Your fists are light.
You'll need to do better to defeat me.
What?
How's the fight going?!
Dammit.
Takamura takes another hit! He's missing his usual intensity!
He's taking the challenger's blows full-on!
Damn! This is the reverse of what usually happens!
I guess the harsh diet is hurting him!
A right uppercut from Tamaki!
He'll be barraged! This is bad! He has to hit back!
The champ runs from the ropes without hesitation!
This is the first time I've seen Takamura-san run away!
His condition is so bad, he doesn't care how bad it looks!
Tamaki lands a right!
He manages to guard!
Hey, that's a right punch worthy of Takamura-san!
He can't possibly take that head-on.
He jabs out as though to swipe away the challenger!
He's being careless! His left guard is drooping!
He's being targeted!
I'll take that belt!
The champion's head gets twisted!
Takamura-san!
He takes it! The champion stands with his feet braced apart...
with a monstrous look on his face!
And there's the bell.
Round One ends with the challenger Tamaki still superior!
The hall is buzzing with excitement. If the champion Takamura...
takes a KO today, he will make a new record...
with a stunning consecutive 12 KOs since his debut.
However, he's in really bad condition. New records aside...
the fight development is jeopardizing his throne!
This is seriously bad.
His condition is too bad. He can't be expected to...
You idiot!
No matter what shape he's in, Takamura-san will win!
The big guy is our goal! He is our goal!
Y-Yeah. You're right. He'll win for sure!
Right!
You got nailed pretty bad.
Don't look so grave.
There's no way I'd lose to a guy like him.
Takamura-san, you can do it!
You gotta fight! Fight!
Fire up! Fire up!
Tell the idiotic cheering trio over there...
to chill out and enjoy the ride.
Go for it, go for it, Takamura!
The Takamura-maru is unsinkable!
I have no more technical advice to give you, but...
Seconds out!
They're telling you to get out.
L-Listen to me until I'm finished talking!
I know what you want to say.
Takamura-san!
Round Two!
Takamura steps forward!
He hurls his frame into him!
But he's pushed back instead!
The giant Takamura has lost the clash of the big horns!
You have no power whatsoever!
Tamaki pushes him into the ropes and barrages!
It's a violent attack aimed at the title!
Takamura-san...
This can't be real!
Takamura can't make a move! He's a rope-side sandbag!
I can knock him down!
Even if he's nowhere near peak condition...
I can knock down the champion...
known as the most powerful active boxer!
All right!
Those aren't the eyes of a man near defeat.
Does this mean my punches aren't having an effect?
Or is he trying to lead me somewhere?
Please keep going, Takamura-san!
Takamura-san! Takamura-san!
Uh-oh. I seriously fainted there.
Why didn't this bastard come to get me while he could?
I get it. He chickened out.
Come on and hit me, you thug!
Oh, my! Takamura taunts Tamaki!
What's wrong?! Tamaki won't attack!
Good job. It's a feint with the eyes.
The challenger is starting to hesitate.
There's no way it's not having an effect.
He should fall after one more attack.
One more attack!
See? He can't make a single move. He's hurting!
Lash out, Takamura-san!
What are you doing?!
Takamura-san!
It connects!
A counterpunch! Was this effective?!
The champion tumbles over!
Takamura-san...
Don't you remember what you told me?!
You told me that champions have a special power!
Show it to me.
Please show it to me!
You're mine!
Takamura lands a blow! He waves away the uppercut!
The challenger showed hesitation.
He aimed for it!
He got me.
But he should have more damage than me!
My legs!
Takamura!
There are small fry striving to be great like me.
I must continue to be their goal!
The champion is also hurting.
I trained for this for dear life, just like him!
He's a human being, just like me!
There's no way I can't defeat him!
Know this...
a champion carries many burdens!
The fists of a champion are stained with all sorts of guys!
The fists of a champion are special!
We are not the same!
H-He did it.
The match is over!
He did it!
I believed in you, Takamura-san!
You made me damned uncomfortable!
Takamura successfully defends his title...
for the third time by KO reversal!
And now for the interview with the winner, Takamura.
You won, but that was certainly a painful defense fight.
Maybe he'll explain what he meant...
when he told me that the fists of champions are special!
I just gave him a little leeway, that's all.
I thought I'd give the guys who paid to see this a real show.
Did you guys enjoy it a little?
Huh?
What are you talking about, fool?! I read the weekly gossip rag!
You screwed up your diet by chasing after chicks!
Don't screw with boxing fans!
It's hopeless.
This isn't the right atmosphere to say anything poignant.
Actually, being a champion means...
Is he gonna say it?
Hey, interviewer girl! Watch out!
He'll make a play for you right in the ring!
Don't worry!
You can get away from him in front of a hotel!
Don't let it bother you.
Do you think I'm not popular with the chicks?!
You see here? She's delighted to be with me!
She's hating it!
That's sexual harassment, you rapist!
Is that any way for a champion to behave?!
This is the worst.
Keep your head down! They'll think we're with him.
If anyone has a problem with that, step into the ring!
I'm stuffed! Yagi-chan was real thoughtful...
to order blowfish for my celebration party.
Still, what was up with that unseemly cheering?
People might think I was gonna lose.
But the way it was developing...
I told you that I'd show you the power of a champion.
I definitely sensed something special.
Do you think my fists are light?
That's what Date-san told me.
At first I thought it was a taunt...
but after watching your match...
I began to think that there's a huge difference...
between a champion and a challenger.
Yeah, 'cause you currently have 10 consecutive KO wins.
It's not like success has gone to my head...
but I don't think I can defeat him with light punches.
You have punching power. You're stronger than the old guy.
Then why?
"Light" has a different meaning.
Meaning?
Take today's match for example.
If you guys hadn't been there...
my punches might have been a little lighter.
A lot of things accompany champion status.
Guys who have expectations of you.
Guys who place their dreams on you.
Guys who look up to you as their goal.
Your fists are haunted with all of their unfulfilled dreams!
Unfulfilled dreams?
Do you understand what I mean?
The fists of a champion are always heavy with stuff like that.
Which means the old guy's fists are real heavy!
They did feel incredibly heavy to me.
Fists haunted with the unfulfilled dreams of all sorts of guys.
My own fists came from the love of boxing...
but that's all there is to them.
What sort of mindset should a challenger face a fight with...
in order to win?
Several Days Later
Hello?
He lost!
Huh? What's wrong, Kimura-san?
The Junior Light champion lost.
Mashiba's the new champ.
Mashiba-san won?! That's great!
You fool! Think of how I feel!
I have to make my goal to fight a guy who isn't even human!
That's not nice.
Imagine him with the belt around his waist.
You just imagined something horrific, right?
Yes.
Anyway, my new motto is "Down with Mashiba." Bye!
So, Mashiba-san is the champion.
I'd love to ask him...
if the champion's fists felt heavy to him...
and how it felt to fight him.
Hello?
Good evening, this is Mashiba.
It's his little sister, Kumi!
Oh! It- It's been a long time! Good evening!
My big brother had a match today.
I heard he's the new champion! Congratulations!
Thank you. Um, it's about that.
I've prepared a celebration party...
but he has no friends...
so nobody is coming.
If it's no trouble, would you please come?
No, this is no time to get giddy!
I want to ask him for his impression of the title match!
Nobody's answering.
Um, it's me, Makunouchi.
Come in.
R-Right.
Excuse my intrusion.
Why is it pitch-black in here?
It's still up!
They're probably planning to switch on the lights to surprise me.
Sit.
R-Right!
Um, where's Kumi-chan?
"Chan?"
Uh, no! Um...
Where's your little sister?
She went out to buy something.
Oh, I see.
Congratulations on your accomplishment today!
No, really. You're a champion at last, huh?
So, how did you find your opponent?
I heard he was an incredibly strong champion.
In which round did he go down?
I hope she gets home quick.
Round Seven.
A KO in Round Seven? That's amazing.
B-But the champion was amazing, too, right?
That he could last seven rounds against you...
after upping your weight class.
So, is there something special about a champion?
Like their intensity or their dignity?
Or maybe the weight of their fists?
They're nothing special.
R-Really?
I merely fought the way I always do.
It's a pity he didn't go to sleep sooner.
He wouldn't give up, so I made him into a gooey mess.
It was a title match, but he did it just like normal?
You really do talk different when you're strong.
Why is it so dark in here?
Makunouchi-san, thanks for coming.
Sorry to intrude.
I'm sorry about today.
Everyone at his place of work...
says they'll have a party for him in a few days...
but I really wanted to have one on the same day.
No, stuff like this should take place on the same day.
After all, he doesn't appear to have any fight fatigue.
That's not the face of someone who had an easy fight.
He was in a death match just a little while ago.
For 21 minutes over 7 rounds!
That's the face of someone who fought for dear life.
He risked his life to come back with that belt!
Excuse me.
Uh, right. Let's have a good time.
H-Here.
Ryo, congratulations on becoming the champion!
Congratulations!
He's mad! He doesn't like stuff like this.
It was terrifying today.
I couldn't watch all of it.
That's because the champ defended his title 5 times already.
But he KO'd him in 7 rounds. You always impress me!
Thanks a lot for coming today.
It looks like I just made him grumpy instead.
That's not true. He looked very happy.
Did you see the wrinkles forming between his eyebrows?
That's how he looks when he's trying not to laugh.
I haven't seen so many wrinkles there in a long time.
That's how he looks when he's happy?
Still, it must be nice to have a sibling.
Someone to throw you a party and be happy for you.
I'm an only child.
Your title match is coming up soon, too, isn't it?
Uh, yes.
I'll throw you a celebration party.
I want to thank you for today anyway, and I'll celebrate it for sure.
Wow! She looked incredibly cute just now!
But in my case, there's no guarantee I'll win.
I believe it was the same for my brother.
I believe he was incredibly uneasy before the match.
But he said he would try as hard as usual...
and really went out the door as though nothing was different.
I have no idea what I'm talking about.
As though nothing was different, huh?
Maybe that's all you can do in the end.
Once you practice all you can...
you just have to do your best in the ring.
No matter who my opponent is, I'll make it a good fight.
I'll make it a fight I can be proud of.
That is set in stone. I'll go about it as usual!
This is far enough, thanks. I'll run a little on the way home.
Makunouchi-san!
Give it your best!
Please become the champion!
I'll give it my best!
KAMOGAWA Boxing Gym
All right, Kid. Are you ready?
Yes, sir!
An all-around champion...
versus a challenger with remarkable growth.
Makunouchi's liver blow is a winner.
But that's only if he can throw it.
When he uses the liver blow...
it leaves him momentarily unguarded.
That won't escape Date...
because he has a heart.
He'll attack him with the Heart Break shot.
And if he shrinks back to guard it, he won't be able to use his left.
All right, jump at him!
That's the way! Get close enough to take it into a clinch.
He needs distance to throw his corkscrew blow!
If you're that close to him, there's nothing to fear.
Yes, sir!
All right, resume!
That's the Chief for you.
He's foreseen his left being blocked off.
He'll reserve the left for blocking...
get close, and smother the corkscrew.
However, if he gets that close...
it'll reduce his own punches to half power.
There will be almost no openings to throw punches.
All right! That's enough.
I'm surprised.
Come to think of it, a champ once said...
that if your fist is at least 10 cm away...
you can knock down a man.
At that range, you can concentrate all of your strength into a fist.
If you have a strong lower body like Makunouchi...
I'm really looking forward to this match now.
Takamura-san protected his.
Mashiba-san took his.
And now it's my turn!
I get up again
With my wounded body
Tomorrow's the only way to go
If that's the fate of the human race
I will grab tomorrow with my only hands
Even if I can't deal
With my long, long life
I don't want to mistake the place to live
With the place to die
I can't help myself
Dreaming the same dream
Title match.
A match waged between a champion and a challenger over a belt.
A fight to determine the true positions of two boxers...
one called the best, versus one seeking to become the best.
Three years ago, I never imagined I'd be in a match like this.
But now, I'm dying to climb into that ring!
Right now, I believe I would like to fight with my full strength!
The next episode is, "The Japan Featherweight Title Match."