H-He's down!
Round 72 "Lallapallooza"
He got us! He completely aimed for it.
I didn't predict he'd use the Dempsey Roll right from the get-go!
I did it!
I can only use the Dempsey Roll before Sendo-san makes a move.
I took advantage of my greatest opportunity!
Good. It was a total surprise immediately after the bell!
His body is still tensed! This hurt him!
The guy pulled off something awesome!
This can't be for real!
He did it!
- What the heck is that?! - It's a dog! It's huge!
G-Gramps, that's no laughing matter.
This is not the time for such things!
Whoa, that's amazing, Ippo!
Cheers of joy and surprise rain down on the challenger!
And that's to be expected! It all went down in the first 14 seconds!
Sendo's fans look stunned!
They are shocked speechless!
The Tiger of Naniwa still doesn't move! Will it end like this?!
That's the Dempsey Roll?
It's not only fast, it delivers the entire body weight.
Once he starts the roll, it's unstoppable.
What a crazy thing he acquired.
This is absurd! Stand up! Snap out of it, Sendo!
What the hell are you doing?!
What have you been doing for the last 21 months?!
Ooh! The champ responds! Will he stand?!
Please stand up!
Please!
Stop counting! I'll stand.
Seven!
Eight!
I told you I'll stand!
The champion barely manages to get to his feet!
However, can he continue?!
If you try stopping me, I'll kill you!
Box!
It continues!
Makunouchi is the type who finishes what he starts! He's coming!
Whale into him, Kid!
Makunouchi goes in!
The Dempsey Roll again!
How will the champion stave it off?!
Fight, Sendo! You have to exchange!
It's too much! Get him to use his feet and establish a distance!
Sendo is the type of boxer who fights on instinct.
For now, we can only depend on his instinct!
Makunouchi's rotations get faster!
The champion is flicked around like a pinball!
A right! He dodges it!
Damn!
He turns around right into the punch!
And Makunouchi comes back for more!
I felt an impact!
He'll fall!
You fool! A knockdown hasn't been announced yet!
Finish him off, will ya?!
Oh, no!
The champion returns with a right straight!
However, it is solidly blocked!
Oh, no! Blood gushes through his blocked gloves!
The challenger retreats from the power blow through his guard.
It gives the powerful impression that this is only the beginning!
I blocked it, but it still crushed my nose!
This is Sendo-san's punch.
The same punch from 21 months ago.
No, it's superior!
It has been a mere 30 seconds since the bell rang for Round One!
In the ring, there is already a premonition of a desperate fight!
It is utterly impossible to predict the outcome!
Sendo, go in!
Don't let Makunouchi get any more pleased with himself!
I plan to, but my legs still aren't cooperating.
Move it, damn you!
Kid! Sendo hasn't recouped from the damage! Go!
He's right. Now is my chance!
Oh, my! Is it the Dempsey Roll again?!
Damn it!
Move it!
I won't let you!
Crush him!
A left from the champion!
He crushed the Dempsey Roll before it could begin!
I forgot you could do that!
Just crush him before he can start the technique!
He did that right after a knockdown! What incredible charging power!
He scored a clean hit with the Dempsey Roll, you know!
If it had been an ordinary boxer, it would have been over.
The flexibility to absorb damage.
The leg power to produce explosive charges!
These are all accredited to his highly-trained legs.
We trained his legs hard as a plan of counterattack.
It would be a shame if it proved useless.
Hey! It's our turn, so whale into him!
The champion launches a violent attack...
with the momentum to vent his anger!
Go for it!
Knock him down!
It's my own damn fault for letting my guard down right after the bell...
but I can't contain my anger!
He clobbers Makunouchi with punches through his block...
gradually forcing him back!
I can't be pushed into the ropes!
I'll fall into the same trap Shigeta-san did!
Sendo throws a smash!
Makunouchi's guard is blown away!
I can't fully block him!
I was already prepared for that!
The challenger returns a left and faces him!
Now, will it be an exchange?
If you stick close to him, he can't use the Dempsey Roll!
You're better at a standing exchange!
Don't budge, Kid!
You have the advantage at point-blank range!
Both fighters assume astride positions!
Neither shows any intention of moving aside!
It's a power battle in center ring!
He mastered that range in sparring.
Makunouchi has the advantage of more efficient navigation at close range.
How will this exchange start?
I'm coming.
I won't back down!
A left from the champion!
He dodges!
The challenger scores!
No, the champion also scores!
I got you!
Don't let him barrage you!
Oh, my! A counter to the body!
No, Sendo!
That's too much to take!
Go!
Don't treat me lightly!
No, Makunouchi!
He's in agony!
Both fighters score equally!
And with every blow, they are repelled backwards...
to clash heads together again in center ring!
And once again...
a rush of punches!
Not yet!
I'm not done yet!
The balance remains stable in center ring!
They are completely matched!
What guys!
Some really good punches are getting in, but he won't fall!
Incredible. They're beating each other to a pulp!
They don't care about guarding anymore!
It's like they're comparing...
To see who has the better punches.
Oh, my! The challenger staggers!
Go, Sendo! Take him!
Eat this!
He gives it back! This time the champion wavers!
Go, Makunouchi! This is your chance!
Amazing. Neither is backing off.
Go for it!
Stop!
Oh, and there's the bell!
Round One is over!
They shoot a glance at each other and go to their respective corners.
The sparks continue to fly after the bell.
There's the knockdown, so the first round is 10 to 8 in Ippo's favor.
Still, I'm amazed Sendo got back on his feet like that.
He must have really worked on his legs and back.
That's the only reason to explain his toughness.
The champ is really tough.
Y-Yeah.
If Makunouchi was still the same...
he wouldn't have withstood that exchange.
It's a good thing he started chopping wood after all.
Pardon? You know about him chopping wood?
Hey, the old man who runs the lodge at training camp.
That's me!
Oh.
Makunouchi worked on his upper body, and Sendo his lower body.
They both have improved their shortcomings.
From what I can see, they have an equal arsenal.
He may have scored the first knockdown...
but it's still hard to tell how it will end.
Yeah.
I was nervous when you took that knockdown.
Good job regaining yourself.
The exchange is at your pace. Hammer away at him.
My consciousness blinked on and off here and there.
I could have fallen many times for all I know.
His destructive power and toughness...
are vastly different than before.
Makunouchi is one hell of a guy.
But that's just the way I want it.
There's no shame in falling...
as long as I'm the last man standing!
Your aim from the get-go was good.
However, that exchange is life-shortening.
Don't take those head-on. Avoid them and score.
Did I take that many hits?
Bits of memory are missing and I can't be sure.
He didn't have that charging power before.
If I move to protect myself, he'll push me back all the way.
I'll just have to duke it out ready to be knocked down.
I have to out-hit him, or I won't get my chance to break through!
Listen, Kid! Sendo will undoubtedly go forward in the next round as well.
You won't be able to use the Dempsey Roll.
Use your short barrage! Lash out right before he can!
Yes, sir!
Go, Sendo!
Right!
Round Two! The fighters charge at each other!
- Slam him, Sendo! - Go, Rocky!
- Pulverize him, Makunouchi! - Tear that belt off him!
The cheers are over the edge! As if to respond to the cheers...
it's another fiery exchange of blows!
Dull thuds reverberate throughout the hall!
They are missing their marks slightly...
but every blow is a potential KO punch!
One split second of carelessness will decide the match!
Who will out-hit the other?!
Who will endure to the very end?!
It's a clash of the wills between rivals from the east and west!
What an incredible exchange!
Don't lose to him, Sendo!
Both of them look like they're dying!
Go, Makunouchi!
Makunouchi! Makunouchi!
Sendo! Sendo!
Oh, my! It's the Korakuen Hall traditional stamping of feet!
A clamor similar to an earthquake fills the hall!
But the exchange of punches isn't drowned out!
This is definitely a Lallapallooza!
That catch phrase rings true!
Th-This is amazing.
The earth really is shaking.
Shut up! Shut up!
Whoa, we're taking part in this!
Keep going, Ippo!
Don't get giddy!
The balance will tip anytime now.
What?
They share offensive and defensive strength 50-50.
They look like they're having an even fight...
but there's a conclusive difference between them.
Conclusive difference?
What do you mean? Who has the disadvantage?
Ippo.
Oh, my! Makunouchi slowly retreats!
Good, the gap is finally showing.
Why is he losing the power struggle?!
They were evenly matched a moment ago!
The unavoidable gap between them is gradually becoming apparent.
What the?
He's becoming more intimidating.
Sendo-san looks bigger to me...
than he did a second ago!
What the?
He's becoming more intimidating.
Sendo-san looks bigger to me...
than he did a second ago!
Ippo's started to realize it for himself.
Their conclusive difference is...
the difference in their build.
They may have had nearly the same weight at yesterday's weigh-in...
but boxers will build up energy in a single day...
to get into the ring with a bigger build.
Sendo, who has the larger bone structure...
probably has a weight exceeding the featherweight limit right now.
Compared to the skinny kid...
the amount of energy he can store is far more.
Well, yeah. From a simple point of view...
the bigger guy would have the advantage, but...
But Ippo came this far fighting his way past bigger guys.
And he'll do it again.
Dammit! I can't get swallowed by the pressure!
The challenger is in agony!
I'm going in one blow!
The champion launches an attack!
He's coming, Kid! Raise your guard!
Makunouchi balls up! There's nowhere he can be hit!
What will the champion do?!
He goes in anyway!
The sheer force plows through the blocked gloves!
The challenger's arms are creaking!
He defends desperately! However...
He gradually retreats!
And he still shields! If he sticks out his head...
he will be delivered a KO blow in short order!
This is a force to be reckoned with, even through the block!
Oh, my! He is now pushed back into the corner!
Such power!
One minute remains in Round Two! Will the challenger weather it?!
Right on! Don't let him get away!
Squash him!
I... I've gotta do something!
It's pointless to try to squirrel your head away!
The champion lowers his center of gravity!
He'll punch with his full body weight!
That's the attack stance he showed me in sparring!
That's a dangerous position to be in!
Endure it!
Take this!
A powerful left! Makunouchi successfully blocks!
He goes in with another!
This one is also blocked!
Endure it, endure it!
Wh-What destructive power!
Go for his gut, Sendo!
It's no use hitting his guard!
The champion keeps targeting the gloves with hard punches!
However, the challenger's guard is also firm!
Thirty seconds remain! Can he ride it out?!
Go around him, Ippo-kun!
Get out of that corner, Kid! Move!
It... it's hopeless.
I can't absorb them all.
I... I'll be crushed...
by his punches!
Makunouchi's back gives way!
They aren't scoring directly, but they are having an effect!
What punches. I can't believe it.
And I was actually looking forward...
... to fighting this guy?!
Sendo, finish him off right there!
Slaughter him!
I'm scared.
I'm so scared.
Makunouchi is falling!
He stays in!
I'll finish you!
Stop!
Round Two is over!
The champion regretfully pulls back the fist he was about to throw!
The challenger is saved by the bell!
You barely escaped with your life.
- Kid! - Ippo-kun!
Looking good, Sendo.
Yeah.
He didn't keep hammering at the gloves out of recklessness.
He did it to imprint the fear that anything he tries is hopeless.
Throwing fear into his opponents is Sendo's style of boxing.
It works like magic.
Victory is ours!
Kid!
Can you hear me, Kid?!
My arms still feel numb.
I firmly blocked him...
but I felt myself drifting away many times.
If that had gone on for another five seconds...
he would have crushed me, whether I guarded or not.
If I took THAT head-on...
what the heck would happen to me?!
Kid!
Listen! Attack instead of defend!
Sendo is the type who gets his rhythm by throwing punches.
It's the same even if he's punching through the guards!
He'll get out of control if he gets any more uppity!
Make sure you go in first! Keep taking the initiative!
Y-Yes, sir.
They're starting to lose their cool.
Run him down more and more!
Use your current rhythm to pour the pressure on him!
Yo!
Round Three, huh?
I was beaten in this round the last time we fought.
I'll give it right back to him.
Seconds out!
I'll go for the win!
The initiative! If I keep guarding, I'll eventually take one full-on.
I have to lash out first!
The challenger charges in with the bell!
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
Covering up.
To shield one's face and upper torso using both arms.
To directly guard vulnerable areas with the arms.
To put up a more firm, more accurate defense.
I can't take those punches head-on! If I do, I won't get away with it!
What power! What pressure!
I'm scared! I can't believe I'm fighting such a monster!
Round 73 "Surpass That Moment"
The next episode is, "Surpass That Moment."
Round 73 "Surpass That Moment"