*Chapter 220: Training Is Like Rowing Upstream*

In mid-November, Richard finished filming the first two parts of The Lord of the Rings and returned to New York. The original plan was to shoot all three parts in one go, but due to the high production costs and the delay in receiving funds, director Jackson decided to complete the first two films and leave the large-scale scenes of the third one for filming next year.

"When will they start filming next year?" Gisele asked as she drove Richard home from the airport.

"I don't know. We'll have to wait for the crew to notify us," Richard replied, leaning lazily against the seat.

Gisele glanced at him. "Are you very tired?"

"Yes, there were a lot of action scenes in the second part. I spent every day swinging a sword, fighting, and riding horses all over the place. It was exhausting. Now that I'm suddenly free, I feel like I have no energy left," Richard said with a yawn.

Gisele smiled. "Then take some time to rest. You don't need to rush back to work."

"Alright."

"Do you want to cut your hair? And shave off that beard? When I saw you at the airport, I almost thought you were a homeless man," she teased.

"Don't you think it looks cooler this way?" Richard chuckled as he stroked his scruffy beard.

"No, it just scratches my face when we kiss."

"Haha, okay, I'll shave it off later."

Half an hour later, they arrived in Manhattan. Richard and Gisele went to a private styling salon, where they met with their personal image consultants. Both had teams dedicated to managing their appearances.

Richard shaved off his beard and trimmed his long hair, though not too short—he was worried the crew might suddenly call him back for reshoots, and dealing with extensions would be a hassle.

"Richard, the scars on your body look a bit odd. How about getting some tattoos to cover them up?" the designer, Minnie Tross, suggested.

"That's a great idea! Many boxers have tattoos, and they look really cool. Richard, how about I help you design one?" Gisele said as she flipped through some design images.

"No thanks, tattoos look too messy," Richard replied firmly, lying back in the chair.

"Alright, I forgot you have a thing for cleanliness," Gisele laughed.

"How about you get one?"

"No way, it hurts too much. I'm not into self-torture," Gisele chuckled.

"Fair enough."

After a haircut, a shave, and some grooming, Richard's appearance was completely refreshed. Before, his look was close to that of Aragorn—brooding and somewhat gloomy. Now, with his beard gone, his face looked clean and bright, his smile clear and cheerful.

After resting at home for a day, Richard headed to the Bronx Boxing Gym the next day at noon. Inside the gym, eight boys in their early teens were training diligently. Alvin's new assistant, Chuck Werner, was pacing around the training area, hands behind his back. He would stop now and then to give pointers whenever he noticed something amiss.

Chuck Werner was in his fifties, a former boxer who had taken up coaching after retiring. He had joined the gym earlier that year as Alvin's assistant.

"Good afternoon, Chuck. Is Alvin here?" Richard asked.*Chapter 220: Training Is Like Rowing Upstream*

During this period, Alvin frequently went to the casino to play poker," Chuck Werner said with a laugh.

"Well, now he finally has the peace and quiet to enjoy his poker games," Richard replied. With both Richard and Paul gaining fame, Alvin was no longer in need of money and had returned to his old hobby of spending time at the casino.

"Hey, Paul, what are you doing here?" Richard asked, surprised to see Paul working up a sweat as he pounded away at a punching bag.

"Of course, I'm here training. Unlike some people, who are God's chosen ones and don't need to train to win championship belts," Paul replied, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Richard smirked, too tired to argue with him. Paul had faced "Fast Fire" Chris Byrd in the semifinals of his last bout. Byrd, standing at 187 cm, was incredibly quick and had solid defense. In that fight, Paul threw 427 punches with a 32% accuracy rate, landing only 168 power punches at a 25% success rate.

While Paul's power punches had been decisive against opponents like Hasim Rahman and James Toney, they were ineffective against an agile opponent like Chris Byrd. The two fought for 12 rounds, and Byrd ultimately won by points, leaving Paul frustrated and still seemingly unable to shake off the loss.

"Richard, who do you think is better, me or Chris Byrd?" Paul asked with a frown.

"You're both about the same. He's very agile, but his punches don't pack much power. If you could increase your speed a bit, you might be able to beat him," Richard said.

"Yeah, that's exactly it. The guy moves like a mouse, darting around everywhere. It was hard to land a clean hit on him. But if I could catch him, I'm confident I could finish the fight with one punch," Paul said, clenching his fist.

"Don't be discouraged. You can work on your speed and aim to defeat him in the next match."

"I will. I'm planning to challenge him again next year," Paul said determinedly.

"Give it a shot!"

Richard changed into his workout gear and began his own training regimen, focusing on strength, speed, and boxing techniques.

Training is like rowing upstream—if you stop, you fall behind. Since his breakthrough on the seas off Sicily in '98, he hadn't experienced another leap in progress for over two years. It felt like all his hard work had been for nothing these past two years. He could only continue training, building his strength, and digging deep into his potential, hoping for another breakthrough.

In the afternoon, Richard, Paul, and a few trainees watched a boxing match together, the WBC heavyweight championship held in Las Vegas a few days ago.

This year's WBC challenger was New Zealand boxer David Tua, who had defeated Chris Byrd in the semifinals to earn the WBC silver belt. He would be challenging the WBC-IBO-IBF champion Lennox Lewis.

Lewis, standing at 196 cm and weighing 249 pounds, had a record of 40 wins, 2 losses, and 1 draw. Meanwhile, David Tua, at 178 cm and 245 pounds, had a record of 38 wins and 1 loss, the only defeat being against Ike Ibeabuchi.

Based on their records, the two seemed evenly matched. However, Tua's short stature put him at a disadvantage, making the fight similar to Paul's match against James Toney, where Lewis clearly had the upper hand.

Still, David Tua fought valiantly, performing much better than James Toney had. The match went all 12 rounds, with the judges unanimously scoring in favor of Lewis.

"David Tua's punches are powerful, and he's quite agile. But unfortunately, he's too short. If he were a bit taller, he could have beaten Lewis," Paul said as he sipped from his water cup.

"If you were up against David Tua, do you think you could win?" Richard asked with a smile.

"I wouldn't lose!" Paul replied confidently, clenching his fist.

"You're ranked in the top 40 across the four major organizations. You have the qualifications to challenge Chris Byrd, David Tua, or even Lennox Lewis. Maybe you should aim to win a belt from one of the second-tier boxing organizations first."

In the world of boxing, the WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF are considered first-tier organizations, with the WBA and WBC being the most prestigious. Below them are numerous second- and third-tier organizations like the IBO, NBA, WBF, IBA, USBA, NABF, and others. Given Paul's current skills, winning a title from a second-tier organization shouldn't be too difficult.

"I'll think about it," Paul said.

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(End of the Chapter)