The two fighters stood in their corners, crouched low, eyes locked across the canvas.

Neither blinked. Neither moved more than a subtle bounce on their toes.

The on watchers had gone quieter than usual, sensing the tension between teammates about to turn into opponents.

The referee stepped between them, glancing left, then right. "Ready?" he called out, pointing at Ronny. Ronny gave a short nod, his mouthguard flashing briefly. The ref turned to Ayo. "Ready?" Ayo nodded as well, his jaw set.

A beat of silence passed.

"Fight!"

The word cut through the air, and the two men exploded forward out of their corners, the sound of their steps echoing off the canvas as the first round began.

The referee stepped back and signaled for the fight to begin.

Ronny moved first, light on his toes, bouncing side to side with his lead hand dangling low and his chin tilted just out of range.

Ayo stood almost still, his weight centered, shoulders squared, eyes locked on Ronny. He didn't need to chase.

Every step forward was measured, closing space without rushing.

Ronny flicked out a quick jab, more for range than power. It touched Ayo's guard and he immediately pivoted off to his left.

Ayo followed with a short step, keeping him in front.

Ronny threw a calf kick, fast and snappy, but Ayo's leg barely shifted. He stayed planted, waiting for something worth committing to.

Another jab came, this time doubling up. The first was a feint, the second a touch to the head.

Ronny tried to sneak in a left cross behind it, but Ayo dipped his head and rolled the punch off his shoulder, answering with a short hook that whistled just past Ronny's chin.

Ronny grinned and circled away, kicking again to the calf. The slap of shin on muscle was louder this time.

Ayo took a step forward and fired a straight right that looked like a battering ram.

Ronny leaned back, letting it graze past, but the air displacement alone was enough to make the crowd react.

They reset in the center. Ronny's footwork was constant, shifting stance, trying to make Ayo overcommit.

He feinted a rear uppercut and pivoted into a left hook, but Ayo caught it on his glove, stepping in with a heavy jab that jolted Ronny's head back. The sound of it was a thud, not a slap, dense, solid.

Ronny shook it off and returned to the calf kick, angling off before Ayo could plant and throw back.

Every time he touched the leg, Ayo's stance stiffened a little, but the Nigerian still pressed forward.

Ronny tried a quick three-piece, jab, cross, lead uppercut, but the uppercut was smothered as Ayo stepped into him, forcing a clinch against the fence.

Inside the clinch, Ayo's size showed. He dug an underhook, locking Ronny's arm while pressing his forehead into the Irishman's jaw.

A short right hand to the body landed with a dull thump.

Ronny tried to circle out, but Ayo's weight pinned him for a moment longer before the referee called for separation.

Back in open space, Ronny picked up the pace. He snapped another jab, missed with a straight, then slid to the side to rip a kick to the body.

Ayo stepped through it, throwing a monstrous right hook that just missed as Ronny ducked and countered with a short left to the jaw.

It landed clean, drawing a reaction from the sides.

Ayo nodded, unfazed, and pushed forward again, throwing a double jab into a right hand that cracked into Ronny's guard, forcing him back to the fence.

Ronny rolled with it and fired back a sharp counter right, then immediately circled away, refusing to be trapped.

Every exchange was a clash of style, Ronny's precision and angles against Ayo's raw pressure and power.

Neither man had landed a fight-ending shot yet, but both had tasted enough to know the other was dangerous.

The round still had time.

Ayo's pressure tightened like a vice as the seconds bled off the clock.

He started doubling his jab, forcing Ronny to parry high before digging a heavy right hand into the ribs.

The sound was a deep thud that carried through the room. Ronny's teeth clenched, but he kept circling, never giving Ayo the flat-footed target he wanted.

Ronny switched stance mid-step, flicking a southpaw jab to the forehead before snapping a left kick to the calf.

Ayo ate it without breaking stride, stepping into a right cross that slammed into Ronny's guard hard enough to make him stumble back.

The follow-up was immediate, a short left hook to the temple that sent Ronny's head snapping to the side.

Ronny retreated, bouncing off the fence, and Ayo surged forward.

A looping overhand right grazed Ronny's crown, followed by a shovel hook to the body that folded him at the waist for half a second.

Sensing blood, Ayo unloaded, left hook, right hook, and an uppercut that brushed Ronny's chin.

Ronny kept his composure. He slipped a wide right and fired a piston-like straight down the middle.

It smacked clean off Ayo's nose, halting him for a moment.

Ronny stepped out, shook his arms loose, then darted back in with a fast one-two and a hook to the body.

Ayo grinned and advanced again, but his footwork was less explosive now.

Ronny's calf work was paying dividends, the lead leg was starting to carry more weight.

Still, the Nigerian's power didn't fade. He caught Ronny stepping left with a chopping right hand that rattled his jaw.

Ronny reset, flicking feints with his lead hand, making Ayo bite.

When the opening came, he shot a quick jab to draw the guard, then pivoted and hammered a left hand over the top.

The shot landed flush, and Ayo took a step back for the first time.

Sensing momentum, Ronny stayed on him, jab, cross, spinning back kick to the midsection. Ayo absorbed it, but his breathing was heavier now, his guard a touch lower.

The round's final minute had the corners standing.

Ayo cornered Ronny once more, trapping him against the fence. Hooks and uppercuts came in rapid succession, but Ronny's head movement slipped most of them.

He caught Ayo clean with a counter left as the horn sounded, sending a mist of sweat into the air.

This was only Round 1, and both men had already landed bombs.