24.

LITTLE BOY BLUE’S TICKET TO THE MOON

Jacob Caro, Boxing Australasia

Of all the twists and turns in this never-ending saga, the latest takes the cake. Ted Taylor’s miraculous victory over Reggie Harrison came at the cost of his career. Following a severe concussion, Ted decided to hang up the gloves and help his father chase another championship.

An inspired Ron Taylor put on a clinic against Harrison, outclassing him with a performance reminiscent of his glory days. This victory also came at a cost, however: Ron announced today that he requires shoulder surgery.

In normal circumstances, promoters would be happy to delay a fight for a few months to cater for injury, but with Covid still raging across America, it is a miracle Ben Kelton has been able to schedule the title fight at Madison Square Garden, New York City. Rescheduling is simply not an option.

I have received confirmation that Ted Taylor will come out of retirement and fight Jarred Leroy for the heavyweight championship of the world. I can’t begin to imagine what strings have been pulled to make this happen.

Fans around the country will jump for joy. Sure, it would have drawn interest to see Ron fighting for the title again, but Little Boy Blue reclaimed the hearts of the people after his move into the heavyweight division.

Does he stand a chance? I doubt it. He will have a plan and make Leroy earn his victory, but the grit and determination that beat Harrison won’t matter against the reach and power of Leroy.

It casts a shadow over the legitimacy of Ted’s ‘retirement’, and I still can’t help but wonder if he was just after a way around the heavily anticipated bout with his father.

Regardless, Australia will be cheering on Little Boy Blue in hope that he can bring the title back home.

‘Left, Teddy!’ barked Pop. ‘Left!’

Ted stepped back in frustration and reset his position against his amateur sparring partner, whose own frustration was starting to show.

‘Stop!’ yelled Pop as he ducked between the top and middle rope and bounced into the ring with energy that made Ted nervous. ‘If you step back like that against Leroy, you’ll be wearing his big right to the face. You don’t go back, you go left.’

Ted was sick of that word. Pop must have said it a thousand times a session.

Andrew was waiting outside the ring. ‘Let’s mix things up today and get the conditioning done first. We can get back in the ring this afternoon.’

‘Good idea,’ said Pop.

Relief washed over him. Ted was accustomed to Pop drilling habits into him, but this was overkill. Pop took his leave. Ted thanked the sparring partner and gave him a pat on the shoulder before stepping out of the ring.

‘Thanks,’ he said to Andrew.

‘Looks like you could use a mental break,’ said Andrew. ‘You okay?’

‘I just want to get there already. This is going to be a long build-up.’

‘Have you organised your flights yet?’

‘Kelton’s going to fly us over, but he needs to jump through some hoops to get the flights approved. I’m happy not to be there too long but it’d be good to get there with a few days to settle in before the fight.’

‘Fair enough. Pop sure is flogging this strategy. How do you feel about it?’

Ted was unravelling his wrist straps. ‘He wants me to be safe, crazy as that sounds. The strategy will work until it doesn’t.’

‘What’s Ron got to say?’

‘When it stops working, try punching him in the head,’ laughed Ted. ‘Who’d have thought? Ron and I taking off to America together. He should be ready to start sparring soon. I think it’ll be easier once he’s on board – he balances things out with Pop. Plus, the sparring partners Tony sends over are hopeless.’

‘What do you mean by balance?’ asked Andrew.

‘Pop gets too intense, but Ron’s so calm all the time – in training anyway.’ He finished unwrapping his wrists and started rolling the straps up. ‘I don’t know how they managed to work together for so long. They’re chalk and cheese.’

‘Well, it worked for them.’

‘Yeah,’ sighed Ted. ‘Suppose it did.’ He loosened his shoulders. ‘Let’s get into it.’

The months rolled by with days of deja vu. Wake early. Cardio. Eat. Eat again. Strength and conditioning with Andrew. Boxing bag and pad work with Pop. Jab. Left. Jab. Left. Eat. Recovery. Yoga and more conditioning. Sparring with Ron. Jab. Left. Recovery. Eat. Sleep. Squeezing in some time with Talia when he could.

Ted enjoyed the intensity of the build-up. His time away from boxing had helped him recover from his injuries and clear his head. He was pleased with how he’d maintained most of the weight he’d put on for the Harrison fight, allowing him to put his focus on boxing and physical conditioning.

The doubts and concerns regarding his health were lost in the all-consuming chaos of the plunge into the build-up for a title fight.

After what was going to be one of his final full workout days prior to tapering into the fight, Ted entered Pop’s office in the back corner of the gym. The walls were stacked with boxes of old paperwork filed away in no particular order. Pop would make a lousy accountant.

‘Hey,’ said Ted.

Ron was sitting on the old office chair with yellow foam stuffing poking from various tears in the vinyl cover – reminding Ted of Ron’s heart metaphor in his letter to Pop. A boxing glove with burst seams.

‘Why the long face, Pop?’

Pop stood behind the desk with his hands on his hips.

‘Bad news,’ said Ron. ‘Apparently, Kelton can’t get his private plane into Australia. Too many permits or some shit. He’s got us on a commercial flight via New Zealand. Qantas.’

‘Could be worse.’

‘He didn’t say when,’ said Pop glumly.

Ted waited for the answer.

‘We won’t land until two days before the fight,’ said Ron. ‘Tony said he’s done everything he could, but there’s limited flights and even less seats.’

It was annoying, but Ted could live with it. ‘Not the end of the world.’

‘That’s what I said,’ agreed Ron.

‘Two days!’ exclaimed Pop. Then he murmured, ‘That’s ridil … ridicl …’ His mouth kept moving but didn’t produce any sound.

Alarms went off in Ted’s head.

Pop clutched his chest.

‘Shit,’ said Ron.

Ted was sick of the hospital. He didn’t know how Talia and Dr Koski could stand being there nearly every day. Everything from the smell of disinfectant to the beeping of the lifts put him on edge. Ted sat at a chair in the doctor’s office as Ron paced the room and they waited for an update.

‘So, you’re saying it wasn’t as big as last time?’ asked Ron, asking Ted the question for a second time.

‘I guess so. I mean, it was different with him falling in the middle of a press conference.’

‘That’s three now,’ said Ron.

‘I think he needs to call it quits.’

Ron nodded.

‘The stress can’t be good,’ continued Ted. ‘He’s worried about me.’

‘I know.’ Ron stopped pacing. ‘I’ve never seen him like this. I don’t know how you’ve managed it. Left! Fucking left! Suppose I was never as good at listening as you are.’

Sitting in the same chair as when Dr Koski provided his MRI results had shaken Ted. ‘I shouldn’t be doing this. It goes against everything I told Talia I was going to do, for me, for us … and here I am back where I ended up after getting my skull caved in. Getting ready to do it all again. No wonder Pop’s worried. No wonder he’s had another stroke or whatever the hell it is.’

‘Dammit, Teddy. Don’t go blaming yourself for this. Don’t start doubting yourself now.’

But it was too late. All the doubt that had been subdued was flooding back.

‘If it wasn’t for the old man and his gambling, we wouldn’t need to be here at all,’ Ron pointed out.

‘I beat Reggie Harrison and I couldn’t beat some damned middleweights. He shouldn’t have lost that money.’

‘Ted. It’s not your fault. Okay?’ Ron stepped towards him. ‘You blame yourself for everything. Maybe the way I brought you up had something to do with that. But one thing I’ve learned is that if there’s some sort of higher power or greater being spinning some tale, it does not give a flying fuck about you, me, Pop or anybody else for that matter. You’re sitting there blaming yourself because your grandfather had a stroke. The same grandfather who suffers PTSD and addiction and has been through all sorts of hell.’

Ted stood and went to take a walk, but Ron circled round and blocked his path to the door, staring at him intently. ‘You blame yourself for Monique killing herself. Monique, the woman I put through hell. If she did decide to drive into that tree, it was her foot on the accelerator, not yours! And if there was anyone that tipped her over the edge, there’s no shadow of a doubt it was me.’ Ron grabbed Ted’s T-shirt at the shoulder and shook it. ‘Yet you blame yourself and it kills me. It kills your sister. And it kills Pop. And dammit, it’s killing you! Blame yourself for what? Being born? For trying to stand up for her? No, Ted. You’re better than us. Than Pop and me. When you quit, that’s one of the only honourable things someone in this family has done in three generations.’ Ron’s eyes pooled with tears. He took a fist from Ted’s shoulder and pushed it between his eyes for a moment to steady himself. ‘And even knowing that – the scumbags that we are – we’re dragging you back in! We’re feeding you to the fucking lions. If I had an ounce of self-respect, I’d drag my ass across to the other side of the world with a busted shoulder, take the beating I deserve, get the money I don’t and find my own little corner to shrink into. But no. I’m sending you. Because even knowing what I learned in this room, I can’t swallow my pride, do the right thing and stop you going out there. Because, goddammit, I want you to! I know what it’s like. I don’t deserve it, but I’ve lived more than anyone has ever lived. Magic happens in that ring – and you’ve tasted it. It’s not for everyone, but for us, there’s nothing else like it.’ Ron knocked his knuckles against Ted’s chest like a door. ‘I want that for you. This moment is here. It’s yours to take.’

Ted stood stone still. Never had he seen such a raw display of any emotion besides anger from his father.

‘And I’m taking it,’ Ted said.

He thought Ron was going to break into tears and then Dr Koski entered and took a seat at his desk. Ted and Ron awkwardly stepped back from each other and took seats opposite him. ‘Another mild stroke. We’ll monitor him very closely and take a closer look at his heart. One thing’s for sure – he’s not going to Madison Square Garden.’

Talia placed her bookmark between two pages and closed the book. ‘Well, that was quick.’

‘I don’t muck around,’ said Ted, lying down on the bed next to her.

‘Quick fight’s a good fight,’ she replied, trying to sound enthusiastic.

‘More like quick flight’s a good flight. The flight’s been delayed again.’

‘What’s the new take-off time?’ she asked.

‘Supposed to be tomorrow morning at eight. I’m going to try and get a few hours’ rest.’

It was the second delay. Ted had lost almost two days and was at serious risk of not making it to the fight. The first delay hadn’t been such a worry given he was distracted with Pop. He was pleased that Pop was recovering and he could head off without that hanging over his head. The second delay came only as he was on his way to the airport after already going through the big goodbye. Andrew and Vinnie had flown over the week before. Ted would have regretted not flying with them had it not been for Pop’s stroke.

He couldn’t sleep, and waited for Talia’s gentle snoring to settle in before moving his arm from around her and rising from the bed. He walked to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water.

With nothing else to do, he turned on the TV and switched to the sports channel. It was almost midnight, and the news was set to begin a new cycle.

‘Welcome back to the program. We have breaking news regarding Ted Taylor’s upcoming title fight. Unfortunately, Taylor is still stranded in Sydney as complications with flight schedules continue to cause disruptions. Ted’s flight has been delayed twice, and he is now at serious risk of missing the fight completely. In a tweet, promoter Ben Kelton said, “It’s very unfortunate for all involved. However, Ted is still scheduled to arrive in time for the fight. If things do go pear-shaped, the night will go ahead, and Reggie Harrison will fight Jarred Leroy for the championship.”’

A deep sense of scepticism crept into Ted’s bloodstream. On one hand it made sense to cut Ted out of the equation – Ted’s real value was against Ron, and with that fight off the table, perhaps American viewers weren’t interested. On the other hand Ted had always been well-received in America on previous tours, and had beaten Harrison. He pulled himself out of the rabbit hole of thoughts. All he could do was show up to the airport in the morning and hope his plane took off.

He dozed on the couch for a couple of hours. As sunlight poked through the eastern-facing windows he woke and checked his phone. Knowing Talia was on the morning shift, he got up and made her coffee. The timing was perfect: she walked down the hall in her pyjamas just as it was ready.

She gave him a kiss with her eyes barely open. ‘Thank you. When are you leaving?’

‘I’ll go now,’ he said. ‘I’ll let you know what happens.’

Her sleepy eyes pried open a little further. ‘I don’t think I’d be so lucky as to have your fight cancelled. You’ll get there. I know you will.’

He looked deep into her eyes. ‘And I’ll keep my promise.’

‘I’m sorry, sir,’ said the heavy-set security guard who wore his uniform with unshakable pride. ‘I can’t let you in without a mask.’

‘Shit,’ said Ted, letting go of his bag to check his pockets. ‘I left it in the car. Can’t I just buy one inside?’

‘You need a mask to get inside.’

‘Can’t I get one inside?’ Ted looked around. ‘It’s a ghost town around here anyway.’

‘No mask, no entry. It’s a ghost town because there aren’t any flights going anytime soon, pal.’

Did this guy just ‘pal’ me? Hold on … ‘What do you mean no flights anytime soon?’

Pop’s car pulled up to the curb behind him, stopping the security guard from answering the question.

‘Hey!’ exclaimed the guard. ‘This is a no stopping zone. Move along.’

Ron hopped out of the car. ‘Ease up, pal, I won’t be a minute.’

Pop opened the driver’s door and stepped out of the car.

‘Sir! Please get back in the car and park in the designated spaces.’

‘Come on, we’ll be five minutes,’ said Ron.

‘Hey, are you Ron Taylor?’

‘Sure am. Want a photo or something?’

The bad-cop persona evaporated. ‘Fuckin’ oath I do.’

Ted shook his head as the security guard handed him his phone and asked for a photo. It was only then that the guard realised who he was.

‘Oh, shit! Sorry, it’s Little Boy Blue!’

‘No probs. You want a selfie with all of us? Okay. Pop, come over here.’

The guard started a conversation with Ron regarding his own boxing aspirations and Pop pulled Ted aside.

‘This isn’t ideal preparation,’ said Pop. ‘But you know what to do.’

‘I’ll keep moving left.’

‘Leroy can be a bit of a show pony. If he thinks you’re gonna be an easybeat, he’ll turn it up for the crowd. Don’t nibble, okay? That’ll only work in his favour.’

Ted nodded and they embraced.

‘Good luck, Teddy,’ Pop said before turning to Ron. ‘You look after him, okay?’

Ted and Ron entered the terminal wearing masks the security guard had had in his back pocket all along. A check-in attendant told them that owing to complications, the flight wouldn’t be leaving until noon.

Ted got on the phone to Ben Kelton and told him the situation.

‘Sorry, Teddy,’ said Kelton. ‘It’s too tight. I’ll need to put Reggie in.’

‘Bullshit. I don’t care if it’s straight from the tarmac to the ring. I’m fighting,’ said Ted.

Ron was asking Ted to hand him the phone, but Ted held on and said, ‘Otherwise I’m going to sue you and open a whole can of worms for you.’

There was a pause, and Kelton said, ‘You just let me know how you’re tracking.’ Then he hung up.

‘Nicely done,’ said Ron. ‘I was gonna tell him to suck a lemon.’

‘I think that’s what I did tell him,’ replied Ted. ‘In my own way.’

‘That’s probably how you maintain your good looks. You got your mother’s nose,’ said Ron. It seemed he tried to stop himself before finishing.

They waited with the other stressed-out passengers at the gate. Ted sat down in an empty row of seats. His phone vibrated as a message from Andrew came through.

‘Shit,’ he said under his breath.

‘Andrew and Vinnie caught Covid.’

‘The spicy cough strikes again,’ replied Ron. ‘Lucky we weren’t on the same plane. I guess it really is going to be just you and me.’

‘I wonder what Mum would say,’ Ted said. ‘You and me jumping on a plane together.’

Ron sat down opposite him. ‘I think she’d be smiling,’ he said with a smile of his own. Ted wondered if after all these years she would be able to finally look down and forgive Ron for not letting her abort the child that saw her alienated from her parents.

Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to thank you for your patience. We are now ready to commence boarding.