The Anvil climbed into the ring. Betty followed and stood in one of the corners. The hunchback manned the ringside bell, and let a series of dings chime. The sound drew in people from all parts of the gym. The Anvil stood proudly in the center of the canvas with his massive arms stretched over his head. His booming voice echoed throughout the space.
"Gentlemen! Today we have a special bout. The challenge comes from a new contender."
He proudly presented Betty. She looked completely out of place in the boxing ring. The crowd was confused, but curious. The Anvil continued.
"We won't call it boxing. We won't call it wrestling. We will call it fighting for fun. This little lady says she thinks she can beat any one of you palookas. I'm not sure if I believe her, but I’m willing to take a chance. And I’m willing to put money down. I have in my hand, five dollars. I will give it to anyone who can pin her."
The modest sized crowd stirred with interest.
"It will cost you five dollars to enter the ring. If you win you leave with ten. That's easy money gentleman. Where else in the city can you double your money that fast, and get a chance to grope a girl?"
The attentive crowd agreed that he made a good point, but they were skeptical.
"Give it a shot. Like I said, I’m not sure I believe her either."
The excited crowd laughed then broke into chatter. Some pointed at the girl. Some stared with lewd smiles. Others acted out the things they would prefer to do to her.
After some goading from his friends one man accepted the challenge. They called him the Meat Hook. His friends patted him on the back as he entered the ring. Betty recognized him from her last visit to Murdock's gym. He stepped up to Anvil and paid him. Then he waltzed to his corner and made a spectacle out of removing his shirt. He stood in a sleeveless white undershirt and pants. His arms were perfectly sculpted, and he was attractive. He had no fear about losing and smiled about his impending victory. He looked at her and winked.
The hunchback produced a stool for Betty to sit on. Her heart was racing.
He looked at her adversary and said to Betty in a low voice. "Ok. This guy is a little hot head. If you start winning, he'll get mad. From what I hear from his wife, he don't mind taking a swing at a woman every now and then, either."
Anvil approached her too. He knelt down in front of her. The hunchback handed him something. Then Anvil fitted Betty with small leather training mittens. They weren't much bigger than her hands.
He coached her as he laced the gloves. "Remember everything the Chinaman taught you. If it gets to be too much out there, let me know and I’ll step in and put a stop to it. If one of these bums goes too far, don't you worry. I’ll step in and stop it."
She assured him, "I'll be fine. I want this to be real."
"Oh, it's gonna’ get real alright." He said. "Here we go."
He stood back up with a groan and returned to the center of the ring and spoke some more.
"Call it boxing, call it wresting, call it fighting, call it whatever you want, but there are only a few rules; one, no biting, two, no scratching, three, no hitting below the belt, if you know what I mean?”
The crowd roared.
“Those rules are for you toots." He laughed.
Betty didn’t think it was funny.
Before she knew it, the bell rang, the round began and the Meat Hook was skipping over to her. He took a few jabs at her to establish his presence and scare her. Neither connected. He danced around her. She kept her feet firm, and pivoted to keep him in front of her. He was taller than her, and circled around with smug smile. Occasionally he would make gestures like he was going to swing to see her cringe. He was playing to the crowd. Then he tried to kiss her, as his gym mates egged him on.
He didn't take Betty seriously. To him this was just a game. That mistake was about to cost him. Betty was playing for keeps. Finally, the Meat Hook stopped dancing. He closed his eyes, pointed to his chin and leaned into Betty. She would not refuse the gift. Isamu's wisdom echoed in her ears. "It's not a matter of strength, it's a matter of focus."
She planted herself firmly on the ground. She crafted a punch with a force that followed a straight line from her ankle, up her leg, through her hips and torso, into her shoulder and arm, then into a moving fist.
Wham!
A lightning bolt struck him under the chin. His feet came up off the ground. He looked weightless for a moment. Then he went down and was out.
The crowd was stunned. The room went silent, except for Anvil's laughter.
She struck at the pride of the entire club and the crowd let her know it. They were not happy. One guy cried foul. Some hurled insults at Betty. Others described what they would do to her if they got their hands on her. The Anvil chuckled and continued to provoke them. "Put your money where you mouth is, guys. Who’s next?"
Her heart raced. She was excited with anticipation, not fear.
Her second opponent was more cautious. He just wanted to get in there, beat her and get out. He was faster than Betty anticipated, but her blocks were too swift to let his blows connect. Betty controlled the fight. She led her opponent around the ring. She decided when the attacks would come. She set up the conditions for each strike, both his and hers.
She saw an opening and lunged at him. She was well within his reach. She planted herself like a wedge and drove the heels of her palms into his solar plexus. The force struck him like a speeding freight train. His lungs emptied and his knees went weak. He staggered for a moment. Betty followed up with an open handed blow to his neck. He saw stars and melted to the canvas.
After that the men took Betty seriously.
Betty managed to get behind her third opponent and jump higher then anyone would have expected. She spun quickly and kicked him knocking the sense out of him and dropping him into the ropes. Onlookers slid him out of the ring and made room for the next challenger. The more she won, the more eager they were to beat her.
By her sixth victory, everyone wanted a turn. She had bruised their gender. She made fools of the men and the audience was furious. To add insult to injury she defeated them all so fast. Everyone wanted a shot at her now. They couldn’t wait their turn so the mob rushed the ring.
"Hey! One at a time! One at a time! Come on guys!" Anvil yelled.
There were too many of them to continue the bout. Betty remembered another valuable lesson from Isamu. "It's important to know when you're in over your head. If you can't win, retreat."
Betty had lost control of the situation, and took Isamu's advice. She vaulted over the men crowding into the ring like a girl playing leapfrog.
Anvil held their winnings above his head and yelled to Betty with a big victorious grin. "Hey! What about your cut?"
Betty yelled back. "You guys keep it!"
Anvil accepted the prize then joined in the free-for-all that had erupted in the ring. He didn’t expect to have this much fun, when he got out of bed this morning. It turned out to be a perfect day. He made some money. He had some laughs. And he got to mix it up in the ring like old times. And man-oh-man did he have a great new story to tell!
Betty wiggled her nimble fingers out of the boxing mitts. Then grabbed her coat and bag on the way out. She abandoned gym running and laughing. She had proven to herself that she could fight and win. It wasn’t that she became an expert in hand-to-hand combat. She just learned to fight unconventionally.
Isamu was right. She was ready.