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Behind SoUtHeRn TeRrOr: Episode 5: The Power of The Punch

3/22/2017

2 Comments

 
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"The Malo Smasher" Rebecca McCrary
Most boxing stories are tales of redemption. You want to see the underdog win the big fight at the climax of the story. Well, throw in horror, breast implants, vengeful ghosts and supernatural punching power, and you've got The Power of The Punch, the fifth story in the SoUtHeRn TeRrOr anthology book.

After growing up with a violent alcoholic father and recently getting attacked by some low-life thugs, Rebecca McCrary decides to not take any more abuse from anyone and becomes a professional boxer. The problem is – she's terrible! She lost eight fights in a row, each one by early knockout. Just as she's in the process of hanging up her boxing gloves for a career in modeling, her nerdy cousin comes up with the bright idea of inserting a supernatural amount of testosterone into the breast implants Rebecca planned on getting for her modeling career. The operation was a success, and Rebecca is a changed woman in the ring, easily crippling her opponents and knocking them out cold real fast and easy. She becomes known as “The Malo Smasher,” and is also nicknamed a “female Tyson.”

Things are going great for the young contender. Her lead trainer is a legend – an old rotund man named Alfred who was nicknamed “Turtle Face” by Muhammad Ali because of his droopy facial expressions. With her charisma and ability to end fights within seconds, Rebecca becomes a sports media sensation not seen since the days of a young Mike Tyson and recent phenomenons like Ronda Rousey.

Although Rebecca has “the power of the punch,” she serves as the protagonist and antagonist of the story all at once. She suffered lot of abuse in her past and just wants to succeed in life. Because of this we root for her and want her to succeed. But at the same time, she is cheating and severely hurting others to get ahead. Rebecca doesn't just knock her opponents cold – she cripples them! One opponent ends up being a fatality.  Rebecca punches so hard that a blow to the chin could knock your brain loose in your skull.

Although she harbors a soft spot and at times feels guilty for her new gift, she has a cocky, nasty attitude that most people can't stomach. In fact, Rebecca narrowly survives an assassination attempt early in the story - that's how despised she is.

The story takes a dramatic turn when the ghost of an opponent Rebecca killed in the ring decides to pay her a visit – during her big fight for the women's championship!  
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BaCkGrOuNd

A female boxer getting breast implants that enable her to punch like a superheavyweight? I know you're thinking, "A.J., I know you're a terrific writer and all, but how the hell did you come up with that one?" Well, I'm happy to break this one down for my fans. :)

If you've been following my career then you're aware that I  am a boxing fan. I've even interviewed Larry Holmes, Shannon Briggs, James "Quick" Tillis and Marvis Frazier.

Naturally, I decided to include a boxing story in my anthology. However, I wanted to flip things a bit. I wanted a woman boxer to be the central character. My favorite female boxer of all time is Ann Wolfe, known for her explosive punch. Watch the clip below - easily the most brutal knockout in the history of women's boxing.
Alright. What if there was a woman who could punch even harder than that? And what if she wasn't bulging with muscles? What if she were a small, almost average-looking woman with a surprise of a punch? That's how Rebecca McCrary was created. One reader remarked that she was Mike Tyson and Ronda Rousey rolled up into one person. I didn't have that in mind when I wrote the story, but it does fit pretty well so I'll take it.

The women's champion in the story is Jacqueline O'Neal. She's an experienced and well-rounded fighter. Unlike McCrary, Jacqueline is the "good girl." She may be wholesome, but she lacks Rebecca's charisma. Put an experienced counter-puncher like her in the ring with a slugger like Rebecca and you've got the recipe for a great fight. 

I wrote the first draft of this story back in late 2014. I wrote two other versions of the story and wound up using the best of all three to round out the story that you'll read in the book. Like The Magician and The Beast, I took a lot of time with this one and did several re-writes because I wanted it to be perfect. 

If you like boxing, or if you're a fan of ghost stories or intense dramas, Power Of The Punch will be one of your favorites in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr. 

                             Other tales in SoUtHeRn TeRrOr Include...
“Alerts From The Grave” --- A porn star receives text messages and emails from her dead husband. 
​
“The Dark Road.” --- A sibling rivalry is put to an end when two sisters endure a night of pure terror in the woods. 

“The Magician And The Beast.”--- A unique animal is the attraction for a sinister traveling magician. 

“Giggling In The Dark.” --- A young couple hears weird laughter and noises coming from their basement.. 

“The Power Of The Punch.” --- A struggling female boxer is given breast implants that give her the strength of three men. But everything has a price... 

“Last Thoughts.” --- A womanizing politician is killed by his wife over and over in an endless loop; each death more brutal than the last. 

“7 pm.” --- After almost dying in a street fight, a young drug dealer struggles to get his life and family back on track. But can he? 

“Dirty Underwear.” --- A necrophiliac mortician gets a taste of her own medicine... 

“Mail-Order Bride.”  – A lonely old man finds a beautiful bride online, but he soon regrets his choice. 


​“The Intruder.” --- A family is fighting for their lives against an intruder who may be a bigger threat than they think. 

"The Special Child." --- A youth counselor is concerned about a foreign child who has gotten everyone sick. 

“The Scarecrow.” – A young reporter's first news assignment is to write an article about a scarecrow that walks at night. 

BUY SoUtHeRn TeRrOr!!!

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2 Comments
The Main Event Man
3/24/2017 03:16:45 pm

Rebecca is HOT! I thought this story was most excellent AJ. Your nuggets of boxing knowledge came through. I can tell you're a student of the game.

Were the two trainers in Rebecca's camp based off Cus D'Amato and Teddy Atlas? I could be reaching but their personalities and interactions amongst each other and their young fighter reminded me of those relationships.

Great twist at the end too! I knew having that power would come back to haunt her but I didn't exactly predict how.

Reply
Victor
3/24/2017 03:40:59 pm

The climactic fight reminds me of Tyson versus Holyfield or Ronda Rousey versus Holly Holm, but better.

The suspense at the end was baffling until the reveal. At first I didn't know if Rebecca was simply having a nervous breakdown as a result of guilt, or if she really being tormented by a real ghost?

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    A.J. Dugger is an Award-Winning Television and Print & Media Journalist.

    He appears as a crime analyst on the TV-One crime series, For My Man, and is the author of four books: Black Journals,  the horror anthology SoUtHeRn TeRrOr, the mystery crime thriller Who KILLED Joel Larson? and The Dealers: Then and Now, the sensational story of his mother and uncles' career as a funk band.

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