Young, strong, unbeaten. He went up the ring to face his next opponent. Also a young, strong, unbeaten boxer. That fight was the most important for him. To himself, he must win it, fulfill the dream his father had for him. He has conquered six divisions, with all impressive results. That night, he’s about to prove something that nobody as ever achieved.

The crowd cheered louder and louder, as the ring announcer introduced the fighters. One a Filipino, other a Puerto Rican, both a hero.

His focus is pure. He’s not hearing the loud cheer. The place is empty for him but his opponent. No sound he hears, but the ring of the bell.

With his speed and power, he played the first two rounds very well. Jabs and straight punches were thrown to his opponent. He was winning it and he was very confident. Right hooks followed by left hooks started the next rounds. His opponent has taken so much damage but not giving up yet.

The following round surprised him. A big left hook landed on his face. He knew it was heavy, and right after it, it’s all black surrounding him. He covers himself and receives a couple more punches from his opponent.

The bell rang, but hes not going to his corner. He stayed standing in the middle of the ring, waiting for a ray of light to pass by. But it was eternal darkness. He stayed standing for a few more seconds before and then fell on the canvass.

Medics hurried in to check on him. Crowd panics. Ambulance awaits outside the arena. His wife, who is watching on the ringside starts to cry.

All of a sudden, it was all silence. And a couple minutes more, “1… 2… 3… Daddiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeee…”, my two daughters were yelling so loud trying to wake me up…