Returning to the subject of his wife, Belarmino reaffirms his love for her but admits to having "aventuras" with more than a hint of pride. He then talks of his last professional fight in Portugal against a boxer called Sotta, one of his closest rivals. Belarmino won by a knockout, but earned a pittance for his trouble. We return to Albano Martins, who tells us of Belarmino's indiscipline, of his going out on the town the night before the fight against Sotta and having to undergo a drastic weight-loss regime on the day of the weigh-in to make the grade. Martins claims Belarmino ""podia ser grande"", but cites his lack of discipline as the main reason behind his ultimate failure. Belarmino then recounts with evident pride how he managed to be champion of Portugal, despite the hunger and hardships he had to face, and underlines the fact that he was continually cheated due to his illiteracy and innumeracy.