Old Enemy (The)

The Old Enemy

Ivan sat waiting. It wouldn't be long. He knew that when he walked out
of the door He would be waiting for him. An overly psyched bully who
was hoping to pound Ivan into the ground. Ivan felt a tide of fear that
made him feel physically sick rising with the gorge in his throat, he
swallowed it down and covered it with a mask of bravado that almost
fooled himself.

His old enemy was far larger than he was in both stature and brawn,
couple that with the predictability of a viper and Ivan had every right
to feel scared.

He remembered the last time. The viciousness of the punches raining
down on top of him, the force of the other one's temper. The look in
Mikes eyes when all reason left them and white-hot fury was all that
remained.

Ivan put his hand up to feel his long healed ear. He could still feel
Mikes teeth grinding into the tender cartilage, could still feel the
swelling in his permanently spread nose and remembered again what it
was like to have pounding headaches for weeks afterwards and eyes so
battered that they were swollen closed. The Bastard wasn't going to do
that to him again.

Ivander Holyfield walked into the ring with his head held high. He
touched his hand to what was left of his right ear lobe and glared
intimidatingly at Mike Tyson.

The crowd went into a blood lust frenzy. This was the grudge match that
the boxing world had been waiting for.