Sendo must be pretty confident...
if he's sending tickets to his next challenger.
I can't wait to see how he'll fight Southpaw Shigeta-san.
What's your prediction?
I do think Sendo-san has the advantage.
He's grown even more powerful since he took the title.
I think he might take it by force in the end.
It's just that Shigeta-san has an awfully powerful right.
It's hard enough fighting a Southpaw...
but he spoils your start with powerful right jabs...
making it doubly difficult.
Sendo-san and I are the same kind of fighter...
so there's a good possibility it will be a hard fight.
You are not the same.
You and Sendo are a different type of fighter.
You're actually a better match for Shigeta.
I fear it will be hard going for Sendo this time.
For the time being, resign yourself to fighting either one.
Right.
The champion takes another hit!
His usual brilliance in slugfests is gone!
The challenger's right lead blows are landing with regularity!
Powerful Sendo-san is losing one-sidedly.
He's in good condition. His punches are sharp.
However, he can't gauge the range to fight a Southpaw.
A hair-raising swing!
But it doesn't score!
He's swinging blanks just like I did the other day.
If it were you, how would you fight him?
The challenger's lead blows glide through!
That's the punch! That punch destroys your entire rhythm!
It's difficult to time the jabs from a Southpaw...
I would step in fully.
I would throw myself at him, go into an exchange...
and render his technique and left stance useless!
Yes. You and Sendo are both in-fighters...
but your fighting range is different.
You dive in towards your opponent at close range...
and Sendo stands firm and exchanges at middle range.
To paraphrase, it's arm strength versus leg strength.
Which is better is not the issue at hand.
However, the middle range he's using...
is the most dangerous range to use against a Southpaw!
The champion's power punch swings into thin air!
The challenger is gradually taking control over the pace!
But Sendo-san's charging power is formidable...
and he has incredible power above all else.
This snotty brat is pushing his luck!
Besides, he has the one punch to end all fights!
A smash explodes!
It connected!
He diverted it?!
What the?!
He swatted it aside like it was nothing!
Diverted my smash?!
The challenger launches an attack as Sendo loses posture!
Sendo-san...
My smash isn't some wimpy punch...
that changes trajectory easily.
And he diverted it with his right arm even though he's a lefty?!
I won't accept that!
And there's the bell! Round One is over!
I can't believe that the powerful Sendo...
Yeah, he was pinned with his back to the ropes.
How could he divert Sendo-san's guard-destroying smash so easily?
I think this Shigeta character may be a real sneaky one.
If Sendo continues to be taken in like this, he could lose by KO.
Taken in?
That damn...
Sit down, Sendo. Calm yourself.
I am calm!
That bastard! He's studied me big time.
I didn't know my smash could be blocked like that.
You are the champion.
Of course they're going to study you.
I won't keep quiet after being put to shame on my home turf!
I'll nail him down in the next round!
It's okay. He'll settle it in the next round.
This is nothing for HIM!
I still hear a lot of white noise.
It'll die down soon.
Yeah, but he definitely throws a mean punch.
I can't relax just yet.
That's true.
Use your current rhythm to win the middle stage.
Yes, sir.
Yeah, his punches are incredible.
But that's all there is to Makunouchi and this guy.
That's all there is to them.
Box!
The champion goes in! He's after a KO and nothing else!
- Punch him around! - Go for it!
That was close.
How dare you act so confident!
Another right! It stops the champion!
Even Sendo-san is having trouble with it!
It's not just the timing. That right jab is powerful.
You're pissing me off!
The champ doesn't dodge, either!
It is just a jab! I can take lots, no problem!
The fool. That's no ordinary jab.
The champion is bounced back!
What the heck is this? It goes deep to my core.
Got you!
You fool!
This time the challenger is bounced back!
What a punch!
I thought it would open a hole in my stomach.
You pushed your luck, buddy!
That hurt! The champion's knees are shaking!
I screwed up. This is no joke.
Now, Shigeta! Finish him!
Whoa, a clinch!
Ah, damn it! He got away!
A clinch? Sendo-san is resorting to that?
Break! Break it up!
I don't believe it!
Break!
Is this all you've got?
Now the contenders have been separated.
The match resumes!
Box!
The champion launches an attack as though he wants to brawl!
I won't let you get away with it!
That's all I've got?!
Did you say that's all I've got?!
Calm down! You're all over the place!
Damn it, I bet that brat Shigeta said something to him!
I can't hit him!
Why?!
Why do I have to be toyed with by a loser like him?!
Another right!
The champion reels from the jab! He's fighting windmills!
Why is this loser getting the better of me?
He's taking too many rights.
The strength of them isn't jab level.
Of course they're strong. He's right-handed.
Jabs with force.
Defense that can match a power battle with smashes.
A right hook that can rattle the legs with one blow.
Shigeta is originally right-handed.
He's a right-handed Southpaw.
Forcing the original right posture into a left posture...
to produce attacks not in theory.
Of course it's powerful. He's been using his strong arm...
to his heart's content.
Then the right punch we believed was a jab...
A right!
It was actually a straight!
The champion has nowhere left to go!
Whoops, it's the bell! Round Two is over!
The champion is saved from a desperate situation!
Hey, it's a victory pose!
This is a brazen performance in the champ's home territory!
Return to your corner!
The challenger withdraws leisurely! The champion hangs his head!
Their positions appear to be completely reversed!
Sendo-san looks so bitter.
He's a proud man. He's upset with himself...
for being helpless in his home territory.
That little fool.
That behavior is inexcusable! You have things to do...
before losing yourself in bitterness and embarrassment.
Just meet the crowd's expectations to the best of your ability!
You must put everything unnecessary out of your mind...
and do your best to the end!
Ma'am?
How's your damage?
You bastard... You bastard...
It's getting to him mentally.
He's never been dissed with a victory pose to his face.
I'm also in shock. I just realized for certain...
that Shigeta is originally right-handed.
But telling that to Sendo won't get us anywhere.
It doesn't change his left stance.
Which means it's up to Sendo.
All right, good going! We have full control of the pace!
Yes, I'll keep it up.
What's wrong, boxing fans?
Where are the cheers for your champion?
The champion goes in with the bell!
Please, Sendo. You have no fetters now!
The champion retaliates! However, it doesn't reach!
The bastard evades as he stops my punches.
I can't catch him unless I slip inside!
Keep your eyes on Shigeta's right.
If you can grasp the timing, you can jump in in one swoop.
Wh-What are you talking about? That's not...
Observe before you speak!
Shigeta is already halfway to the belt!
Sendo-san will do something!
I know it!
Damn, by the time I throw after a stopped punch, it's too late!
I need speed.
I need the speed to bridge the gap in one swoop.
Poor Sendo is struggling.
He's completely fallen for the methods of Shigeta's team.
The champion's chin goes way up!
Sendo-san!
The challenger goes in to finish it!
He goes to work on demolishing the champion's stronghold!
There is no escape from the ropes!
A heartless right hook!
His back gives way!
I'm takin' the belt!
Yet another clinch!
Don't let go! Stay on him until you've recuperated!
Break it up, Sendo! Let go of him!
Is this all you've got? Makunouchi sucked, too.
There isn't much to Japan's cream of the crop.
He shakes free!
And now he's target-hitting from long range!
An overhand right!
Sendo-san, stick close to him!
He doesn't have the dart-and-dash power to...
His arm strength is undoubtedly the best in Japan!
However, boxing is not a street brawl.
This is the limit of arm strength alone.
He dodges it!
Damn! Stay put. I'll come for you again!
What?!
Get away from me!
It connected.
Sh-Shigeta!
This is what we were waiting for!
Serves you right!
Shigeta! Shigeta!
The challenger is down!
A body blow from the champion tears through him!
The match has been turned on its ear in one move!
That one punch. That's what Sendo-san has.
No, the springing power of that step-in was more incredible!
The speed to allow him to dodge while he dives.
There's no doubt. Sendo has been training his lower body.
It's probably the skill of his trainer.
He scared me for nothing.
It looks like he finally realized how to use his feet.
- Shigeta! Get up, get up! - Six!
Seven!
The challenger is up!
It looks like one punch will not finish him!
I can't let it end like this.
There's still life in his eyes. He's got guts.
Good, he's calm.
We still have our trump card.
Box!
The Tiger is angry! He attacks with fangs bared!
He trained hellishly for the deadly blow...
to turn Sendo's power punch against himself!
I'll destroy his left with a right!
A right cross!
A Southpaw's right cross is faster because the right hand is in front!
Sendo-san, watch out!
I got you!
What?!
That's fast!
Again! He's mastered full use of his legs!
Shigeta! The next one is coming! Watch out!
A right! This one also scores bang-on!
What are you doing, Shigeta?! Meet the punches like we practiced!
A left! The challenger is hung out to dry on the ropes!
The Tiger's wrath is still unabated!
Dull sounds reverberate throughout the hall!
Could this be a tad dangerous?!
He can't take any more! Shigeta-san is unconscious!
It's a smash! He is not allowed to fall!
He's gonna kill him.
Throw in the towel, Blue Corner! Save your boxer, will you?!
Damn! But you practiced so hard for this!
Sendo-san, don't!
Sendo!
The champ's arm is raised without a countdown!
The match is over!
A life-or-death KO victory in the third round!
Takeshi Sendo, Featherweight Champion of Japan...
successfully defends his title for the second time!
He's ruined.
He had Sendo driven into a corner.
He was a man of talent without a doubt.
But his cornerman abandoned him.
It's safe to assume his life as a boxer is over.
The champ approaches out of concern for the challenger's safety.
Sendo...
Despite his behavior in mid-bout, he now behaves like a gentleman.
Perhaps he is thanking him for a good fight.
I doubt I'll ever meet you in the ring again.
So I'll mention one thing.
This IS what I've got.
And now for an interview with the victor...
who flawlessly defended his title... Sendo!
I'm sorry about the lousy match I gave you today.
But I still hope you will all gather again for me.
In November, in Tokyo's Korakuen Hall...
I'll have an explosive showdown against Makunouchi!
This is big news!
It's a return match!
This will get interesting!
You go do that, Sendo!
Korakuen Hall?
Yes. The point decision with Volg was highly criticized.
Yeah.
Why don't you say something, Makunouchi?!
It's Makunouchi!
He's come to spy on us!
How dare you come to watch him?
Remember how Sendo forced that microphone act on you?
- Get him back! - B-But...
- Ooh, he's getting up! - He's gonna say something!
You're in Osaka now!
Once you have the mic, you gotta accept the challenge!
That's ridiculous.
Hurry it up, would you?!
Damn, you're irritating!
Be a man!
Good evening, everyone!
You're boring!
Who asked you to say hi?!
Uh, no... I...
Th-The match is on November 20th.
But actually my birthday is on the 23rd, you see...
- So what?! - Don't expect us to throw you a party!
I-I'm sorry! So you see...
I would like to win the title match...
to celebrate my birthday in high spirits!
Well said, Makunouchi!
Show us a good fight!
Although Sendo will win this time around!
I guess this means you've achieved a level of respect...
as the rival of their local hero.
That's a relief.
So you're the Makunouchi I've heard so much about!
Yes?
Takeshi talks about you all the time.
Takeshi?
Are you?
Yes, he's my grandson.
Oh, hello.
So, you have a fight with him coming up?
Yes.
Please put the fear of God into that idiot.
I'm counting on you.
Th-Thank you for your support.
Challenger's Green Room
So, how is Shigeta holding up?
He's conscious, but he's in no shape to be moved right now.
I think the ambulance will be here soon.
I should have thrown in the towel to end it sooner.
I'm responsible for this.
Nobody will blame you.
Right now, you should say something to thank your boxer.
Shigeta!
I lost, didn't I?
I have no idea what's going on.
What happened to me?
W-Well, you drove him to a corner.
I see. I cornered him, huh?
Shigeta, your towel.
What's wrong?!
Uh, nothing.
Chief, fix me up with another match.
I'll do it! I'll definitely do it the next time.
That's a relief. If he's talking that clearly...
I guess there aren't any disabling aftereffects.
If his health is okay, he can always challenge again.
But will there be a next time?
He is definitely scarred by the experience.
"Punch Eye."
An extreme reaction causing your body to freeze up...
and eyes to avert just from the sight of a punching-like motion.
It's a condition that occurs in boxers imprinted with fear.
To imprint a memory of fear into an opponent's brain...
Sendo is becoming quite a monster.
I also felt it again...
that he's practically a different person now!
You've changed, too!
Your fierce fights since the Sendo fight...
and training camp have also changed you. Of that I am certain.
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
Step-in.
To step in to get inside punching range.
The leg strength to instantaneously step in...
all the way to an opponent. The power to go forward.
That is a valuable weapon in close-range fighting.
The new powerfully-trained lower body.
That is the terrifying weapon he refined...
in order to defeat me!
The next episode is, "The Young Punk."