Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion-Chapter 899 - 638 The Olympics End

The Olympic tasks have all been completed, and the achievement of 3 golds and 1 silver has made Link the athlete with the most gold medals and overall medals in the Huaxia sports delegation.

After half a day of rest, Link began handling personal matters, mainly signing contracts with promotion companies. With the games over, he needed to finalize this soon. If handled properly, he might get a world championship Golden Belt within the year.

During the last two days of the Olympics, he talked with Bob Arum, Nora Duvall, Eddie Hearn, Frank Warren, and others to see their sincerity.

Ultimately, he decided to sign with Bob Arum.

The reason was simple: Top Rank Promotions is currently the strongest company in the global boxing ring. They own massive media promotion resources and represent stars like De La Hoya, Mayweather, Pacquiao, and others.

Since 2000, the highest-earning events in boxing have all been tied to Top Rank Promotions. Bob Arum is also the only one among the three major players in the sport still active in boxing. He is regarded as the most successful boxing promoter since 2000.

Working with Bob Arum could mean earning big money.

And Link's purpose in continuing to compete in boxing is to make money—to earn more through matches. As for promoting boxing as a sport, he had already tried for decades in his past life with little success; he'll let destiny take care of it this lifetime.

Moreover, among the major promotion companies, Bob Arum's offer was the highest: a $22 million signing bonus.

For match earnings and peripheral revenue sharing, individual match income above $1 million would involve a 60/40 split; income above $5 million would involve a 70/30 split.

Income above $10 million per match would see an 80/20 split, and income above $20 million would be split 90/10.

Link requested to compete in professional matches within this year in hopes of quickly capturing the Middleweight world championship Golden Belt.

Currently, his height has grown to 182 cm, and his weight is becoming increasingly hard to control. Once he gets the Middleweight Golden Belt, he plans to move up to Super Middleweight and relax some of the weight restrictions.

Bob Arum also expressed willingness to make arrangements, stating that if Link can win his matches, advanced plans for clashes against De La Hoya, Roy Jones Jr., Mayweather, and others could also be considered.

Sean Gibbons has also become his agent, responsible for handling affairs such as training, matches, and publicity.

After wrapping up the contract matters, Link practically fulfilled his purpose for participating in the Athens Olympics.

These included competing for national glory, gaining global media attention through the Olympics, and lastly, signing with a boxing promotion company to enter the professional boxing ring.

——

On August 29th, the 28th Summer Olympic Games came to a close.

The competition results for all national sports delegations were finalized.

The Huaxia sports delegation earned 35 golds, 18 silvers, and 14 bronzes, totaling 67 medals, ranking first on the gold medal table and third on the overall medal count.

The American Team earned 34 golds, 40 silvers, and 29 bronzes, totaling 103 medals to rank first in the overall medal count.

Among them, USA Swimming Team's Michael Phelps won 6 golds and 2 bronzes, becoming the individual with the most gold medals in this Olympic Games.

Russia earned 27 golds, 27 silvers, and 38 bronzes, totaling 92 medals to rank second.

This year, Russia also saw the emergence of a female sprinter star, Nestrenko, who, like Link, had never participated in any high-level international events before the Olympics. In the women's 100-meter sprint, she shocked the world by winning the gold with a time of 10.94 seconds.

She also became one of the notable sports stars of this Olympic Games.

After the final medal table was released, the Huaxia sports delegation surpassed major sports powerhouses like the United States and Russia in gold medal count for the first time and topped the gold medal table.

This caught the attention of media outlets worldwide, sparking discussions.

Many media outlets suggested that Link's contribution of 3 golds and 1 silver was a significant factor in Huaxia's top gold medal ranking in this Olympic Games.

The four events Link participated in were traditionally weak spots for the Huaxia Team. Every medal he won was considered a "surprise" and an unexpected bonus. This meant Huaxia effectively gained 3 golds and 1 silver for free.

Without these three gold medals, the Huaxia Team's gold medal tally would have been reduced to 32.

Greece's "News Report" remarked that Link was one of the most dazzling stars on the Olympic stage this year. His achievements in shot put, boxing, and the 5000 meters drew worldwide attention.

Britain's Reuters commented that Link is a rising star in Huaxia sports, with achievements in sports comparable to icons like Yao Ming and Li Ning.

AFP remarked that Link's success in boxing and athletics showcased Huaxia's sports growth and development in recent years. Additionally, his victories in sports historically dominated by white and black athletes played a crucial role in breaking racial biases in the sports world.

Japan's "Yomiuri Shimbun" directly stated that Link is the athlete who has contributed most to breaking the limits of Asians in history, showing the tremendous potential of Asians in boxing and athletics.

Huaxia media outlets were even more lavish in their praise of Link, calling him everything great imaginable. He was lauded as not only the most outstanding athlete but also the most handsome man.

Famous soccer commentator Li Chengpeng remarked that Link's Olympic performance this year could be described with any wildly exaggerated term. He even joked that Link's 3 golds and 1 silver outweighed the silver medal won by the Huaxia men's soccer team in the Asian Cup in June.

Due to Link's enormous popularity, he was invited to participate in the extinguishing ceremony at the closing event in the Athens Olympic Complex on the night of August 29. He also appeared on stage during the symbolic "Huaxia 8 Minutes" performance arranged by the delegation.

On August 30, Link returned to the Capital City with the Huaxia sports delegation via flight.

Upon reaching the Capital City, he got a direct glimpse of the fame brought by his 3 golds and 1 silver. When he stepped off the plane, over ten thousand fans and media members greeted him at the airport. The crowd filled the front plaza of Kyoto International Airport, with many holding up his posters and waving flags.

Hundreds of journalists with cameras vied for the chance to interview him.

Link had no choice but to stop and answer reporters' questions, sign autographs for fans, and take group photos with them.

He ended up staying at the airport for over an hour before finally leaving.

"Link, how does it feel to be famous?"

In the minibus, coach Li Yabing joked.

"Not bad,"

Link shrugged with a smile.

"You'll need to quickly adapt to such situations. In the coming days, domestic media will constantly interview and report on you, and your fame will expand even further,"

Coach Li Yabing said.

Link shook his head. Fame, whether domestic or international, comes with both benefits and drawbacks. The good is it brings recognition and money; the bad is increased pressure and being under constant scrutiny. A single misstep could spark controversy and trouble.

The situation is even more extreme domestically, where the media enjoys idolizing individuals to an exaggerated degree. Praising someone can go overboard, elevating them to divine status, but equally extreme in "de-idolizing," where tearing someone down goes to brutal depths, casting them into the mud.

Link did not see himself as a perfect person and felt unworthy of such high praise. Moreover, given the relatively small boxing fanbase and limited market domestically, even great fame couldn't transform into substantial pay-per-view revenue and ticket sales.

Such fame, besides selling a few more albums, didn't offer much else.

After careful thought, he proactively approached officials from the Athlete Administration and expressed his intention to close himself off for training after the Olympics, preparing for professional boxing matches. He also stated that aside from interviews with national media, he would decline all other interviews and promotional activities, except charity events.

The officials expressed difficulties, arguing that post-game publicity for athletes like him would provide positive promotion across various fronts and that he was obliged to participate.

Link countered by saying that his future success in professional boxing would serve the nation's international image better.

The officials stated they need to deliberate this in meetings before responding.

Link was not concerned about their rejection. A few days earlier, when he decided to sign with Top Rank and enter professional boxing, he had already reported this to the administration. They suggested he reconsider, noting that at 19 years old, he could afford to wait a few years.

Link replied that even upon entering the professional boxing ring, he would continue training in shot put, javelin, and running events to keep competing for honors on behalf of the National Team. He argued the boxing event, being relatively niche in the Olympics, would have little impact if it were excluded.

Following their deliberations, the administration approved his request but asked him to assist in training the National Boxing Team's boxers when possible.

Considering Link's unique talent across these events, the National Team offered relatively lenient oversight.

Additionally, his irreplaceable skills made strict management unfeasible.

——

Back in the Capital City, Olympic delegation members were received by senior officials, with Link standing in the center position and delivering a speech on behalf of the athletes.

In the days that followed, he remained busy with interviews and media appearances arranged by officials, as well as filming four advertisements covering sportswear, milk, cars, and skincare products. Counting the five endorsements he secured during his time in Athens,

Link earned nearly $2.5 million through advertisements around the Olympics.

The government rewarded him with $180,000 and an apartment per regulation, while Hundong Province and Huaxi City awarded his family a large condominium. Adding contributions from local enterprises, he received close to $500,000 in rewards.

During the Olympics, the album "Wind-blown Waves" saw skyrocketing sales within the country, moving over 1.6 million copies in half a month. In Korea, Japan, the United States, and Australia, the album also sold nearly 2 million copies.

Company estimates suggested that pirated sales of the album outpaced official sales by about ten times.

Link earned over $400,000 in revenue from album royalties.

By mid-September, the Athens Olympics brought him roughly $3.2 million in earnings.

Once he received the money, he invested $4 million through Golden Shell Investment Company into JD Mall for Liu to develop the business with ease.

Simultaneously, through Golden Shell Investments, he began purchasing approximately 2.3% of stock in Tencent on the financial market.

This June, Tencent went public on the Hong Kong stock exchange with an opening price of 4.37 HKD per share, totaling 1.68 billion shares, valuing Tencent at $650 million.

Tencent's future peak valuation reaches $6.8 trillion, yielding a thousand-fold return. Investing now still seemed highly worthwhile.

After completing these investments, Link had approximately $500,000 remaining, which he reserved for personal expenses and didn't plan to touch.

With Link unavailable for interviews, Liu Feiren, previously overshadowed by Link's limelight, became the media's new focus. Newspapers and online platforms were filled with Liu Feiren's photos and stories. Many schools invited him for speeches, turning him into a true "Flying Man."

Liu Feiren even called to complain, blaming Link for shirking these responsibilities. What used to be Link's tasks now fell entirely on him, driving him nearly crazy.

Link laughed and responded that this was only fair.

If not for Link's sudden emergence at the Athens Olympics, securing 3 golds and 1 silver and becoming a bright spotlight, Liu Feiren would have enjoyed unparalleled recognition upon returning home for his impressive performance in the men's 110-meter hurdles.

Now Link was merely returning the honors to Liu Feiren.