America 1919

"Donnie, we agreed on this boxing match from the outset, didn't we?"

Sitting across from Donnie, the burly man now wore a look of grievance, so out of place on his rough features that it seemed incongruous!

Fearing that Doc Kearns would break into tears any second, Donnie intended to offer him a tissue, but then he remembered such things hadn't been invented yet and quickly said, "That's right!"

"And it was our mutual decision to include Caponti in the fight, wasn't it?" Doc Kearns's sense of grievance deepened.

Donnie nodded again, "That's right!"

"Then why didn't you tell me when you discussed setting up a mixed martial arts competition with Tex?" Doc Kearns's voice was trembling now.

"Why should I tell you?" Tex Ricard said smugly, "This was something I approached Donnie about on my own. It's a separate matter, so why should we tell you?"

"Don't get too cocky, Ricard!" Doc Kearns exclaimed angrily, "Don't forget, without us, George Caponti wouldn't be nearly as famous as he is now for this boxing match!"

Tex Ricard laughed, "Regarding this, both George and I are very grateful to Jack!"

Clang!

Angered, Doc Kearns stood up, and the chair behind him was knocked to the floor.

"You're asking for it, Ricard!"

With those words, Doc Kearns threw a punch at Tex Ricard.

These agents, most of whom were boxers before they became agents, may not have boxed much after taking on their new roles or managed their figures as rigorously, but they still had a solid foundation.

However, Doc Kearns's punch came so unexpectedly that Tex Ricard had no time to react—just one punch, and Tex Ricard was knocked to the ground!

Tex Ricard fist startled, but quickly got to his feet and began scuffling with Doc Kearns.

Seeing this, Donnie moved his chair back, propped his legs on the table, and lit a cigarette for himself, contently watching the fray.

The sight of an onlooker like him was quickly noticed by the two furious men. When they caught Donnie's expression, as if he was watching two monkeys fight, their rage turned into embarrassment.

They ceased their tussling.

"Why did you both stop? Honestly, I was curious to see how much of your old boxing skills you still had!"

Donnie sat back down, snuffed out his cigarette in the ashtray, and pointing to the damaged chairs and coffee table, said, "These damages will be deducted from the both of your athletes' payouts!"

Doc Kearns and Tex Ricard begrudgingly nodded their heads, offering no argument to Donnie.

It was then that Donnie continued, looking at Doc Kearns, "The mixed martial arts tournament was Tex's idea, and my Starry Entertainment will handle the specifics. Even the venue in Atlantic City has to be built by us. So now, Doc, tell me, what can you bring to this business deal that we two alone can't provide for the event?

Otherwise, why should we allow you to join?"

Upon hearing Donnie's question, Doc Kearns hurriedly responded, "Donnie, you have to believe me, I can definitely bring benefits to the event that Tex can't.
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I am Jack's agent. I have a wide network within the boxing world, and I can solve the issue of finding fighters for the competition."

Not wanting to share his profits with others, Tex Ricard immediately said, "I can do all that you have mentioned as well!"

Doc Kearns glared at Tex fiercely before continuing, "I can bring in top fighters from other countries, I can provide more popular figures for the event!"

This time Tex Ricard didn't know how to counter his claim.

He hadn't been an agent for as long as Doc Kearns, and even within his own country, he wasn't familiar with all the top fighters, let alone those from abroad!

Seeing Tex Ricard at a loss for words, Donnie smiled and extended his hand toward Doc Kearns, saying, "Doc, welcome to the team!"

Upon receiving Donnie's assent, Doc Kearns's face lit up with elation, harboring the same ideas as Tex Ricard—that if he could be part of this, he would be more than just an agent.

He would become a real player, much like the chairmen and directors of many professional sports leagues in the United States, leveraging this event to rise in status!

But Donnie was not likely to agree so readily to his joining, so Donnie continued with a smile.

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"Then the task of contacting overseas experts will be left to you, and after Jack's match with George is over, I believe you can start your outreach,"

This was the task Donnie assigned to Doc Kearns. Only if Kearns could really bring in a group of experts and enhance the influence of the event would Donnie truly allow him to join!

"Donnie, rest assured, I will definitely not let you down!"

Kearns exclaimed excitedly.

If nothing unexpected happens, this is the best opportunity for him to elevate his own status.

Tex Ricard was not very happy though, he had never thought about competing with Donnie for control after the event was established, but he did consider himself to be the second-in-command.

But now with Kearns suddenly joining in, this would inevitably divide some of his authority in the event.

"Tex," Donnie spoke at this juncture, "If Doc really can, as he says, bring us more fighters, then this event will surely attract even more attention in the future. The more people it attracts, the greater its influence will be, and naturally, we will receive more attention too!"

Since proposing the event, Donnie had thought of finding someone to counterbalance Tex Ricard. It happened that Kearns came along, which made things easier!

Ricard couldn't say much more, though he was the initiator of the event, that's all he was. To bring this event to fruition without Donnie, it definitely wouldn't happen.

"Hmm, I understand, Mr. Block!"

Seeing Ricard's response, Donnie nodded with satisfaction and said, "You just need to take care of the various rules and formats of the competition, and nobody can replace your position in the UFC!"

"UFC?"

Ricard and Kearns looked at Donnie in confusion.

"Yes!" Donnie nodded. "Ultimate Fighting Championship, our event is designed to provide a unified platform for fighters from different martial arts disciplines under relatively open rules!"

Ricard and Kearns suddenly grasped Donnie's intention.

Kearns, as the newcomer eager to prove himself, then suggested to Donnie, "If we want to attract more fighters, we need a compelling reason for them to participate!

So I believe, our UFC should have a real Golden Belt to highlight the champion's prowess, as well as a more attractive prize money!"

On December 18, 1810, British boxer Tom Cribb defeated American Black boxer Tom Molineaux on the public grounds of Cope.

In recognition of the fierce bare-knuckle fighter, the English nobility Saint George presented Cribb with a belt as a reward.

This was the first time a belt had been given as a gift or prize in boxing history.

50 years later, after boxer Tom Sayers defeated his opponent Bill, his friends created a belt decorated with silver ornaments as a reward for him.

In 1886, an even more famous belt appeared in the history of boxing.

The American magazine "Police Gazette", which primarily covered boxing matches, made a belt for the boxer Jack Dempsey.

This is how it started: in that era, the world heavyweight boxing champion John Sullivan was widely known and beloved.

Dempsey had planned to challenge Sullivan several times, but was always refused. Then, the editor-in-chief Richard came up with an excellent idea. They gave Dempsey a special belt as encouragement and also as a provocation to Sullivan.

The boxing fans in Boston were angered by Richard's tactics.

They felt their idol Sullivan was insulted, so these fans raised 10,000 US dollars to create a belt embedded with 397 diamonds made of gold, which they presented to Sullivan.

Sullivan was both surprised and touched, and, not wanting to let his fans down, he began planning to take down Dempsey and seize his belt, "I don't want to see a beautiful belt around a big dog's neck!" Thus, belts grandly entered the stage of boxing history. Among all the famous championship belts, the Lonsdale Belt was the most controversial.

The above were all personal gifts. The real championship Golden Belt of boxing matches would wait until the following year, when "Boxing" magazine would create the first world championship Golden Belt, and Doc Kearns's boxer Jack Dempsey would become the first world champion to receive the Golden Belt!

Donnie nodded and said, "Those are two excellent suggestions, the Golden Belt symbolizes honor and the money represents achievement. The two of you discuss this and come up with a specific figure!"

At this moment, Donnie was already standing in the position of a manager, beginning to command Kearns and Ricard to get things done.

And the two of them didn't see anything wrong with that!

Suddenly Donnie remembered something and continued, "For the match between Jack and George, we can launch a real Golden Belt. This would not only add more excitement to the match but also serve as promotion for the UFC!"

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