A Different Kind of Babysitter - Part 5

Story by Magna Vulpes on SoFurry

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#5 of A Different Kind of Babysitter


AUTHOR'S NOTE: Bradley's entry song is "Hair of the Dog" by Nazareth

_"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." _- Mike Tyson

Back in the dressing room, Bradley inspected the wraps that his father and trainer had put on his paws. It was just a nervous habit of his; as the wraps had already been inspected by the referee, the athletic commission and his opponent's corner handlers. He looked at the tall mirror, watching himself shadow box, trying to work himself into a good sweat.

"They're saying this is expected to be the most pay-per viewed fight in history," said Martin.

"Thanks for taking the pressure off me, Dad," chuckled Bradley as he danced about shadow boxing. Here he was, just a month shy of his twentieth birthday, and he was fighting for the undisputed heavyweight championship of boxing, a title once held by his father. So many in the boxing world told him he couldn't do it, that he was just a pretender standing in his father's shadow, but he joyfully proved them wrong; knocking out every opponent that he faced. With his record of 15-0, boxing fans around the world were shouting at the top of their lungs for Will McCallister to face the young upstart. McCallister had the best record in heavyweight history, having fought 49 professional bouts, he beat everyone of his opponents. Bradley knew that this would be the fight of his life. He couldn't allow himself to be distracted by the fact that he was getting $25 million for this fight, or that he was fighting at the MGM Grand Hotel, or that he was a 10 to 1 underdog going up against a juggernaut of an opponent. The only thing on his mind was victory at all cost.

"They're almost ready for us," said Bradley's coyote friend Chris, who acted as his cut-man in his corner.

There had been two undercard fights before the main event of McCallister vs. McGregor. Bradley went over to the door of his dressing room, his father put on the green and gold robe that had been his very own when he was still a professional prize fighter and gave his son a huge hug. The young wolf could here the roar of the packed venue as the lights dimmed and the walkway was lit up for his entrance into the arena. Jogging down the aisle, the crowd roared enthusiastically as the entry music of the universally recognized Number One heavyweight contender in the world was played loudly.

_"Heart breaker, soul shaker, I've been told about you. Steamroller midnight shoulder What they been saying must be true.

Red hot mama Velvet charmer Time's come to pay your dues

Now you're messin' with a Son of a bitch Now you're messin' with a Son of a bitch!"_

Bradley continued jogging down the aisle, making it all the way to the ringside seats before he turned to look at three very special guests who were in attendance. He didn't bother paying attention to the celebrities, politicians and the multi-billionaires. He gave a quick grin to his mother, who had never attended a single boxing match until now, his lovely wife Tori, who had discovered only three weeks ago that she was pregnant with their second child, and the person who meant more to him than anything in the world; his champion, his six year old son, Martin, who was cheering on his father enthusiastically.

The young wolf climbed in through the ropes of the ring, hearing a crescendo of applause and roars as he shed his robe and held his paws high in the air. He might have been the underdog, but he had captured the hearts of the boxing world with his own heart and courage in the ring. Jumping up and down, he continued his warm up, not paying any attention as the champion made his way down the aisle and into the ring. McCallister's handlers held the four world title belts high in the air for everyone to see, a proud testament to the numerous times the white wolf had defended his crown against all-comers. Bradley didn't need to see those four belts; he'd grown up seeing those same four belts on the wall of his father's office. He narrowed his eyes into piercing slits. He wanted those belts. He would have his own four world title belts for his son to see.

With both fighters now in the ring, the ring announcer stepped through the ropes and went to the center to announce the main event.

"Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the MGM Grand Hotel! This is the main event! Twelve rounds of boxing for the undisputed heavyweight championship of the world! This bout is sanctioned by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, along with the World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, World Boxing Organization and the International Boxing Federation! Scoring will be on the Ten Point Must System!

Introducing first in the blue corner, the challenger! Wearing green and gold trunks, and hailing from Catskill, New York, he enters the ring weighing in at 235 lbs, and stands six feet and four inches, with a perfect record of fifteen wins, no losses, all of his wins have come by way of knockout! He is the son of the youngest undisputed heavyweight champion in history, and if he wins tonight, he'll break his father's own record! Ladies and gentleman, please give a warm welcome to Bradley "Bad Intentions" McGregor!"

Again, Bradley held his arms high in the air as the crowd cheered him on. He moved slightly into the center, knowing that the bout would soon begin.

"And fighting out of the red corner, wearing his traditional black trunks and black shoes, hailing from Indianapolis, Indiana, he enters the ring with a superb record of forty-nine wins, no losses, forty-one of his wins coming by way of knock out. He weighed in at 257 lbs, and stands at six foot six! He's held the undisputed heavyweight championship for an astonishing seven years! Known as the "Hoosier Hellraiser", the "Awesome Alpha" and "Great White", please give a warm welcome to the undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, here is "Killer" Will McCallister!

The crowd went wild as the champion was introduced. Bradley moved in the center of the ring, as did McCallister. The two opponents glared at each other with utter malice. McCallister hadn't managed to hold onto to the championship for seven years by being a slouch, or fighting tomato cans. At six foot 6, he was an impressive specimen of what a heavyweight pugilist aspired to be. Lean, muscular, his snow white fur juxtaposed by his black trunks and shoes. His piercing blue eyes glared at Bradley, trying to intimidate him. The referee, a German Shepherd, brought the two fighters in for instructions.

"Alright! I expect a tough clean fight from both of you! No hitting below the belt, no rabbit punches, and if you knock down the other guy, you go to the neutral corner I tell you to! Protect yourselves at all times! Obey my commands at all times! Are there any questions from the challenger or champion? No? Alright, let's get it on!"

Bradley touched gloves with Will before going back to his corner. Martin put his son's mouthpiece on, only whispering a simple command to his son.

"You splatter his brains all over the canvas, Brad!"

The seconds were ordered out of the ring before the bell rung for the first round. It was on!

Bradley and Will came out dancing in the first ring. Bradley had spent the past few months training hard in the gym and in the field, but he had taken the liberty of watching all of McCallister's previous fights and knew that the white wolf was not the type to come out throwing power punches in the opening seconds of the first round. Will was far too smart of a fighter to resort to brawling, preferring instead to feel his opponents out, trying to detect a rhythm in their movement. Bradley decided to go on the offensive, pressing Will against the ropes and firing off several body shots that sent the crowd into a momentary frenzy. His strategy was to hit the taller wolf in the midsection in the hopes of sapping his energy. Will grabbed hold of Bradley as he fired off his punches, tying him up and forcing the referee to break them. Stepping back, he saw the white wolf lower drop his left paw, and Bradley moved into throw a right hook, but missed, forcing him to regain his footing and go on the defensive. Bradley tucked his arms into his body and covered his face as he felt the heavy paws of McCallister battering away at him. Finding the wolf's left, right rhythm, he waited for the right moment, throwing a right uppercut to the white wolf's jaw. Bradley had hoped the punch would have seriously dazed McCallister, but the white wolf had managed to make it only a glancing blow.

Bradley knew that anger and impatience would be his worst enemy, and that his best strategy would be to wear down the white wolf and wait for the right opportunity to throw a power punch. The two fighters danced around each other, with Bradley getting in some quick, but relatively light jabs to the face of McCallister. The bell rung for the end of the round and both fighters returned to their corners.

"You're doing great, son," said Martin, smearing Vaseline over Bradley's face. "Just keep up with the body shots and you'll wear him down!" The young wolf continued to listen to his father's instructions until the seconds were ordered out of the ring and the bell sounded for the second round.

Just as Bradley had predicted, McCallister showed greater aggression in the second round. The white wolf assaulted Bradley with several straight rights before the young gray wolf answered back with a hard right to McCallister's midsection, stunning the white wolf. Bradley seized the opportunity to give his opponent a severe battering, throwing a right uppercut, followed by a left hook, the latter punch connecting on the white wolf's ear and making him stumble about the ring.

By now, the crowd was going nuts, seeing the champion being pulverized by the challenger. Bradley continued his assault, thinking that he might actually knock the white wolf down, but the bell sounded for the end of the round, dashing his hopes of a second round knock down. "Brilliant, son, absolutely brilliant!" Martin said, praising his son's efforts. "You keep that up, I don't think he can hold out much longer!"

Bradley entered the ring for the third round with optimism, but always cautious of the strength of McCallister. Bradley went on the offensive, seeing that the white wolf was wearing down, but the gray wolf misjudged him, as McCallister was playing possum. Bradley missed a left hook and felt McCallister send a straight right that connected on his mouth. Stunned, Bradley heard his father screaming to protect himself as the white wolf gave him the worst pounding of his career. The referee moved closer, thinking that he might have to stop the fight if McGregor continued taking such a beating without fighting back. Bradley, in desperation, somehow managed to tie up the white wolf. The referee broke the hold, and what happened next was something that would go down in boxing history . . .

Bradley shook off the beating that McCallister had given him, even going so far as to smile at the white wolf, taunting him. The crowd went insane as Bradley shuffled his feet, dancing for their amusement. McCallister didn't know what to think of the clowning gray wolf! Bradley would occasionally stop his leg movement, planting his feet firmly on the canvas and sticking his head out, daring Will to knock him out. The tactic worked brilliantly as Bradley was able to anger the white wolf into moving forward with a left hook. Bradley was moving forward, seeing the wolf wind up to throw the punch. Ducking, he came back up as McCallister continued his advance. With every ounce of strength he could muster, Bradley threw a haymaker of a right hook. The punch was so fast, so devastating that Will never even saw it coming. Bradley couldn't believe it. He saw his punch hit the white wolf flush on the jaw, and even with the deafening roar of the crowd, he could hear the sickening crunch of McCallister's jaw bone snapping, sending him falling like a ton of bricks! For the first time in his career, Will McCallister, undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion, was kissing the canvas! The white wolf didn't move an inch as he lay on his stomach, his arms sprawled out above his head. The referee quickly ordered Bradley to a neutral corner and started the count.

Bradley watched, his heart pounding, his body drenched in sweat as the referee counted, One, two, three, four . . . and finally waved his arms at ten. He'd done it! He'd knocked out the champion. Bradley's corner piled into the ring as the gray wolf jumped on top of the ropes, shaking his paws high in the air as the crowd cheered louder than ever before, giving him a standing ovation. He jumped down, finding his father's arms around him. For the first time in his life, Bradley saw his father crying.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, son! You did it!"

Even as Bradley hugged his father, he could see the ringside physicians tending to the unconscious McCallister, who was now being fitted for a neck brace before they would carry him out on a stretcher. Bradley stopped hugging his father just in time to see the representatives of the four boxing sanctioning bodies come to him. The wolf smiled as they placed the belts on his shoulders. He couldn't believe it. No longer would he have to stare at his father's belts, he had his own. Martin and Chris got a pair of scissors to cut Bradley's gloves off his paws as the ring announcer addressed the crowd.

"Ladies and gentleman, the referee has called a stop to the fight as Will McCallister was knocked down and counted out two minutes and thirty seconds into the third round. May I present to you for the very first time, our new, undefeated, undisputed heavyweight champion of the world, Bradley "Bad Intentions" McGregor!

The referee held Bradley's arm in the air to signal that he had won the bout. The ring continued to be a buzz with activity as a commentator with HBO approached Bradley for an interview. The commentator, an old bulldog, put his paw on Bradley's shoulder.

"Brad, you've got a lot to be proud about today. You've broken your father's record as youngest undisputed champion, you're the only son of an undisputed heavyweight champion to also clench that title, you've defeated the longest reigning undisputed heavyweight champion in history. How'd you do it?"

Bradley took hold of the microphone. "Well, Larry, I have to thank my wonderful father for agreeing to train me. He's a brutal task master! I'd also like to thank Will McCallister for agreeing to fight me, and I hope he makes a speedy recovery."

"Did you ever think that you'd clench an early victory like this?" asked the bulldog.

"To be honest, no, I didn't. But I'd studied McCallister for so long now, and I knew that if you see an opportunity, you'd better seize it!" Just then, Bradley saw his mother, wife and son enter the ring. "Hey, I'd like all your viewers to meet the people that made this possible for me!"

Little Martin ran over to his father, who placed him on his belt covered shoulders. "This lady right here is my lovely mother, Julia. This is the first time she's ever been to a fight! This gorgeous vixen beside her is my lovely wife, Tori, who just found out three weeks ago that she's expecting our second one!"

The bulldog smiled at Bradley's family. "And whose this little guy on top of your shoulders?"

Bradley picked up little Martin and held him up against his chest, all the while the folf smiled, admiring his father's championship belts. "Larry, this little guy is the light of my life, he's my little champion. This is my son, Martin Bradley McGregor! Say hi to everybody, Martin!"

The young folf wagged his tail happily. "Hi, everybody!"

Bradley closed his eyes, feeling the loving arms of his entire family around him. He was the happiest wolf in the world!