Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

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After the match, Link returned to New York and transferred the 4.2 million US Dollars he earned into his account. The prize for this match was 10 million.

According to the agreement before the match, he split the earnings 7:3 with Tyson; the winner takes the lion's share. After splitting 6:4 with the Dynasty promotion, he was left with 4.2 million.

He then contacted Franco and acquired the Yorkville apartment for 3.2 million. With the real estate crisis still ongoing and New York property prices having dropped significantly, buying real estate was a sensible investment at the time.

The rest of the money he entrusted to Ms. Cathy Wood, a fund manager at Vanguard, taking the opportunity to buy more technology stocks like Amazon, Apple, Google, Netflix, and YouTube while the stock market had not yet risen.

With the market's recovery next year, becoming a billionaire before 2010 wouldn't be difficult.

"Link? Are you Mr. Link Baker?"

On Manhattan's Third Avenue at the Rooftop Bar, Link was reading the newspaper when he heard an excited voice beside him. He looked up to see two young people in their early twenties, both looking at him with eager eyes.

"Hello!"

"Mr. Link Baker, I'm a huge fan of yours. Could I please have an autograph?"

The young man asked, holding a sketchbook.

Link nodded, signed autographs for both of them, and even took a photo together, leaving the two fans ecstatically happy as they departed.

After his victory over Tyson, Dynasty promotion had conducted a massive publicity campaign, spreading the news all over the world.

Now, his reputation in the boxing world was even more prominent than when he became the world boxing champion, and his fan base had grown. Moreover, with his videos on YouTube, he was frequently recognized when out shopping.

"Hey, Link, I knew it was you."

Upon hearing a greeting from behind, Link turned around and saw Paul Walker, with his blond hair, holding a glass and walking through the aisle. They had collaborated once in Miami on the set of Fast & Furious 4. They didn't usually keep in contact, so it was unexpected to run into him here.

"Paul, you're in New York too?"

Link waved invitingly for Paul to sit down.

Paul flashed a cheerful smile and said, "Yes, I'm in New York to promote a new movie. I saw in the newspaper that you defeated Tyson again. You're really incredible, man."

"Tyson is just too old now; if he were younger, I wouldn't stand a chance," said Link, shrugging.

"Haha, you're too modest. Last time in the Miami bar you claimed you couldn't race, but once on the road, you left us far behind in less than ten miles. Your driving skills are no worse than that of professional race car drivers. When can we race again?" Paul Walker laughed, patting his shoulder.

Link chuckled, "Okay, next time I'm in Los Angeles, I'll find you. If I lose, I'll leave behind my car."

"No problem! It's a deal."

Paul Walker bumped fists with him in agreement.

After a brief chat, Paul Walker got up to leave, as his new thriller "Scattered Memories" was recently released. Ambitious, after the success of Fast & Furious, he would also take on some niche films, trying to transition.

After seeing off Paul Walker, Link continued to read the script on his table. Shortly after, a middle-aged man in a black woolen coat arrived at the booth, about forty, Caucasian, with curly brown hair, and looking very energetic.

This man was Darren Aronofsky, the director of the movie "Fighter" and the reason for their meet-up today.

Director Darren, a New Yorker himself, had works such as "Requiem for a Dream" and "The Fountain," as well as the recently released movie "The Wrestler," and the upcoming "Black Swan."

"The Wrestler" is also a sports-themed film, telling the story of a prominent professional wrestler's rise and fall during the 80s. The movie had received favorable responses since its release and Darren had won the Best Director award at the Venice Film Festival in August for it.

Because of this, Relativity Media, the producer of "Fighter," approached him to direct this film, and the script Link was looking at had been sent by his people.

"Mr. Link, I apologize for being late," said the director.

"No problem, I've just arrived myself," replied Link as he stood up to shake hands and invited the director to sit down.

After taking a seat, Director Darren stared at Link for a moment, "Link, although I know you're the world boxing champion, seeing you in person is still somewhat surprising; you don't look like a boxer."

"Oh?"

Link called the waiter to order a coffee for Director Darren.

Director Darren spread his hands saying, "Do you know Mickey Rourke? The lead actor in 'The Wrestler'? He used to be an actor, turned boxer at 29, but due to the many injuries to his face, his facial muscles became stiff. Your facial muscles, on the other hand, are very expressive, with a kind of artistic air to them; it's hard to believe you're a world boxing champion."

Link laughed heartily, "That's because my techniques are quite good, and it's difficult for most people to land a hit on my face."

Another reason was that he recovered faster and more completely than the average person, so injuries didn't affect his muscles or appearance.

Director Darren nodded, "I've watched your matches. At first, I just wanted to understand your fighting style. After only two matches, I became a fan. Your boxing skills are fantastic – a perfect combination of speed, power, and technique. Every match is incredibly exciting."

"Thank you!"

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When the waiter had delivered the coffee, Link proactively shifted the conversation to the script of "The Fighter."

Since receiving the script, he had done quite a bit of work: firstly, reading books on acting and studying several acting theories.

Secondly, through the main event companies, he found the contact information for the real-life inspiration for "The Fighter's" protagonist, Micky Ward, to inquire about his character and hobbies.

He even took the initiative to find director Woody Allen and sought advice on acting from him.

Originally, he had been quite confident, but director Darren's comment that he didn't look like a boxer made him somewhat puzzled about the director's thoughts.

"Link, you've read the script. What do you think of Micky Ward as a person?"

asked director Darren.

Link thought for a moment, "A slow, inarticulate man with little initiative."

Micky Ward's career had always been controlled by his mother, who acted as his agent, without any plans of his own. Later on, once he met his girlfriend, he let his girlfriend take control and broke away from his mother's family.

In his professional matches, he also lacked personal ideas, only listening to his brother's arrangements. Whatever his brother told him to do in the ring, he did, and after his brother went to prison, he followed his coach's instructions.

His fists were strong, but his boxing IQ was low.

When the protagonist needed to make a choice between his girlfriend and coaching team, and his mother and brother, he chose to evade the situation.

In the end, it was his brother taking the initiative to reconcile both sides, resulting in his girlfriend and mother sitting together while he defeated the boxing champion Arturo Gatti in the ring—a classic Hollywood ending.

"Link, you are smarter than Micky when it comes to boxing. If you were to play him, how would you portray his inarticulateness and slowness?"

director Darren asked with crossed fingers.

While reading the script, Link noticed that this character was somewhat similar to the heroic Guo Jing—slow and inarticulate, easily influenced, but with a pure heart and a focused mind during fights and training. This was one of the reasons that Micky Ward had become a boxing star.

It wouldn't be easy to play this character well.

He specifically sought advice from director Woody Allen, who suggested minimizing facial expressions and speech, slowing down when speaking, not moving the eyes erratically, and portraying a degree of quietness through language and behavior.

Following director Woody Allen's guidance, Link put on a dull expression and slowed his voice, "Director Darren, what do you think?"

Director Darren scrutinized him for a moment. Professional opinion considered Link's performance rather rough and immature, far from the standards of a professional actor.

The only bright spot was that his performance had a certain spontaneity and distinctiveness, and his looks set him apart.

What he was contemplating now was whether to assign the role to Link for these reasons.

Actually, giving the script to Link's agency had been a spur-of-the-moment decision. While preparing the movie "The Fighter," he planned to cast a professional boxer as the male lead to make it look more professional.

At that time, Link's match happened to be on TV, and thinking that Link fit the role well, he had the script delivered to him.

However, after reading many reports on Link later, he realized Link and Micky Ward were two very different types of boxers: one slow, one sharp; one a late bloomer, the other a young sensation. The more he thought about it, the more he saw the differences and felt they were ill-suited for each other.

Considering Link was a world champion boxer, Darren thought perhaps Link wouldn't be interested in acting, so he did not retract the script.

Yet a couple of days ago, Link's agent called out of the blue, stating Link was interested in the role and wanted to talk.

Out of respect for Link, he came to the meeting, prepared to tactfully decline, but upon seeing a spark of talent in Link's performance, he hesitated, wondering if he should collaborate with Link just once.

"Link, I hope you don't mind me asking, but as a world champion boxer, you're incredibly accomplished in the ring, and I saw the New York Post's assessment of you, saying your potential was no less than De La Hoya's or Mayweather's. With such success already, why do you want to cross over into acting?"

Director Darren asked curiously.

Link smiled slightly, "There are many reasons, but two are particularly important. First, I like acting; I have a desire to perform;

Second, I want to use film to promote myself as well as the sport of boxing. When I won the Golden Belt, President Mendoza said the belt is not just an honor but also a responsibility. Every champion should see the promotion of the boxing sport as a duty to bring more people to understand and learn boxing.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

So when I saw the script for 'The Fighter,' I didn't hesitate to take it on. I believe that playing this role is not only about performing but also a part of being involved in the sport of boxing."

Director Darren looked at him in surprise. He had expected Link to speak of a passion for acting or a dream of becoming an actor but hadn't expected him to talk about using the platform to promote the sport. It seemed that Link was serious about acting and not just treating it as a casual endeavor.

Director Darren hesitated for a moment, then decided not to rush into refusing Link.

Link had a good image, high popularity, and was still a professional boxer. Moreover, he had some natural acting talent—all of which were advantages.

The only downside was his inexperienced acting skills, but that was not a significant problem. For a skilled director, a naturally talented actor could be more cooperative than a seasoned professional.

"Link, this role is quite important, and I can't make the decision alone. I'll go back and discuss it with everyone, and maybe we'll ask you to come to the production company for a second audition. I hope it won't be an inconvenience for you."

"No problem, I'll wait for your call."

said Link.