boxer to hollywood

"Boss, Link's two singles are incredibly strong, both are championship-level tracks. Considering his massive fan base, beating him on the singles chart is going to be very difficult."

In the SB Project agency, assistant Alex stood before the desk, reporting.

Scooter was smoking, squinting through the faint smoke as he browsed the data on his tablet, feeling somewhat resigned.

Link was indeed formidable, with hit songs one after another, more frequent than farts.

If he'd known how capable this guy was, he would have found a way to sign him back then.

Having such a talented and capable person, combined with SB's powerful marketing strategies, would have turned Link into a cash cow for the company.

Unfortunately, Link had grand ambitions. As a newcomer with no connections, he dared to partner with another rookie, Ivanka, to establish a record company. Miraculously, they succeeded.

Link Music's rise became the most astonishing news in the music industry last year.

Scooter shook his head and looked at assistant Alex, saying, "Stick to the plan. Release Justin's second single next week and ramp up the promotion, focusing on the internet. Justin is a web celebrity, and his fans are mostly online. Enhancing promotion on major web platforms will yield better results."

"Got it!"

Assistant Alex nodded.

"And another thing, keep gathering dirt on Link, especially rumors involving women. Doesn't matter if they're true or not, the more, the better."

"Understood, boss!"

The assistant nodded, and seeing no further instructions, he took his leave.

After the assistant left, Scooter stroked his stubbly chin, staring at Link's photo on the screen, contemplating.

Since the beginning of the year, he'd allocated a million dollars to have his team collect negative news about Link, ready to deliver a fatal blow if necessary.

But Link seemed unlike anyone in the entertainment industry: he didn't smoke, drink excessively, do drugs, or solicit prostitutes. He didn't even have tattoos. He worked diligently and was passionate about charity, practically a saint.

The existing dirt on him had already been exposed, and rehashing it wouldn't be very effective. To defeat him, they desperately needed fresh scandal.

Suddenly, Scooter noticed an online news article. The Global Post reported that a female senator named Michelle Gordon from Ottawa was caught partying in a nightclub, dressed provocatively, just three days after her husband's death. The senator later called the police.

The police statement said the photo had been digitally altered and was not the senator herself.

Despite the police's explanation, many netizens didn't believe it, citing the senator's previous scandals and suggesting the photo might be real.

Scooter pondered this news, stroking his chin thoughtfully.

Ring ring!

It was a call from Ryan Koontz. Scooter sat up straight, smiling, "Good afternoon, Ryan. Looking for a drink?"

"Scooter, now's not the time for drinking. Have you figured out a way to deal with Link?"

Ryan Koontz asked directly.

Scooter immediately dropped his smile and said, "I'm working on it. His new songs are of high quality, and he has a large fan base. It's tough to beat him in sales, so I'm considering other tactics, like exploiting his scandals. I'm currently gathering material. I'll update you as soon as I have progress."

"Good, we're on the same page. I have some dirt on Link. I've sent it to your email. This information cost me a million pounds. I hope you'll use it well and not disappoint me."

"A million pounds? Dirt on Link?"

Scooter perked up, sitting straight, repeatedly assuring Ryan before hanging up.

He opened his email and saw a secretly filmed video, his eyes lighting up with excitement.

——

In the third week of February, Justin released the second promotional single from his new album, "Somebody To Love," which reached 105,000 downloads on its first day, coming in strong.

Also, that week, Lady Gaga released "Telephone," the second single from her album "The Fame Monster."

This song, a collaboration between Lady Gaga and Beyoncé, achieved 75,000 downloads on its first day, topping the Billboard Dance Chart. It became Lady Gaga's sixth number-one dance track on the Billboard chart.

With Lady Gaga's single entering the fray, the competition on the singles chart in February intensified.

Bang bang bang!

At the Muscle Beach Boxing Training Center, Link, dressed in a T-shirt, threw punches vigorously, training for over two hours and sweating profusely.

During his training, De La Hoya came to the ring to ask when he would be available for a match.

Originally, the plan was for Link to have two matches in the first half of the year: the first against Roy Jones Jr. in January, and the second against De La Hoya in May.

However, Roy Jones Jr. encountered an issue, injuring himself during training, postponing their match to April. This delay also pushed back Link's match with De La Hoya.

Besides his matches with Roy Jones Jr. and De La Hoya, Link had four title defense matches lined up this year.

WBA, WBC, WBO, and IBF intercontinental champions challenged him, requiring him to defend his titles.

Link relinquished the IBO and WBF titles, so he didn't have to participate in those challenges.

"After Roy Jones Jr., there are four title defenses. Our match will likely be at the end of the year."

Link said, wiping sweat with a towel.

"The end of the year?"

De La Hoya was displeased, punching a sandbag. "I'll be 37 this year, 38 by the end. Is this your strategy? You know you can't beat me now, so you're waiting for me to get old, like with Tyson?"

"You've got a sense of humor. It's Roy Jones Jr.'s problem. If you're mad, take it up with him. If you're willing, we can fight right now."

"Not now, I'm in a suit."

De La Hoya waved off the idea.

"Hey, boss, want me to help you undress?"

Morales approached with a training bag, teasingly reaching to strip De La Hoya's suit.

"Fuck! Morales, stay away from me!"

De La Hoya's punch stopped an inch from Morales' nose. Startled, Morales retreated, raising his fists defensively.

De La Hoya smirked at Link, hands in pockets, whistling as he walked away.

"Even at 37, he's still that fast."

Morales touched his nose, shaken.

Link chuckled lightly. At 37, men are in their prime, both in strength and stamina. De La Hoya's speed was indeed impressive.

With Morales' arrival, Link began sparring with him.

Emma Roberts stopped by for half an hour but was called away by her agent.

After training ended, Link drove home. Lady Gaga called, asking when they could record a song together.

Link recalled promising to collaborate with Lady Gaga at the end of last year. The song demo, "The Greatest Thing," a pop track with great lyrics and melody, had already been sent.

He scheduled it for the weekend.

Lady Gaga also mentioned wanting to cover "Legends Never Die," asking if he had given the rights to any female artist.

Link said no but felt nervous. Lady Gaga was small in stature but had a powerful voice and impressive singing skills. Her cover would likely surpass the original by Chrissy Costanza from Against the Current, a YouTube sensation.

"Link, worried I'll mess it up?"

Lady Gaga asked over the phone.

"Of course not. I'm just worried you'll outshine me. You're too talented."

"Haha, are you joking? Even if I hit the high notes, I can't capture your song's passionate intensity. I bet no one can surpass your live version."

Lady Gaga praised.

Link smiled. On February 7th, Link Music released the studio version of "Legends Never Die," followed by the live version on February 9th.

Comparisons showed 82% of fans preferred the live version, boosting its downloads.

Link agreed the live version was better, often accompanied by audience cheers and player sing-alongs.

Though the background noise was chaotic, it added authenticity, making it more passionate and powerful.

Billboard described the live version as a song recorded on the battlefield, grand and majestic, a track that could be immortalized in football league history.

With Lady Gaga wanting to cover it, Link didn't refuse. If she could enhance the song, it would be beneficial for him.

After scheduling the recording, Link hung up and drove to Universal Studios to participate in the filming of "The Expendables."

In the film, he played Roy, Stallone's assistant, a former US Special Forces member with a strong physique and excellent combat skills, also proficient in firearms.

His character was a playboy, falling for a beauty trap in South America, almost exposing their mission.

His role wasn't extensive, mainly following Stallone around fighting, with two weeks of shooting, including a trip to the Venezuelan rainforest.

In the second week of "All of Me" release, it sold 187,000 copies, ranking fifth on the singles chart.

First was "Legends Never Die," with 487,000 copies in its third week.

US cumulative sales reached 2.35 million, global sales 3.85 million, topping the singles charts in 16 countries, including France, Belgium, Canada, Sweden, New Zealand, and Australia, and entering the top ten in 47 countries.

Second was Justin's "Baby," with 425,000 copies, global cumulative sales 2.75 million.

Third was Justin's new single "Somebody To Love," with 382,000 first-week downloads.

Fourth was Lady Gaga and Beyoncé's "Telephone," with 224,000 copies.

Taylor's "Today Was a Fairytale" dropped to

sixth.

Also this week, Lady Antebellum's second album "Need You Now" hit 1.5 million US sales in seven weeks, the first 2010 US album to achieve this, with an estimated total sales of over 3 million.

Kesha's debut album "Animal," six weeks in, sold 800,000 US copies, projected to hit a million, making Kesha the rookie of the year in music.

Given this competition, for Link, Justin, and Wiz Khalifa's albums to sell well, more promotional effort was necessary.

(End of Chapter)