The Dempsey Roll!
The challenger's knees also give out! He's also hurting!
Dammit!
Now it's my turn!
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.
Round 74 "Mix-Up"
He took punches while dodging in the early stages.
However, in this round he took Sendo's punches while moving in.
Which means...
Knockdowns look flashy...
but the effort probably sapped the energy right out of him.
There are no subjective symptoms when you're completely involved.
But it will definitely revisit him when he least expects it.
The accumulated damage is felt all at once...
and you're no longer the master of your own body.
From a spectator's point of view...
Ippo has already taken more than his limit of damages.
If he falls down, standing back up will be an impossibility.
Well done getting up!
Only you could get up after something like that.
Still, what an incompatible fighter.
Just when you think he's down, he hops right up again.
Don't let your guard down even if you land a good punch.
It has nothing to do with compatibility.
Makunouchi is tough.
Of all the guys I've fought...
he is definitely the strongest.
What are you talking about? You're the strongest.
You have the belt to prove it.
That thing's still a fake. Once I beat Makunouchi...
it will finally be the real thing!
Yanagioka-san, you kept your word.
All I have to do now is prove I'm number one in Japan!
Seconds out!
We're only in the middle stage.
Don't be intimidated! You will get another chance!
Yes, sir!
The challenger dashes out from the corner with the bell!
The champ also moves in!
One-two! It gets in clean!
He's driven into a corner! This is the challenger's chance!
Oh, my! He gives it back!
Is this a switch in offense and defense? They swap positions!
Again he's pushed into a corner!
Is this the same fighter who hit the mat a moment ago?!
My word? Number one in Japan?
That sure takes me back!
You haven't changed a bit since we first met, have you?
It's an emergency! The trainees are in a fight!
What's with you guys?
I told you never to use your fists in street fights!
Sir, the guy was unbelievably cocky.
This is ridiculous!
He took on OUR trainees single-handedly?
I don't believe it!
Who the hell are you? This isn't a show.
I'm not a spectator.
It's my job to look after these guys.
They said they were boxers, so I thought they'd be tough...
but I guess this is all they've got.
Isn't there anyone tough around?
I want to find out how strong I am.
I'm sick of small fry like these.
Actually, they're more like fish in a barrel.
The guys you defeated are still fledgling trainees.
If you want to act big...
do so after you knock down a real boxer.
Hey, are you a boxer?
Okay, let's see...
He's fast!
...what the real thing is like!
I am a boxer. No, more accurately, I was a boxer.
Even a retired boxer is capable of this much.
In the ring, I'd look pathetic compared to others.
Naniwa Boxing Society
Chief, listen! I ran into this amazing guy!
He's like a mad dog. He's hungry for power.
Hungry guys like him are rare in this day and age!
He'll be good!
But I heard you beat him.
Well, if it went any longer, I would have lost for sure.
He's that impressive?
He is no mere mortal! I only made it to Japan first ranking...
but I'm sure he could realize my dream of reaching the belt!
What the? You weren't the champ?
It reeks of sweat in here. This place is a real dump.
You were ranked first, huh?
Then the champ must be very strong.
Y-Yeah, sure is.
If I get into the ring...
I'll see him someday, right?
Yeah, sure will.
All right, I think I would like to meet...
the strongest man in Japan.
He's surprising.
He wants to go straight to the best?!
You're full of it.
I'll show you if I'm just talking big or not.
Let me see him soon.
When the time comes...
I'll prove to you that I'm number one.
A right!
But the champ takes it!
What he takes, he always gives back!
Now you've met him, right?!
The guy standing in front of you is the one you've been dying to meet!
He is the only one who can sate your hunger!
If you beat him, everyone will accept it!
Win and prove that you're number one!
Oh, my! The champ's face is bloodied!
The challenger now moves in!
He returns a counter!
That connected at a real bad angle.
The sight of blood made Sendo lose it!
Ippo, lash out! Put up a resistance!
I doubt you've noticed...
but you're damaged well past your limits.
Once you start to take hits, it will all surface at once.
Attack! Attack or you'll lose your tension!
Takamura-san stood up and shouted!
That's how bad that shot was.
Lash out, Ippo!
H-He's down!
The champion delivers a surging rush!
The challenger suffers his first knockdown of the match!
Not just for this match, either.
This is his first knockdown including the previous match.
This is extremely poignant.
It destroyed his indomitable image!
Now he can fight looking down on Makunouchi.
Three!
Four!
Five!
Six!
Seven!
He's up! He's up on his feet!
Clinging to the ropes to stand up, he's assumed a fighting pose!
From what I can see...
heavy accumulated damage has surfaced.
Round 5 Remaining 1 Minute 02 Sec. One minute remains in Round Five!
More than enough time to attack and knock him down!
It's a near-miracle that he stood up at all.
Box!
It's the call to continue!
The champion moves in!
The challenger couldn't be in a worse predicament!
Oh, my! He aimed for it!
The champion lands a full-body right straight!
It's knockdown number two!
The challenger lies flat on the mat spread-eagle!
A face-first knockdown! The smell of danger hangs in the air!
He doesn't look back! The challenger does not look back!
He heads to a neutral corner certain of victory!
Did you see that? Did you see that punch?
Did you see my strength?!
These...
These are the most powerful fists in Japan!
The title is staying put.
Because the title belongs to the strongest man in Japan.
And that man is Sendo!
We won!
He fell forward. This is dangerous!
The towel! It's the same way he fell in the Date fight.
The correct decision is to throw in the towel.
I hate to say it, but he can't continue.
He isn't throwing it in!
S-So sleepy.
I've never taken a punch...
that made me feel this good before.
It would be so easy to just close my eyes...
and go to sleep.
Sendo-san is amazing.
I tried my best...
but I couldn't reach the belt.
Don't dwell on it. Just close your eyes.
I failed to get the belt again.
Don't think about it. Close your eyes.
I failed to get the belt again.
If I close my eyes, I'll be out of my misery.
What the hell am I thinking?!
If I did that, it would be just like the last time!
Do you really want to go through THAT...
all over again?!
I trained as much as possible after I lost to Date-san!
I am not the same as I was back then!
I'm not the same!
The challenger is up!
This is startling! He stands up yet again...
from a knockdown thought to be conclusive!
However, the champion is the most shocked of all!
He surely believed the match was over.
The full-body punch was that powerful.
He stares at the challenger looking stunned!
Makunouchi.
I'll do this. I'll still do this.
I've made progress, too!
I won't let training camp and my fight with Date-san go to waste.
Never!
I don't believe it. He took so many punches from Sendo.
He not only hasn't lost the will to fight, but he's still attacking?!
If it ended now, it would be the same as before.
I didn't train you to allow that.
You've grown one step stronger compared to that time.
Let me see you surpass the Date fight!
Why, you... This is a first!
This is the first guy to put my punches to shame!
The champion launches an attack!
The challenger has nowhere to go!
One more fall will end the match automatically!
- Go, Sendo! - Knock him down for the win!
Stick to your guns!
Keep going, Ippo!
I have to stay alert! Look closely at the punches!
This is it. He's almost lifeless...
but his eyes are still glaring.
He wasn't mocking me.
I should have fought harder to knock him down.
Makunouchi's willpower is superior to my punches.
I'll land an even more superior punch!
A right! His back gives way!
But he still doesn't stop weaving!
A further rush! The fangs of the Tiger tear into his dying prey!
Will he weather out this round?! Will he be taken by storm?!
Let's see you take THIS and stay standing!
The champion reels in agony!
The little shit got numbers 6 and 7!
However, he immediately resumes the barrage!
Can the challenger endure?!
Damn! They crack more with every punch I make.
He still has this much power left?!
I felt an impact, but he's not losing momentum.
Has this guy also out-trained me in willpower?!
Yet another hit to the liver!
Guess it's completely broken now.
But as long as he's enduring it...
I can't whine about it!
He's strong.
In strength alone, he's stronger than Date-san.
If I can defeat this man...
If I defeat this man...
His eyes are still shining.
You really gotta admire the guy!
Shot number 3 to the liver!
He lands simple shots, destroying the champion's momentum!
I understand fully now. In the end...
the fight between you and me...
Where's the blood coming from?
My head. It'll stop sooner or later.
In the end, the fight between you and me...
won't stop till one of us falls dead.
Can you see through your eyes?
Just a nod will do.
To be strong...
What does it mean to be strong?
What does it mean, sir?
Do you want to know?
Then go fight out there.
Go defeat that man!
When you do, you will probably find the answer for yourself.
That's true.
I was thinking the same thing.
Seconds out!
Do your best, Kid!
Yes, sir.
If I finish the fight with Sendo-san...
and win...
I'll get the answer I've been seeking all this time!
Round Six.
It repeats yet again!
The barrage battle between two hard punchers!
Their fighting spirit never weakens!
Makunouchi's body blows are getting sharper.
R-Right on! Makunouchi!
Makunouchi! Makunouchi!
We can't lose to them!
Sendo! Sendo!
What did I come here for?
This is no time to look away...
when he's up there fighting so hard.
Ryo, let's cheer for him! Let's make some noise, too!
Fine. Makunouchi-san, give it your best!
I'm shocked.
They're definitely not average boxers.
But I never thought they would take it this far.
The bastard has gotten even stronger.
This match may be a real crowd pleaser...
but speaking as a boxer, the risks are horrifying!
At this rate, either one of them could break.
The old geezer knows it, too.
He attempted to throw in the towel in Round Five.
That was his last chance. He can't do it now.
The geezer is hypnotized.
Their trainers can't throw in the towel?
When you interviewed him...
were you able to predict they would take it this far?
No, I thought it would get violent...
but this is entirely different.
Their boxing skills and even their facial expressions are different.
Watch intensely, you wet-nose.
This is a mix-up.
Mix-up?
They raise the bar higher and higher between them...
and limitations cease to be limitations.
They're getting more powerful as they fight.
They are maturing as they exchange blows.
If you saw your student becoming incredibly strong...
before your very eyes, would you be able to stop him?
You don't get to see a match of this caliber every day.
As a journalist, I wish...
I could have seen these two fight on a larger stage.
Makunouchi is a heck of a guy.
I can't believe he drew this much power out of Sendo.
I've never seen him like this, and I've known him for years!
Go ahead and show me everything! I won't stop you!
I don't know what will happen if you fight a match this fiercely...
but I won't throw in the towel for anything!
The kid has already done everything he can.
But what a worthy opponent!
He squeezed out more power from the kid who's running on empty.
The kid is starting to surpass my teachings.
I want to see! I want to see just how far he can go!
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
The bell.
The beginning and ending of a round.
And the bell that signals the end of a match.
I discovered boxing and picked up the gloves.
I got this far by learning to do my absolute best.
I'm sure the bell will continue to ring for me.
It will signal the end of something...
while at the same time, signaling a beginning!
The next episode is, "One Step Further."
Round 75 "One Step Further" The next episode is, "One Step Further."
Round 75 "One Step Further"