"Hands up! Keep your damn hands up!" You heard your cornerman yell out, but after 7 rounds of boxing, you're tired out. Even holding your hands up sounds exhausting beyond belief; your arms are battered and bruised and the room is already spinning.
In front of you is Ricardo Riviera, heavyweight boxing champion of the world. His record is 45-2, with 41 wins by knockout. You knew he was going to be a heavy hitter, but after years of experience in the ring, you thought you had a shot.
You feel suddenly light.
>What happened?
You ask yourself, feeling your footing drop underneath you. As you fall, you realize that you've been hit in the face with so much speed that you couldn't even see it coming. You feel your consciousness fading.
Then, you see another fist coming at your face. A heavy overhand right thrown by your opponent to make sure you don't stand back up. You've come this far -- you can't let it end now.
With a sudden jolt, you regain your footing -- but his fist still makes contact. You stumble backwards and fall back.
>SNAP
You can't feel anything. You can't move.
>Is this... what being unconscious is like?
You stare ahead of you. One of the ropes of the ring is above your head. It looks like it's bobbing.
>No, I'm still awake. But why is the rope bouncing?
That's when you realize that it isn't the rope that's bouncing; it's you. When you fell, your neck must have made contact with the ropes.
>Did I... break my neck?
You can't hold onto consciousness any longer. Your vision fades to black.