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With the likelihood of Martin's next opponent being Bruno "The Creole Destroyer" Calypso, Sully thought it a good idea to track down some film footage of the large lion's previous fights. The old bulldog had an enormous film library of old fights, many of which Martin had watched to learn better ring generalship. The young wolf had dedicated his life to the sport of boxing; getting up and running every morning, jumping rope, lifting weights, sparring, eating right and getting the right kind of sleep; it was all part of the life of a prize-fighter.

"Here you go, pup," said the old bulldog, holding up a film reel. "Managed to get you some footage of this big bastard."

Martin watched as Sully loaded the reel into his projector. The young wolf never knew quite what to expect when watching videos of tentative opponents, but he had enough sense to be prepared for anything. He stared at the white sheet that had been placed on the wall that served as an impromptu movie screen as Sully placed the 16mm reel in the projector.

"Kill the lights," said Sully.

Martin got up and turned the lights off. The flickering sound of the reel playing was met with images of Bruno inside the boxing ring fighting some tiger that Martin didn't recognize. Like all the films Sully possessed, there was no audio, but that didn't matter to Martin as he would be listening to Sully's commentary during the fight.

"Now watch what this guy does," said Sully. "That tiger, he's smaller than Bruno, probably six foot three tops. You see what he's doing there? He's making the mistake of standing straight up like a stick right in front of that lion. That's wrong, all wrong. He should be getting lower, trying to slip the punches and make himself a smaller target."

Completely focused on what he was viewing, Martin saw the tiger get off to a poor start. He knew that Sully was absolutely right about the tiger standing straight up.

"That tiger should be be dancing around the ring, trying to stay away from Bruno.," said Sully, shaking his head in disgust. "Ah, you see that? He's going on the inside and staying there way too long. He should be jumping in, giving that lion some hard body shots, then move out of danger."

The tiger was on the inside, squared up with Bruno, and he was paying the price for his error. Throwing some swift jabs, he was repaid with a hard straight right to the jaw, followed by a left uppercut that sent him reeling out of balance. Though the film had no audio, Martin could see the crowd excitement as they rose to their feet and cheered after the tiger was caught with the two power shots.

"This is painful," said Sully, shaking his head. "Bruno's a big, strong guy, but you know what?"

"That size slows him down," said Martin, not taking his eyes off the film for even a split second.

"Damn right," said Sully. "He should understand that he can't out punch Bruno, so he should be tryin' to out box him. He's fighting the the exact wrong type of fight here, and he's gonna get hurt."

Bruno kept moving forward on the tiger, trying to cut off the ring and finish him off. The tiger, his legs still rubbery from the two hard, clean shots he'd taken, couldn't get away from him. At this point, Bruno decided to toy with the striped cat, throwing left jabs into his face, followed by some overhand rights. The crowd was on its feet as they cheered the on the one sided bout. The only thing that saved the tiger was when the referee jumped in between them, signaling the end of the first round."

"Holy mackerel," said Sully. "Even a ten minute rest wouldn't do that tiger no good. You can tell that he's still seeing stars and probably hearing a horn going off in his head. If I was this guy's chief second, I'd call it off right now and spare him the trouble of going out there for more torture."

The boxers got their feet and resumed fighting. The tiger's legs were still not fully under him, and Bruno knew it. Bruno moved in, pressing the tiger against the ropes and sent several hard shots at him. Caught with a massive left hook to the chin, the tiger fell to the canvas. The audience all stood up, cheering and clapping as the referee pointed at the neutral corner that Bruno was to stay in as he began the count.

"This ref," said Sully. "He oughta be ashamed of himself for not stopping this fight, right here, right now."

"His corner should have thrown in the towel," said Martin.

"Damn right," said Sully. "I know they're probably thinking that he wants to be carried out on his shield like a fallen warrior, but this ain't no joke, ain't something to play around with. If I was that tiger, I'd stay down and let the ref count me out."

But the tiger didn't stay down. Getting up, the referee took hold of his paws and Martin could tell he was gauging the tiger's reaction, seeing if he was still able to continue. Amazingly, the referee let the fight continue. Bruno moved out of the neutral corner, knowing the fight was his. All the tiger could do was try backing up and put his paws up, covering his face as the big lion moved in. Pressing the tiger against the ropes once more, Bruno threw everything he had at the tiger. Martin stood on his feet as he watched an unbelievable sight. Bruno caught the tiger with a devastating right uppercut that sent the tiger flying out of the ring, landing a good five or six feet from the ropes. The referee waved his arms, finally having the good sense to stop the fight. Sully kept shaking his head and turned off the projector. Martin got up to turn the lights back on.

"That fight was over 'fore it even started," said Sully. "All that punishment that guy took, he'll probably never talk right again, 'specially after flying out of the ring like that."

Martin was in awe of Bruno's raw strength and power. "I'm gonna have to do some serious training if I'm gonna fight this guy."

"Sure will," said Sully. "But let me tell you something, pup. You saw everything that tiger did wrong, right?"

"I did," said Martin.

"Then you know you gotta fight smart, gotta out think that big brute. Now, who's the greatest fighter of all time, Marty?"

"Mufasa Ali," said Martin.

"What made him the greatest?" said Sully.

"He knew how to defeat an opponent," said Martin. "He studied the guys he fought, tried to exploit every weakness a guy had, and he was like greased lightning in the ring."

"You bet," said Sully. "He wasn't no big puncher either, but that didn't matter. He could out-maneuver a guy, make the guy throw a punch, but then the bum realized that Ali wasn't where he thought he was. Not only that, he had a solid, granite jaw, and no matter what you do, no matter how hard you train, you can't build up a good chin."

"He fought smart, not hard," said Martin.

"Exactly," said Sully. "That's what you have to do if you wanna beat this big bastard Bruno. You gotta move in there, throw some good shots to the body, specifically his liver, move out of his reach and make him come to you. Wear him out, cause him haulin' around that big frame of his, it's gotta be tiring after awhile. Don't worry about knockin' him out. Beat 'em on points and that NABF belt will be 'round your waste at the end of the fight."

"Sounds like a plan to me, Sully," said Martin. "Think I should get to work on training now?"

"Yeah," said Sully. "Come on, let's go bulk you up a little."

"Know they enemy," was a term that James "Sully" Sullivan knew quite well. It applied to boxing just as much as it did in actual combat, and Pierre Calypso, the father and trainer of Bruno "The Creole Destroyer" Calypso was a equally aware of its importance. Just as Sully had done, Pierre managed to get hold of film footage of the young Martin McGregor for his son to observe.

"See that, boy?" said Pierre. "That be Martin McGregor right there, fightin' another wolf."

Martin was indeed in the ring with another member of his species. The other wolf looked taller, bigger and probably older than Martin, who nevertheless looked unafraid of him. The wolf from the Bronx didn't hesitate to get right on the inside and batter away at the bigger wolf, digging into his body while taking a few counter punches himself. Martin moved to the outside, looking like he was rethinking his strategy. The bigger wolf, who also had a noticeable reach advantage, tried getting closer to Martin, possibly to set up a series of jabs to both wear Martin down and earn him points on the judges' score cards. Martin crouched down, making himself smaller and harder for the bigger wolf to hit. The bigger wolf moved to the inside and tried throwing his jab, but was clenched by Martin until the referee came over and made them break clean.

"You know he call himself 'Mighty' Martin McGregor, Bruno?" said Pierre with a laugh. "He look mighty to you?"

"Not bad," said Bruno. "He still look like a built up cruiser weight though."

Still paying attention to the film, the lions saw Martin and the other wolf, having just been broken up by the referee, go at it again. Martin, crouching down, bobbed and weaved, dodging the bigger wolf's power shots as he got on the inside. He caught the bigger wolf off balance as he threw a left hook to his body. With the bigger wolf staggering around, Martin moved back in and really went to work, mauling, brawling and giving the crowd quite the show as he pulverized the bigger opponent. The bigger wolf tired desperately to protect his body, tucking his arms into to protect his sides, so Martin went for the face, giving him a swift left hook to the ear and a right uppercut to the jaw. No matter what the bigger wolf did now, it was all for naught as Martin was clearly the superior fighter. With one hard, fast straight right, he sent the bigger wolf to the canvas. The referee moved in for the count, the bigger wolf got to his knees, but looked down at the canvas, shaking his head. Whatever fighting spirit he'd entered the ring with had been sapped by Martin as he allowed himself to be counted out. With the fight over, Martin, rather than raising his paws in victory, went over and helped the bigger wolf up. He shook his paw and hugged him, showing his vanquished opponent respect.

"Ain't he a gentle wolf," said Pierre, turning the lights back on and shutting off the projector. "What you think of him, boy?"

"Look like a good fighter," said Bruno. "Whoever been trainin' him been doing a good job. He might be a little heavyweight, but I best not underestimate what he can do."

"Think so, huh?" said Pierre.

"I know so, Daddy," said Bruno. "No sense in takin' an ass whoopin' cause I get arrogant and think I can finish him with one punch. No, no, I gonna train long and hard for this fight. But don't you worry, Daddy. I make you proud like I always try to do."

"I know you will, boy," said Pierre, patting his son on the back. "Come on, we best go find Rene so he can spar with you."

"Not Rene," said Bruno, shaking his head.

"Why not?" said Pierre, not understanding why his son didn't want his younger brother to get in the ring with him.

"Rene be six foot eight like me, Daddy," said Bruno. "I'm gonna need me a smaller guy, more like the size of Martin to spar with. That way I train right for the fight. Gotta get used to fightin' a smaller guy."

"Ah," said Pierre. "That a good point, boy. Lemme see who I can fetch that be Martin's size."

Father and son left the movie room of the gym to get ready for the hard training that lay ahead.

Dressed in "Everlast" sparring gear, Martin moved around in the ring, training for his upcoming fight. Sully had selected for the wolf a sparring partner who looked to be of similar size and build to that of Bruno Calypso. Josh, a big tiger, was dressed in the same type of sparring gear as Martin. Unlike actual boxing, sparring was meant only to be practice, so neither fighter was throwing punches with bad intentions.

"Get in there," yelled Sully to Martin. "Dig into the body and move outta harms way. There you go, that's it, pup. Make him fight your fight. Keep dancin' round the ring and have him come to you."

Martin did as his trainer advised. He only moved to the inside for a brief time, sending body shots to the tiger, moved out and danced around the ring. The young wolf knew that Sully was right about the game plan. It would be foolish to stand toe to toe with a bigger, stronger opponent, trade punches and expect not to get knocked out. He'd have to out box Bruno, not out punch him, at least not right away.

"Go on, Josh," said Sully. "Keep trying to press him against the ropes and throttle his ass. Don't let him off the hook, make him work for it."

Josh, bigger, but slower, followed Sully's directions, trying to get Martin pinned against the ropes, but he couldn't do it. Martin was light on his feet and kept ducking down, slipping punches and making the tiger continuously move to try and catch him, but Martin always seemed to be several steps ahead of him. Sully kept close watch as Martin carried out the game plan, moving in and moving out on Josh, sending body shots and then dancing around the ring. Unlike an actual fight, Sully wasn't having the two spar for three minute rounds. This was an endurance test where he would find out just how long Martin could go until he ran out of gas.

Focused and determined, Martin looked like his hero, Mufasa Ali as he moved around the ring while Josh lumbered about flat footed. Martin could tell that the tiger was wearing down, and though Sully had not instructed him to, he started throwing punches with greater force. The old bulldog could see what his fighter was doing, but he didn't object. If anything, he wanted this be more of a real fight so it would better prepare Martin for what he was up against.

With Josh tiring, drenched in sweat, Martin knew now was the right time to make his move. Getting in close, he threw a left hook to Josh's body, just under the ribcage. The big striped cat fell to the canvas, almost paralyzed from the shock of the blow. Sully called a halt to the sparring session, slowly climbing into the ring to get a closer look at Josh. Martin got on his knees to help him up.

"Sorry," said Martin. "I got a little carried away."

"That's alright," said Josh, getting to his feet. "I'm just glad I could help my best friend in the world train for the biggest fight of his career."

"You okay, kid?" asked Sully.

"I'll be fine," said the tiger, taking his sweat covered sparring helmet off. "I'd happily take a punch like that again if I knew it would help Martin out."

"Ah, you certainly got boulders for balls," said Sully. "I gotta ask, a big guy like you, you ever think of taking up boxing? You'd be a helluva heavyweight."

"I've thought about it," said Josh. "But I'm graduating next month then I'm going to NYU."

"That so?" said Sully. "What you studying?"

"Journalism," said Josh. "I want to be a sportswriter after I get my degree."

"Well, good for you, kid," said Sully, impressed that the big cat was furthering his education. "I bet you'll be a good sportswriter too, not like some of these hacks we got nowadays. Let me tell you, when I was your guys age, we had some great writers, especially for boxing. They really knew the game."

"Thank you, Sully," said Josh. "Sorry you won't be going to graduation, Martin."

"It's okay," said Martin. The young wolf had been forced to quit school the previous year to support his mother after his father had died from years of heavy drinking. He'd also been trying to raise enough money to get one of his two brothers, Mikey, a lawyer for an appeal after he'd been convicted of drug related charges.

"I'm still gonna work to get my GED someday," said Martin. "Plus I read a lot when I'm not training. I've always liked to learn."

"You sure have," said Josh. "You made the honor roll every year I've known you."

"Say," said Sully. "When's graduation anyway?"

"Last Friday in May," said Josh. "Why you ask?"

"The fights the week after that, so I was wondering if you'd wanna walk down the aisle with me and Martin and the rest of Team McGregor."

"Seriously?" said Josh. "I'd love that. Where's the fight anyway?"

"At the Garden," said Sully. "Martin's fight with Bruno's gonna be the main event that night. Gonna be a sold out crowd, I just know it."

"I've never been to a fight before," said Josh. "Be pretty cool that my first one is at Madison Square Gardens, with my best friend as the main attraction."

"Not only that," said Sully. "But I got a special treat for you two that night."

"What is it?" asked Martin.

"There's gonna be somebody there that you'll wanna meet," said Sully. "But I'm not telling who it is."

"Whoever it is," said Martin. "I'm not gonna worry about it right now. I'm just gonna keep training as hard as I can. Don't wanna end up like that tiger in the film I watched."

"Good boy," said Sully, patting the wolf on the back. "Something tells me that poor guy's never gonna speak right again after being a projectile."

Martin thought long and hard about that film he'd watched earlier. He was completely cognizant of the fact that Bruno was an incredibly strong, devastating opponent that he could not play around with. The young wolf wouldn't just be fighting for the NABF heavyweight championship belt, he might be fighting for his very life he wasn't careful.