Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

"Phil, before the 100m breaststroke final, did you really trip by accident?"

On the plane, swimmer Ryan Lochte asked, looking at the bandaged knee of Phelps.

Phelps, wearing headphones and leaning on his seat, didn't want to talk. His eyes were fixed on his teammate Link Baker, who was sitting in the front row of business class. A few female athletes from the swim team were gathered around that jerk, chatting and laughing with him. They seemed particularly happy.

"Phil, tell us the truth. Did you hurt your leg on purpose because you were worried about being defeated by Link in the 100m event? If you tell me privately, I promise I won't tell anyone else."

Ryan Lochte said, removing his headphones.

Phelps turned and saw Ryan and three other teammates leaning in, eager to hear what he'd say.

Phelps glanced at them irritably and said, "You think I'd be afraid of him? Joking aside, Link is just strong and fast, doing well in freestyle. But in technical events, he performs poorly. Don't believe me? Let him compete with me in the individual medley. I could give him a five-second head start, and he still wouldn't win."

"Hey, Link, Phil wants to challenge you in the individual medley, are you up for it?"

Ryan Lochte shouted.

"Phil's individual medley is really impressive. Phil, when you have time, could you teach me how?"

Link turned around and said with a smile.

Phelps tugged at the corner of his mouth, "Sure!"

But internally, he categorically refused. After witnessing Link's performance in person, Phelps was stunned by the power and speed he displayed in his upper limbs.

In the water, Link swam swiftly and fiercely, with an excellent sense of balance, like a shark.

The guy's weaknesses were also quite apparent—imprecise movements and rough techniques, proficient only in freestyle and breaststroke. In more technically demanding events like butterfly, backstroke, and individual medley, his performance was mediocre.

However, Coach Bob Bowman was right. Link's potential was enormous. With a few years under the guidance of a professional swimming coach, his swimming technique could improve dramatically.

Eventually, all the male swimmers in the world would live in his shadow.

What's more desperate is that the guy was only 21 years old.

Having such a strong competitor as a teammate put a lot of pressure on Phelps. It was for this reason that, before the breaststroke final, he was so focused on Link that he tripped and fell, injuring his knee.

The spot where he fell was rather flat, making a fall less likely, and the incident was coincidentally captured on camera.

After the video went public, many made fun of him, suggesting he deliberately injured himself to save face, fearing defeat to Link in the breaststroke final.

Of course, this was impossible. Link's breaststroke was not bad, but much inferior to his freestyle. If Phelps hadn't injured himself and withdrawn from the 100/200m breaststroke events, it would have been difficult for Link to claim the championships in those events.

"Phil, it's settled then. I'll come to Baltimore to train with you when I have time."

"Alright," Phelps said reluctantly nodding his head. With so many people around, declining would appear too petty.

Link laughed softly, seeking out Phelps for training was not just talk—he genuinely wanted to practice with him.

In the college sports meet, he entered eight events and won championships in all eight.

However, at the world championships, with strong opponents in every event, clinching the championships would be much more challenging.

He entered eight events and won seven; the one loss was the 4x100 medley relay, where, due to Phelps's injury, the substitute wasn't up to par, and they only secured a silver medal. In the other seven events, he led only by a few seconds.

Having seen the swimming skills of top athletes, he felt his technique was somewhat rough. To win gold in butterfly, backstroke, and individual medley and break world records, he acknowledged that he needed to carve out specific time for practice.

But not right now.

The plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport, where the swim team held a press conference in front of Terminal 7, attended by more than sixty media reporters.

Because Link was famous and had won the most gold medals at the championship, the coaching staff placed him at the forefront to be interviewed.

"Mr. Baker, congratulations on winning seven events at this world championship and setting two world swimming records. We all know you are the world boxing champion, and boxing and swimming are different types of sports. How have you managed to achieve great results in both? What's the secret to your success?" asked the host of the ABC News channel.

Link thought for a moment and said, "It's a mixture of innate talent and effort. If you've looked at my profile, you'd know that before I started boxing, I was a professional diving instructor living by the coast. My swimming and diving skills were honed in the Atlantic Ocean, which could be attributed to natural talent. But what's even more important than talent is the effort you put in afterward.

Through consistent and relentless fitness training, I've made significant improvements in both my boxing and swimming techniques."

"Mr. Baker, after becoming the world boxing champion and a famous singer, will you continue to be a diving instructor?"

The reporter from American Express asked.

Link smiled lightly, "Yes, I do have that idea, but I've been too busy lately and haven't had the time to go back to Miami. When I have some free time in the future, I will continue to be a diving instructor. Everyone is welcome to come to Miami for diving."

"Mr. Baker!"

A reporter from the Los Angeles Times, holding a cellphone, suddenly shouted from the back, "I just received information that your second album, 'Keep On Movin',' has reached number one on this week's Billboard 200 album chart. How do you feel about this?"

Link looked surprised, "Mr. Reporter, are you sure about this information?"

"Yes, Billboard has just released the data. 'Keep On Movin'' sold 518,000 copies in its second week, 12,000 more than the runner-up, 'The Blueprint 3'," the reporter shouted.

Link waved his fist at the camera of the TV station and said with a smile, "That's fantastic news. I've won another championship. Last week, I won eight championships. Thank you everyone for your support, and thanks to all my colleagues and fans."

Link picked up the seven gold medals hanging on his chest and said, "As a thank-you to my fans, on the 1st of the next month, I will randomly select 15 lucky fans from the albums sold and give them all the medals, including these seven and the eight I won at the collegiate sports meet."

"Mr. Baker, is that true?"

Upon hearing him say this, the reporters instantly became excited; this was another valuable piece of news.

"Of course!"

"Mr. Baker, will you include the Olympic gold medal in the giveaway?"

The reporter from USA Today asked loudly.

Link thought for a moment. Since he was giving away medals, he might as well give them all; after all, there would still be opportunities to win more in the future. He looked at Phelps, "Phil, can I give away your gold medal?"
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"It's yours to do with as you please!"

Phelps shrugged indifferently.

He had been worried that Link would ask for the boxing gold medal back. If he did ask, Phelps would be reluctant to give it up.

As professional boxers were not eligible to compete in the Olympics, Link could only ever win one Olympic boxing gold medal, which was worth as much as ten swimming gold medals.

Many collecting institutions had already expressed interest in acquiring Link's medals, with the highest bid reaching 100,000 US dollars. As Link's fame soared, the value of that medal would only increase.

"Yes, the Olympic gold medal will also be given away randomly, but it will be in the middle of next month, drawn from fans around the world."

"Oh! That's amazing!"

"Link's fans will surely be ecstatic."

The reporters got excited once more, feeling that Link was the best interviewee in the world, offering up big news in spades.

"Mr. Baker, some media outlets have reported that you and Miss Ivanka are secretly engaged. Is that true?"

The reporter from The Sun shouted out, thinking that given Link's generous nature, he might drop an even bigger story on the spot.

Link looked at him helplessly, having been enjoying the interaction with the reporters until the reporter from The Sun abruptly asked that question, which immediately dampened his enthusiasm. He waved his hand and said, "Today is the swim team's press conference, and I'm sure you all have many questions to ask the other members of the team, so I won't take up any more of your time."

Link voluntarily moved back behind Phelps and Ryan Lochte.

Many reporters looked at the reporter from The Sun with displeasure, thinking they could have asked Link more questions while he was in good spirits, earning themselves more fees, but that reporter's inappropriate question had caused Link to end the interview prematurely.

That was utterly unprofessional.

However, seeing 'The Flying Fish' Phelps standing there on crutches, their eyes lit up again because Phelps's injury had led to the swim team's heartbreaking loss of the gold medal in the 4x100m medley relay. Rumors even suggested that Phelps feared being defeated by Link and had gotten injured on purpose.

All of this was big news that the public was interested in, with great value for an interview.

Phelps, seeing the reporters eyeing him like hungry wolves, felt a chill down his spine. He had wanted to take a step back to avoid the spotlight when Link suddenly grabbed his shoulder, preventing any movement, and he had no choice but to face the reporters' barrage of questions with gritted teeth.