Question

tomorrow affect his relationship with felix?
after all, fighting was like any other profes-
sion. friendship had nothing to do with it.
a gnawing doubt crept in. he cut negative
thinking real quick by doing some speedy
fancy dance steps, bobbing and weaving
like mercury. the night air
was blurred with perpetual
motions of left hooks and
right crosses. felix,
his amigo brother,
was not going to be
felix at all in the ring. just an
opponent with another face.
antonio went to sleep, hear-
ing the opening bell for the first round. like
his friend in the south bronx, he prayed for
victory via a quick clean knockout in the
first round.

large posters plastered all over the
walls of local shops announced the fight
between antonio cruz and felix vargas as
the main bout.

the fight had created great interest in
the neighborhood. antonio and felix were
well liked and respected. each had his own
loyal following. betting fever was high and
ranged from a bottle of coke to cold hard
cash on the line.

antonio’s fans bet with unbridled faith
in his boxing skills. on the other side, felix’s
admirers bet on his dynamite - packed fists.

felix had returned to his apartment
early in the morning of august 7th and
stayed there, hoping to avoid seeing

read and discuss what is going on with the boys now?
reading focus (compare and contrast identify the
phrase that signals the use of contrast in this paragraph.
antoniosleep, the op bell f first r

Explanation:

To answer the question "What is going on with the boys now?" based on the passage:

The passage describes Antonio and Felix (friends and boxers) preparing for their upcoming fight (the main bout, announced via posters). Antonio is mentally preparing (fighting negative thoughts, praying for a quick knockout), and Felix is avoiding seeing others (stayed in his apartment) as the fight has generated neighborhood interest (loyal followings, betting fever).

Answer:

Antonio and Felix, who are friends and boxers, are preparing for their upcoming boxing match (the main bout). Antonio is mentally gearing up (fighting doubts, praying for a quick win), while Felix is staying in his apartment to avoid others. The fight has created great neighborhood interest, with fans betting on either boxer.