If I took THAT head-on...
what the heck would happen to me?!
Round Three, huh?
I was beaten in this round the last time we fought.
I'll give it right back to him.
I have to lash out first!
The challenger charges in with the bell!
Round 73 "Surpass That Moment"
I have to lash out before Sendo-san!
Before he can!
What are you doing?! Hit him!
Oh, yeah! I have to attack!
I must attack!
This is big!
What the heck is that?!
That looks just like a round-house punch!
That idiot.
Now the champion lashes out!
The challenger ducks!
The champion smashes! It barely grazes him!
If I took that, my head would fly off my neck!
He's coming! What do I do?!
The initiative!
Oh, yeah! The initiative!
I have to...
lash out!
Th-That idiot.
No. I can't take a punch like this.
What the hell is that supposed to be, Makunouchi?!
Guard! I have to guard!
That fool! Didn't he hear what I said?!
Look at you, balled up like a turtle.
Is this how you box?!
I'm truly disappointed.
Guarding that firmly...
will only prolong your defeat a little more.
He's coming.
He's coming from the left!
I dodged it! What's next?
A right! I'll block it...
A left?! But it looked like a right!
This time it's a left!
A right? But how? That's ridiculous!
It's a fierce attack from Sendo!
Makunouchi is pinned down!
He'll be pressed back by sheer power!
A left!
Another right! What's happening?
I'm so confused!
What are you doing?!
You won't get anywhere if you keep running around!
It's a feint.
Huh?
Sendo is mixing feints in with his punches.
And Ippo's getting suckered by them.
And they're not ordinary feints.
They definitely look like the real thing to Ippo.
'Cause each and every feint is laced with killer intent.
Killer intent?
The trick that you showed us in camp?
Ippo loses by flinching.
Once the fear is imprinted, it's not easy to shake it off.
Makunouchi should be anticipating...
Sendo's every move with fear by now.
We have complete control of this match.
I was naive.
How could I have looked forward to fighting someone like this?
It's ridiculous to look forward to this.
I don't know what to do.
He's too strong.
I'm scared. I'm scared!
The challenger has backed into a corner on his own!
Has he been overwhelmed by the champion's drive?!
Ippo! What are you doing?!
Makunouchi...
it can't end like this.
What have you used that you learned in training camp?!
Please show me how you've grown!
Is he getting timid?!
Don't monkey around with me!
How long are you gonna stay balled up like that?!
He's coming!
That's what I call monkeying around!
The champion's barrage has begun!
Right now, you only look like a sandbag to me!
It's a storm-like attack! Makunouchi is devoted to defense!
Is there nothing he can do?!
How long are you going to be so cowardly?!
Do you think I can't take down a wimpy boxer...
like the one you're pretending to be?!
An uppercut blasts into him!
His neck twists!
He narrowly dodges the next blow!
However, he has no leeway!
Is it only a matter of time before he falls?!
What are you doing, Makunouchi?!
- Lash out! - Fight back!
This is just absolutely pathetic!
What a pitiful state for a title match!
Weather out this round and come on back!
I'll give you a good slap that'll knock some sense into you!
Persevere, Ippo-kun!
The Chief wants you to come back.
He has expectations of you.
The Dempsey Roll may be in check...
but you still have a weapon.
The weapon you used in the Volg fight and the Date fight...
is still lying there unused!
It is the only weapon...
that can go against your fear of Sendo.
It connects!
This one hurt!
I can't go on any more.
I can't stay on my feet.
I'm not good enough...
to beat Sendo-san.
It's over.
It's over? How come?
Surely...
I did everything I could.
Did I use that?
No...
I haven't!
This is a shame, Makunouchi. I'm disappointed.
I didn't know that in the 21 months we didn't see each other...
you had turned into such a useless boxer.
I'll bring this god-awful match to a close.
It's the third round, about when you defeated me before.
I haven't fully used it.
I haven't fully used what I've learned so far.
I'll do the exact opposite to you!
But what should I do?
What have I done so far?
Once I swing this, it's over!
I don't want it to end.
Sendo smashes!
I can't let it end!
Whoops, now the champion backs off!
What happened?!
Wh-What was that?
And there's the bell signaling the end of Round Three!
The challenger has again been saved by the bell!
Didn't he throw a punch just now?
That's sure what it looked like.
I... I'm saved.
This is bad for the heart.
Tell me about it. Still, I know he was saved and all...
but what happened to Sendo there?
Yeah, it's unlike him not to attack a defenseless opponent.
Actually, maybe Ippo did defend himself.
Oh! With a feint.
Maybe at the moment when all seemed lost...
Ippo used a feint of killer intent.
So that's why Sendo backed off!
Right, except his feint wasn't made of killer intent.
What's wrong? Couldn't you take it all the way?
It's not like you to leave something undone.
Was it because it was the round you were defeated in the last time?
Yeah.
No, that's not it.
Right before the end, I had a premonition.
He isn't dead yet.
Don't talk. Keep breathing deep!
Concentrate on recuperating!
I can't let it end.
I trained so hard for this.
I have to fully use what I learned.
Yeah.
Yeah, but what did I learn?
My brain isn't working.
I forget. What have I done so far?
Pull yourself together, Makunouchi!
You have to counterattack in the next round!
That's right! The fight has only just begun!
Ippo!
The Dempsey Roll is not the sum of its components!
There are other ways to punch than just punching.
It's hopeless! I can't do it like Nekota-san.
And that about sums it up.
I-I remember now.
The expression on Ippo-kun's face has changed!
That's it. That's the look I want to see.
I doubt he needs a slap now.
Sendo saw what was emanating from those eyes.
That is the one and only weapon that can overcome fear...
and is Ippo Makunouchi's most powerful weapon.
Courage!
Seconds out!
Your opponent is groggy! Calm down!
Don't let him get away this time!
Right.
Was what I saw an illusion?
Or was there really something to it?
I'll go make sure.
The fight has only just begun! Go and push back the tide!
Yes, sir!
It's all right. My legs can still move.
I still have plenty of stamina. I can still do this.
It's thanks to training camp. Thanks to that training.
I'm obviously getting results!
I have to be confident!
He looks good and determined. We can be hopeful for this round!
R-Really, sir?
Excuse me.
We heard a dog bark in this vicinity.
Have you seen it anywhere?
No, I haven't seen any dogs.
How could a dog possibly be in here?
You're hearing things.
I see.
Now Round Four begins.
Well, this is unusual! Both fighters start off calmly...
and observe each other's condition!
The mood is slightly different for this round!
They don't move! An oppressive atmosphere envelops the hall!
Ryo, what's wrong with Sendo-san?
I'm glad that he's not attacking, but...
He's hesitating.
The Tiger of Naniwa's animal instincts...
are making him hesitate before going in.
It's those eyes!
In the Eastern Japan Rookie of the Year tournament final...
the bastard had the same eyes...
when he got up from a knockdown.
The irritating look in his eyes hasn't changed!
I wish I could trade places with Sendo and take him myself!
Ryo?
He definitely aimed something at me...
right before the end of Round Three.
Is there a punch you can throw bent over?
Damn. It's a waste of time to think too much.
I'll have to go in to find out anyway!
The challenger breaks the silence!
Unlike before, he goes right in!
I have to be confident!
All I did was train to win.
If I use all of my training, I should win!
A smash!
He stops it!
Damn! I used too many smashes.
He's reading my moves!
That is the one thing I won't take.
If I took that head-on, it would be over in one punch!
The smash isn't my only KO punch, you know!
There it is! A feint! Don't be fooled by it!
Weave your body fast enough to dodge all of them!
What amazing weaving!
He intends to dodge everything, real punches, feints, and all!
That'll make it difficult to lock down a target even with feints.
He'll link the weaving to the Dempsey Roll!
Crush him before he can!
The challenger goes in!
The champion joins him!
They bump heads! It's an extremely close-range fight!
If he doesn't have the range, he can't throw a smash!
No fear, Kid!
Now, it's an exchange!
It's turned into a slugfest a la Round One!
This is Ippo's range. Please out-hit him this time.
Ugh! It's still no good?!
I can't exchange blows with him at his rhythm!
Throw two while he throws one!
That's it! Those are the results from training camp!
Don't woof at me! You stay hidden!
The challenger forges forward!
Why, you...
But the champ doesn't back off, either!
It's a fierce battle for dominance!
You don't get to see a barrage of Sendo's caliber that often.
I bet the fear lingers with every blast...
causing your legs to freeze.
However, you have no chance of winning...
if you are overpowered by fear.
Don't lose on the emotional front! Push yourself forward!
Put courage in both fists.
You always overcame difficult situations in the past!
A right! This is powerful!
The champion is thrust aside!
Good going! Whale into him!
But he was groggy! The guy's impossible!
That's him all right!
This man is worthy of my steel!
Sendo-san backed off! Go for it!
No!
Southpaw!
I know this!
It's the punch that brought down Volg-san! His right...
Smash!
The challenger is sent flying backwards like a human cannonball!
But he blocked it!
He was so conscious about left punches, his right guard weakened!
What shocking destructive power he has.
Even if he had predicted it and blocked, he may not have been able to absorb it.
He presses on like a bulldozer!
He takes him all the way to the corner in one push!
His back gives out!
I got you!
He's strong.
Even if the kid summons every ounce of courage...
even if he uses his entire strength...
Sendo's strength may exceed it all.
Finish it!
I've won!
I beat Ippo Makunouchi!
I've won!
H-He's down!
It's a miracle single shot!
The challenger scores an incredible counter!
This is the champ's second knockdown this match!
Gazelle Punch.
That's right.
It's the one punch that can be thrown when bent over.
To your neutral corner!
One!
Two!
Three!
It wasn't an illusion.
Get up, Sendo!
The thing he aimed at me at the end of the third round...
That's it, stand up! Makunouchi is also groggy!
So this is what it was.
Oh, my! He falls back on his rear!
It was a Gazelle counter punch!
This had a major impact!
Five!
Oh, no! His legs aren't responding!
Don't get up! If he stays down, Ippo-kun is the champion!
Stand up, Rocky!
Don't give him the belt!
Stay down!
Please, give Ippo the belt!
Sendo!
Six!
He's up, he's up!
But he hasn't assumed a fighting pose!
Is this the end for the champion?!
Seven!
Kid?!
He's coming!
His fighting spirit has not weakened at all.
I know he's going to assume a fighting pose!
Eight!
Simple punches won't chisel through that fighting spirit.
A barrage.
I'll knock him out completely with the Dempsey Roll!
Sendo is posed to fight!
- Rocky! - All right!
However, his legs are unsteady! What is the referee's decision?
He can't continue!
Stop the match, Ref!
Continue it!
Box!
The match continues!
However, the champ has sustained serious damage!
This is a big chance for the challenger!
Go for it!
Get it done!
I won't give up! As long as I can still lift a finger...
I will not quit this fight!
A barrage! If I whale into him, I'll win!
The champion doesn't move his legs!
The Dempsey Roll!
The challenger's knees also give out! He's also hurting!
Dammit!
Now it's my turn!
Stop!
Whoa! What a waste!
He would have fallen after a single shot, too!
A large sigh echoes through the stadium!
That is the extent of this climax created by the challenger!
When he's believed to be cornered, he rallies back!
And who could have predicted the match would evolve...
into him knocking the champion down twice?
The two great rivals withdraw to their respective corners!
This has indeed turned into a riveting fight!
I saw that!
That was a superb punch worthy of a challenger.
Don't talk! You need every second of recuperation time!
The next round will be the key!
Yeah, Sendo won't be able to recover from that damage...
in a one-minute interval.
Ippo's in the same boat.
What?
Can't you tell why Ippo couldn't whale into him?
- Well, that would be... - Um...
Ippo probably hasn't realized it, either.
But he has a bomb in his hand in this round.
Next is Round Five.
I'm sure another chance will come my way.
This is only the beginning!
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
Aggressive.
To go in for attacks aggressively.
The objective in boxing is to knock down your opponent.
It is impossible to knock them down without attacking.
That's why I must attack. I can't flinch even when I'm hit!
Hit back! I doubt Sendo-san has recouped either.
I can't lose the battle of intimidation.
My chance will come! I'm sure a chance will come my way!
Round 74 "Mix-Up" The next episode is "Mix-Up."
Round 74 "Mix-Up"