This is the title match for the Japan Featherweight Championship.
The challenger, Sanada Kazuki, attacks the champion, Makunouchi Ippo!
The champion stops it with a cross-arm block!
The challenger tries attacking with a rush of Hien!
What's this?
Is it the finishing move, the Dempsey roll?!
Sanada stopped it with a tackle!
But the blow to the liver is in!
The challenger staggers!
And what comes from that stance is...
a Gazelle Punch!
That's powerful!
And here comes a Dempsey roll!
It's a non-stop rush for the defence of the title!
And more and more rushes!
Wow!
The Dempsey roll stopped!
The champion's knees are shaking!
Did he run out of energy?
Sanada takes his aim at the motionless champion!
Wow!
The challenger collapsed!
It's a dramatic end!
Makunouchi miraculously defends his title for the first time!
Oh Mom, I'll carry that.
Yeah? Then please do.
Good morning!
Let me take you to the boat now.
Please follow me.
Ragworm?
Here.
Tackle box?
Here.
Now, please bring those.
Yeah.
Good work, Champion.
Umezawa-kun!
Stop calling me Champion!
Don't be so shy.
You successfully defended your title already.
You really are the champion of the Japan Featherweight class.
Keep your chin up.
Yup, yup.
Off we go, Champion!
Have a good one!
Kimura, Aoki, do three more sets.
Okay!
Kamogawa Boxing Gym is getting up-beat too.
Takamura-kun is about to have the runner-up match before the world title.
And...
What's the matter, kid?! Use your legs more!
Okay!
Ippo-kun successfully defended his featherweight title.
There's no trace of the bullying he received when he first came here.
Okay, kid! Finish it off!
Okay!
Good work today.
See you later.
Ippo-kun is starting to show his dignity as a champion.
Takamura's runner-up match for the world title is coming up.
Both Aoki and Kimura are getting fired up too.
That's a load of crap.
The kid has dignity?
No, not yet.
He's far from being a true champion.
Not just him, but Aoki and Kimura too.
All of them must aim for higher goals.
It's not a pipe dream for them to reach a much higher peak.
Sir...
Yagi-chan, Shinoda-kun, keep training them hard!
Please!
Yes, sir.
Yes, aim for a higher goal, and reach it.
Hopefully while I'm still breathing!
My punch is dynamite!
Hey, Ippo!
How's it going with Kumi-chan recently?
Makunouchi-san.
Well, nothing's happening.
Tomiko was asking too.
She was?
Masaru.
Tomiko!
Since you made it through your first defense match, don't you think it's the right time?
The right time?
Yeah!
Kumi-san...
Yes?
I...
want to be your champion belt.
Makunouchi-san...
Wrap it tightly around me!
Yes, tighter!
Yeah? Like this?
Yes! More!
This? This?
What the heck are you doing?
Anyway, the right time...
It may be the right time like Aoki-san said.
You sure you wanna do that?
Her kind brother won't stay quiet if you do.
Makunouchi!
I'll kill you!
Die!
Idiot! I was just kidding!
Besides, you can knock him out with your megaton punch if he comes after you!
But I don't have a megaton punch!
You have one...
right here!
The world heavyweight class champion megaton punch!
You can knock down Mashiba or Kumi-chan with this!
Stop it! Takamura-san! Aoki-san!
Please cut it out already!
Go get her, if you're a man!
Oh?
Kimura-san, are you going somewhere?
Yeah, I thought I'd go help Miyata with his sparring.
With Miyata-kun?!
Oh yeah, his title match for the Oceania Pacific Boxing Federation Championship is coming up soon.
I can't wait!
Don't be so easygoing about it.
It could have been your title if it was a domestic match.
Be more like "I'll take that OPBF belt myself!"
No, I'm still far from getting there.
Don't you wanna win against Miyata?!
Sure I do, some day.
But he's really strong,
and cool.
Hey, are you after Miyata too, not just Kumi-chan?
It's not like that!
I am just admiring him as a boxer!
Here I go!
See you later!
Say hi to Miyata-kun!
Wanpo! You came to get me?
It all started here.
I met Takamura-san here, then started boxing.
Then I had to spar against Miyata-kun.
I was knocked out with a counter.
I couldn't do anything against him.
But in our second spar...
Ippo wins!
We are 1-1 for now.
Let's finish our game in the ring as pros.
The final match of the East Japan Rookie Championship.
I won't take you on anywhere else.
But Miyata-kun...
I became the Rookie champion,
but I never fought against Miyata-kun.
I'm leaving Japan for a while.
I'll be touring through South Korea and Thailand.
It's a training tour.
Wow!
So, how long will you be gone?
All-Japan Rookie Champion, huh?
You got so far ahead in such a short time.
I'll be gone until I catch up!
Then he came back.
And he came back so strong!
He'll probably become the OPBF champion!
He'll really do it, won't he, Wanpo?
Come on, that's the third down!
Quit goofing around!
Goofing around?
Does it look like I am?
Well...
That's enough sparring.
Dad...
I'll switch to a lighter menu until the day of the match.
But I can...
Do you want to get hurt and ruin the title match?
I'll go change.
I have gotten stronger too.
I came here to boost his confidence, but I actually did the opposite.
I was just joking!
He's exhausted from all the training, right?
I would've taken the down if he was more serious.
He was very serious.
That's his power at the featherweight class now.
Because of the weight loss?
He fought eleven matches during the year he was out of the country.
He took on the matches at an unbelievably high pace.
Do you know why?
He couldn't take longer breaks between matches.
It strains him more to get himself under 126 lbs
than it does to not take time to recover from the damage after each match.
It's not a matter of putting weight on.
His physique doesn't allow him to stay in the featherweight class.
Now that I think of it, he's gotten taller than me too.
Miyata can fight well in lightweight too!
Maybe he can even go for the world!
He should switch to the weight class where he can use his full potential!
I don't know how many times I've told him that.
He wouldn't miss the title match, would he?
The OPBF champion is Arnie "Crocodile" Gregory.
His nickname comes from how both of his hooks are strong, just like a croc's jaws.
He's a powerful opponent.
The hell with croc jaws!
If he didn't have to suffer from the weight control...
Sorry to cause you concern.
Miyata...
You said that spar earlier was my best in the featherweight class?
Let me correct you.
Sure, I was serious.
But it still was only a sparring match.
To me, weight loss is just like sharpening a pencil.
I keep shaving it to make the point sharper.
And I keep shaving my body to sharpen my senses and concentration.
The concentration to see any punches.
It's hard work to complete it before the real match.
Counter, huh...
How much energy do you put into just that one punch?
And how much longer can you keep this up, putting all of your body into each match?
Stop, Arnie!
He knocked out another one.
His nickname, "Crocodile", does make sense.
Yeah.
He's the type who takes the opponents down with power.
It's something else how powerful those hooks are.
Dear Japanese Reporters,
that is how good Arnie is.
I'm looking for brave challengers.
Come one, come all.
Wha...
But Mr. Sakaguchi, he hasn't had the match against Miyata yet.
I heard that there's good business for us in Japan,
and that there are good boxers like Date and Makunouchi.
He's totally looking down on Japanese boxers.
What a slimy manager.
Miyata Ichiro is truly good.
With your boxer, who only relies on power—he'll just strike air.
Only relying on power?
Seems like Japanese reporters are all blind.
I gave a special present to Arnie.
A present?
It's too bad that we can't show it here,
but I'm sure we can show it at the match.
It's called...
Bloody Cross.
Bloody Cross?
Yeah.
According to that slimy manager, it's supposed to be one helluva shot.
Bloody Cross, huh...
Bloody Cross...
I know!
What?!
I'm sure you're wrong, but go ahead.
"Cross" must be a counter.
A cross counter was named because the boxers' arms cross.
So it's a powerful counter that can make it rain blood!
I thought of that possibility too,
but Arnie is not very good with counters.
On top of that, I really don't think he can win against Miyata in the battle of counters.
I knew he was wrong.
But it's a real concern.
Yeah,
but what's more worrisome is the attitude of that manager, already seeking the next challenger.
It's okay to be confident, but they only appear to be cocky.
It is bad.
If Miyata loses, Ippo, you take him on.
I won't need to.
Miyata-kun won't lose.
There's a one in a million chance he'll lose!
Never in a million!
He'll definitely win!
Stop saying ominous things!
Okay.
What do you think of Miyata's chance of winning, Fujii-san?
I haven't seen all of Arnie's potential,
but he has as much power as Ippo-kun.
As much as Ippo?
Oh,
so that's not much.
Don't say that with that face.
But when it comes to speed and senses, Miyata has a huge lead.
I bet seven to three for Miyata.
I don't like that "three" part.
It's just worrisome to see how overconfident that manager is.
And also...
Bloody Cross, huh?
I can't take my mind off of that.
It is ominous...
I ran so much, but I can't break a sweat.
My skin feels very strange.
W...
Water...
Miyata Ichiro's weight...
126 lbs, right at the limit.
He's okay.
You look happy just from the results of the weight check.
Aren't you observant.
It's a sign that the match has already started.
You're his manager, right?
Start looking for your next job, rather than his next opponent.
Arnie-san will no longer be carrying the belt after the match.
I'm sure that means you'll be out of a job too.
What an insolent challenger.
We need to teach him a lesson.
He had difficulty losing weight.
He won't last very long.
He seems to have good counters, but that's all we need to watch for.
No problem.
When he uses a counter, the match will be over.
Bloody Cross, huh?
True, we don't have to elongate the match.
Miyata-kun...
I toured through Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia,
all to fill the gap between him and I.
All so I can be confident that I won't lose the next time we box.
And I got the jolt counter,
putting all of my weight into it.
But...
The winner of the Class A tournament is Makunouchi Ippo!
It's the birth of a new champion!
His name is Makunouchi Ippo!
But the gap kept growing.
I'll finally be on the same level as him, if I can take the OPBF title.
This match means that much to me!
It's your turn.
Yeah.
I had to take a few detours,
but now it's time to fill that gap!
We will now commence the 12-round match for the Oceania Pacific Boxing Federation Championship!