When Alfred accompanies Henry to that night’s fights at the Garden, he enters yet another new world with its attendant revelations on boxing and life. Outside the building is a vast array of fight fans ranging from seedy men with smashed-in faces to high-rolling Harlem gamblers in dinner jackets. Inside is a scene that is both threatening and exciting.
Mr. Donatelli’s promising prospect, Willie Streeter, is to meet Junius Becker in the featured event. Alfred is very impressed with Willie, who looks cool and confident. Jelly Belly, who has joined Alfred and Henry, is more skeptical, noting that Willie is Willie and will likely fight the fight “his way” despite Mr. Donatelli’s instructions. Alfred briefly thinks of James and the fun they once had pretending that they would be professional wrestlers.
The fight is surprisingly slow until the middle rounds when the two combatants inadvertently smash heads. Becker briefly goes to a knee, but it is Willie who has a serious cut on the outside corner of his left eye. Willie seems to quit fighting, and Becker takes the offensive. Donatelli asks the referee to stop the fight, granting Becker a victory. In the locker room, the three friends meet Bill Witherspoon, a former fighter and schoolteacher, who gives Alfred and Henry a ride home. On the stoop of Alfred’s building, Major, Hollis, and Sonny are waiting for him.
