. Bjorn was sent staggering. No one could tell the score up to this point, but Jacob had won this round.

Round 4: Bjorn was not going to let himself lose, this was his final chance at ever getting the belt, he had to win. With the sound of the bell still ringing, he had run at top speed to Jacob and started pummeling. The beating only stopped when Jacob got in a clench.

Round 5: Jacob was out of it, his age had been catching up to him for a while, but now he was on the verge of defeat not even halfway through the fight. Jacob had to remember why he was fighting, his family, his friends, the boys at the gym, the ghetto that he grew up in. For the first decades of his life, he was beaten down, constantly told he would go nowhere, his father had left him, and his mother was locked up when he was young. Jacob had to win this for them, for himself, for everyone. He was going to win them the championship.

Round 6: Bjorn laid out punch after punch, trying to ignore his exhaustion and pain. He was in such a state of flow that he wasn’t aware of what was happening in the fight, he just fought. But this flow was unsteady, he was only able to maintain it by remembering what he was fighting for. His son and wife were sitting in the front row. Bjorn’s wish when his son was still young was to be able to raise his son up in the air with the title belt. That was no longer possible with his son now being a young man, but Bjorn still wanted him there. Bjorn had to win for his son, for his wife, and for himself. He was going to win that championship.

Round 7: The boys and Martha were not able to attend live that night, they could not afford to travel across the country to see Jacob fight, but they would cheer him on regardless. On the tv screen they were able to see Jacob beating Bjorn up close and personal. His boxing friends were shouting commands as if he could hear them, but his mother Martha just held her hands to her heart, praying he would survive.

Round 8: Alice didn’t want to bring her son, but Bjorn insisted it. “When I win, I want to raise him to be there.” She just wanted him to retire, so they made a deal. If he won the title, he would get one more match to defend it before he would retire. If he lost, it was over. Alice and Erik had second row seats to see their hero fight.

Round 9: Jacob was ready to end it, he wasn’t going to bother with any form of technique, he was just going to brawl. As the punches began to fly Jacob realized that Bjorn was doing the same. This was not a boxing match; it was a bar fight. He had to stop himself from using his leg to sweep Bjorn to the ground. But eventually, the punch landed, a punch right to Bjorn’s temple. It was a knockdown. 1… 2… 3…. 4… 5… 6… 7… 8… Could it really be over? Had Jacob become the best in the world? No, Bjorn stood back up with a soulless look of anger in his eyes. Jacob was done, he knew he would not survive the oncoming onslaught, Bjorn charged and then the ref stepped in the way. The bell had rung, Jacob was safe, for now.

Round 10: Bjorn was barely able to convince his coach to let him go out again. If Bjorn could experience hindsight, he would have given up there. The bell rang and the two men began to stagger towards each other, but where Jacob was able to keep standing, Bjorn fell. The fight was called. Bjorn heard the Valkyries sing.

The new champ refused to celebrate in the ring after he realized what had happened. The score cards had revealed that Bjorn had been winning since round two, with the soul exception of rounds three and nine, the latter of which he had been knocked down. A commentator would later report that if the fight had ended in that fourth round, it would have been the greatest fights ever. As it stood though, it was yet another man who had put his pride before his life.