Thank you for waiting, everyone.
The WBC World Middleweight title match will now begin!
This is it.
Whew! Made it just in time, you betcha.
"You betcha"?
Nekota-san, you were here, too?
You're late. You missed our fights!
Did not. I saw everything, you betcha!
You both got great KOs.
He didn't see them...
Where's Makunouchi?
He got nervous and ran to the bathroom.
Gotta hurry or I'll miss their entrances!
Hold up.
Miyata-kun!
Congrats on the KO victory!
Whatever.
There's something I need you to confirm for me.
It's about Takamura-san.
Hawk vs. Eagle
Something's wrong with his eye?
Yeah.
His right eye, I think.
It'd depend on the symptoms, but at worst, it could be a detached retina.
O-Oh, no...
If that's true, then he's in no condition to fight!
I'm just saying it's a suspicion I had.
Has Takamura-san been acting strange at all?
I don't know...
If not, then fine. Hopefully I'm just overthinking this.
But if by some chance I'm not...
We...
We'll need to stop the fight.
His career is on the line.
In the blue corner: the challenger!
Here he comes: the former WBC World Junior Middleweight Champion,
Takamura Mamoru!
The ambitious fighter who declared
that a second world title is just a checkpoint
climbs into the ring!
Just the kind of grand stage you love.
Go nuts.
Go, Takamura!
We believe in you!
You're a champ!
You'll win this!
You can't lose!
And in the red corner: the champion!
Takamura's strong!
Might as well leave your belt and run!
Here's the Olympic gold medalist,
who won the title in his 15th fight as a pro.
He has known nothing but glory.
However, his talent is backed by an undeniable investment of effort.
The super champ now stands before Takamura.
They call him the "Golden Eagle"! David Eagle enters the ring!
In the red corner, fighting at 158.75 pounds, from America:
the WBC World Middleweight Champion...
David "Golden" Eagle!
In the blue corner, fighting at 160 pounds, from the Kamogawa Gym,
ranked third in the WBC middleweight division...
Takamura Mamoru!
You'll be okay... right, Takamura-san?
You see that?
What?
The belt!
Lose the wistful look, old man. I'm gonna get it for you.
It's not going around my waist!
Don't you want it?
W-Well, of course I do...
Can't hear you.
Shut up! I said I want it, all right?!
I see. You want it, do ya?
The fighters are called to the center of the ring.
Will Takamura conquer a second weight class,
or will the champ crush his ambitions?
What a wise-ass he is. Just a second ago, he was goofing off.
The ref finishes going over the rules,
and they return to their corners.
And now, the fight everyone's been waiting for
is about to begin at last!
Keep those eyes open.
The fists are gonna fly right off the bat!
Whose?
Both of them!
There's the bell!
The battle between these two birds of prey has begun!
A left from the champ! His jab looks almost like a straight!
Weak.
The challenger's left hits hard, as well!
No feeling things out.
I'm gonna grind you down to nothing!
They trade lefts!
No clean hits yet,
but the exchange is hair-raising to watch!
They start with a test of strength.
They're both trying to muscle their way into controlling the fight.
He's okay.
If he can keep up with that kind of speed,
his right eye must be fine.
Yeah.
Either way, whoever comes out on top of this exchange will have the advantage.
The champ reels! Takamura lands the opening hit!
He follows with an immediate right that grazes the champ's cheek!
The champ backed off!
He's definitely going to be more cautious now.
The champ switches from trading jabs to a defensive stance!
Crawling into your shell like a baby turtle...
But I'll crack it open!
The challenger rushes in with a heavy combo!
Yes! He's got control!
Maybe it's from going back to his own weight class,
but he seems stronger than ever.
He's keeping a solid guard on his face,
but his body's wide open! I can hit it!
It's pissing me off, though. His face is too damn composed.
Is he trying to trick me into going low? Or...
Oh, my! The challenger's backed against the ropes!
But he stepped in first. When did he...
There are many ways to pressure your opponent.
Cornering him without throwing a punch is one of them.
Takamura's about to be drawn into the kind of fight he's worst at.
And his only weakness might end up exposed.
Weakness?!
Takamura is a genius when it comes to brawls.
His animal instincts are sharp enough
to catch prey even at the world level.
But this is boxing, not a street fight.
In the cage we call the ring, wild beasts can be brought down.
The champ inches closer!
You bastard...
You're making it look like I'm backing off in fear!
The challenger charges in again!
The champ tightens his guard further!
His body's open.
Is it a trick?
What do I do?
It can't be a trick. He's got his hands full just blocking me!
If I go for the body, I'll crush him!
That's what any normal person would think.
I'd rather take the hard road.
He needs to learn I'm way better than anyone he's faced before!
What an amazing counter!
He dodges by the skin of his teeth!
What was that?
That straight was like a spear.
If he'd been hit...
He'd be in big trouble.
Damn. He was tricking me into punching high?
Wise guy, huh?
The champion glares from behind his guard, pressuring the challenger!
I'm immune to pressure, pal.
C'mon, take a swing!
A taunt! He drops his guard, daring the champ to attack!
But the champ doesn't take the bait.
He simply continues to stare Takamura down!
Bastard! You think you can beat me without punching?!
The challenger gets impatient and attacks again!
It's a fierce onslaught from all angles!
The champ responds with a rapid-fire barrage of lefts!
But the challenger deftly dodges!
And there's the bell. Round one is over.
Finally realized you were in danger and had to throw some punches, huh?
That's more like it.
What is it, Takamura?
Did you see him staring at me?
Gives me the creeps. So, what'd you think?
Stop talking. Catch your breath.
He was staring at him the entire round.
Don't let your guard down. He's going to kick up the pace soon!
Relax. I'll beat him down soon enough.
The world's gonna see how strong I am,
now that I'm back in my original weight class!
Okay, just like we planned.
Just do what you always do in round two.
Seconds out.
Round two!
The challenger comes out swinging hard again!
He picks up the pace!
That's it! Keep on him!
Belt number two is right in front of you!
Wait, is he actually gonna win that way?
Takamura! Takamura!
Looks like it...
You betcha!
He'd better!
I've never seen Takamura-kun in such great shape!
His condition and his punches are as good as they get.
He's absolutely at 100 percent tonight!
But...
Even that non-stop assault hasn't been enough
to push Eagle to the ropes.
He's sticking it out in the center of the ring.
That's why he's the champ.
He knows if he backs up even a bit, he's finished.
Is that all you can see?
It may look like a repeat of the first round, but not quite.
He's shifted from using arm blocks and parrying for defense
to mostly shoulder blocks.
He's defending closer to his body.
Eagle still looks so calm, even amidst that assault.
If he's able to handle him that well,
it means he's figured out Takamura's rhythm.
His rhythm?
And I'd say he's got a good idea of what he needs to do.
Then...
It means...
He'll attack!
The champ throws a right straight!
What?
He's instantly knocked back into the corner!
Have the tables been turned?
Eagle's style of boxing is Takamura's greatest weakness.
It's no surprise he rose to the top of both the Olympics
and the pro circuit!
You can't out-muscle a boxer like him.
He fights at such a high level,
he'll always be two or three steps ahead.
Don't punch carelessly!
He strikes just as Takamura finishes up!
The champ punches with pinpoint accuracy!
Incredible...
He's hitting Takamura-san cleanly just from picking up his rhythm.
That's not all he's picked up.
He must have a grasp of his personality to some degree, too.
That's why he's not fully committing to his punches.
He's not?
But why?
He could be doing heavy damage if he followed through.
What the hell's with the little love taps?
Quit staring at me!
Again?!
He could be doing more damage, but he's choosing not to.
He's making that perfectly clear to Takamura.
Of course, that's only making him angrier.
Whoa, what a swing!
Keep going! One hit and he'll be out!
Oh, no! He'll never connect with huge swings like that!
Exactly. And that's what Eagle wants.
Another weak punch.
There's no doubt now.
He's pulling punches...
against me?!
Damn you!
He got all of that one.
I knew it!
He was waiting for him to lose his cool?!
Damn punk...
He felt that one! He's hurt!
Takamura!
Crap!
Damn it. My legs won't work!
Move!
This again?
I can't believe Takamura-san's being cornered so easily.
He's amazing.
Don't praise the opponent, you moron!
The champion finally attacks!
He unleashes his first combo of the match! The challenger's got nowhere to run!
When the risk is high, he holds his punches,
and when he sees me swing wide, he lets loose.
All while cutting off my escape routes.
Low risk, high return...
Perfectly sound boxing.
It's a pain in the ass!
I can't box if I have to think about every little thing!
What does one even call that punch?!
Incredible force from the unlikeliest of positions!
You can't explain me away with logic!
I'm gonna knock that brainy head of yours clean off!
Chaos against rationality...
I thought it'd come to this.
Takamura-san can always fall back on this!
Common sense can't explain that!
The champ's confused!
Get him!
Go, go!
The champ fires sharp, rapid lefts!
But the challenger dances all around them!
Another blow from an unbelievable angle! You won't find that in a textbook!
So close!
You're almost there!
Take him out!
That's it for round two!
The champ's feet were off the ground!
If he hadn't blocked, he'd be toast!
He'll get him next time.
There's hope yet!
That counter really pissed me off.
My legs were numb all the way down to my toes.
Eagle's got some damn good punches.
Of course he does. He's the world champion!
Still, it drives me nuts.
Boxing's not chess, for heaven's sake.
You win with your fists!
Planning out every little thing can't work in a fight!
Especially one against me!
Takamura! Takamura!
The crowd's expectations for the challenger echo in round three!
Takamura! Takamura!
So close!
You almost had him!
If that had hit...
Go, Takamura!
It's all Eagle can do to keep him at bay with lefts.
It's a matter of time before Takamura-san nails him.
I wonder about that.
He's down!
David Eagle has been playing us this whole time.
One!
Two!
Three!
He went down...
He stopped that insane offense in one shot.
Four!
Five!
He's strong! The champion's super-strong!
Six!
Seven!
Oh! He's up!
He doesn't appear to be injured.
But...
Look at his face!
It looks like his pride was hurt more than anything. He's livid!
The champion slowly advances.
The challenger as well... with no guard!
He's mad. He's absolutely furious!
The enraged challenger throws out huge bombs!
They look like they could kill you in one shot. He's out for blood!
But they all miss! They fly futilely through the air!
That's scary and all, but...
He'll never hit him with those wide swings!
Calm down. He's aiming for a counter punch!
I've never seen Takamura-kun like this. It looks like he's totally lost it.
He has lost it.
There's nothing he hates more than being forced into something,
and he knows he's been manipulated into doing what
Eagle wanted this whole time.
To him, there's nothing more humiliating.
He's like a caged hawk that can only crash against the bars.
He got him!
He hangs on the ropes to avoid another down
just as round three ends!
The champ casually struts away,
as if to say, "All is going according to plan!"
Who would've imagined Japan's mighty hawk
would be controlled so easily?
The Golden Eagle exudes an aura of perfection!
He looks so confident.
I hate to admit it, but the quality of his boxing isn't even the same.
What a difference...
You've taken complete control of the pace.
Absolutely flawless so far.
You were right. He's the same kind of guy Hawk was:
completely reliant on his talent and simple brawling.
That type is no match for your experience and years of effort.
Just finish the job nice and easy.
I'm fighting for my life.
Eagle?
I'm fighting for my life out there!
Every punch I have to dodge sends shivers down my spine.
Do you realize how nerve-wracking it is
every time I go to counter-punch him?!
Wipe off the sweat. Don't let the other corner see him!
I didn't realize Takamura's punches
were taking such a mental toll on Eagle.
Takamura-kun, gargle!
Catch your breath first!
Shut the hell up!
I'm fine!
You have a plan?
I do.
A Lesson Never Forgotten