Facing Champion Makunouchi is his former gymmate, Hammer Nao.
But there are no signs of nostalgia between them.
They are clearly enemies now!
Ippo looks even more serious than usual.
It's a sign that he's really focused.
Maybe he'll go all out.
Do you think Ippo can actually punch him?
We'll see the answer soon enough.
Right after the gong, huh?
They head back to their own corners.
The odds are 9-1.
The spectators believe in Makunouchi's overpowering victory.
Will it end so easily?
It'll probably be an extremely close-range fight, so he won't be able to use the Dempsey roll.
And once they start, I'm sure Ippo-kun will also take some hits.
They've practiced together, so I'm sure they each know how the other will fight.
How much has the gap closed in two and a half years?
Or has it widened?
It'll be determined by how they've spent their time and how they've progressed.
The fateful reunion.
The fateful gong.
What kind of fate awaits them at the end?
Makunouchi is weak at the start.
Go on the offensive right away and take the lead!
Yes.
I'm warmed up, so I can go all out from the beginning.
The moment the gong rings and we tap our gloves, I'll hit him!
I'll crush you at the start, Senpai!
Don't take a waiting stance, thinking that's what the champion does.
Always stay on the offensive.
Yes.
I intend to, sir.
I'll give it my best.
That's my answer to Yamada-kun, who kept me as his goal.
Box!
And there's the gong.
What kind of greeting will this be after being apart for two and a half years?
Whoa! The champion dashes in!
He ducked under the customary gesture and attacked!
Left hook!
The challenger is already against the ropes!
Pulverizing!
The champion goes all out from the start!
It's a rough greeting in the form of a fierce attack by the champion!
He steps to the side.
The challenger steps away from the ropes in hopes of recovering his balance.
The champion follows up with a right punch!
He knocks him down from the side!
Nao!
A down already!
It was a powerful right.
Thirty seconds in, Makunouchi has already shown his dignity as a champion.
H-He's done it.
We needn't have worried if he could punch Nao or not.
All his punches were serious.
He passes.
Aoki.
It's perfect that he can do that.
I give Ippo the title of Underdog Hunter.
You have no right to talk!
Let him teach you how to deal with underdogs!
One!
The count starts.
Two!
Can the challenger stand up?
Three!
Or will it end already?
Four!
The champion looks down on the challenger, demonstrating their difference in skill.
Five!
I've never seen Makunouchi look that scary.
He's pissed at his cocky underclassman.
Six!
T-That hurt.
But of course.
I took Senpai's serious blows.
I got knocked down before I realized what was going on.
I was supposed to attack first.
This is where the difference in experience comes in.
Seven!
I knew this was coming.
I was ready for this!
He's up, and takes a fighting stance.
Box!
And the champion instantly charges in!
He gives the challenger no time to take a breather!
Get close! Clinch to get by!
Clinching!
The challenger hopes to take a break by buying some time.
But he's pushed back by force!
The champion is different than usual.
He's showing ferocious spirit.
It's almost like a brawl.
I've never seen Makunouchi-senpai like that.
Nao! He's coming in!
Hit back!
The challenger tries a left to chase away the champion!
It's a scary swing!
That was close. It almost hit him!
The champion takes some time.
The waves of attack have stopped.
Yeah.
He's within my reach.
Start hitting!
The challenger goes on the offensive!
He attacks with very heavy-looking punches.
He's within my range!
I'll hit him as long as I continue punching!
Keep punching!
He shows no effect from the knockdown.
But he can't hit!
The champion's head-slip is amazing even this close in!
He's fast.
He's even faster than two years ago.
We're standing so close, but there's no way I can get him!
There's too much difference in our speed!
A right hand counter hits under a careless left!
Now the champion goes all out!
It's a powerful rush!
He keeps hitting over the block!
M-Man, he's strong.
I know he's fighting an underdog, but there's still such a big difference?
Look at his face.
He looks like he's going to kill the opponent.
H-He looks kind of scary.
Is that really Ippo?
He could show a little more mercy, even though he's teaching a lesson to a cocky underclassman.
That's definitely Ippo.
Scary looking?
To me...
To me,
he looks agonized.
I'll give my best.
But I hope this will end in the early rounds.
A right!
The challenger's knees give in!
That was powerful!
The champion takes it to the finish!
A retaliation!
A left!
The champion still hits back!
A left!
And a right!
M-Man...
Those are merciless attacks.
I don't want to make this a long match.
I don't want to keep hitting him!
I'll stop this early!
He's knocked down!
It's the second down!
To your neutral corner!
The champion walks to a neutral corner.
He must be very confident about that attack; he doesn't look back!
One!
Two!
The challenger is still down.
Three!
Perhaps the count is not necessary.
Four!
Is this it?
I'm sure it is.
He had to be knocked unconscious if he took Ippo's blows so cleanly.
It felt so incredible.
I can still feel it...
how it felt punching Yamada-kun.
But that ended it.
He can't get up from that.
Now...
H-He's up!
Six!
Yamada-kun!
N-No way!
He wasn't unconscious at all! He got up before the count of ten!
Seven!
The count continues.
Can he take a fighting stance?
Stop this, referee.
Please stop the match!
I don't want to punch him anymore!
I still haven't...
done anything.
Please...
I can't...
I can't let it end yet!
Box!
The match continues!
But the next one will be the third down.
That automatically ends the match.
The challenger can't lose any more.
And yet there's plenty of time for the champion to finish it all off!
There's about a minute left.
I want to end it soon.
One more down will end it!
I'll end it!
The champion jumps out of his neutral corner!
Go, Makunouchi!
First round KO!
Show us a flashy title defense!
I'm finally facing the senpai I admired, so I can't let this end without being able to do something!
I won't let this end!
He's using Peek-a-boo style!
The challenger fortifies his guard!
The champion still charges in!
He storms in for the third time!
Looks like he's taking the match to the finish!
It'll end if I break his guard open and hit him with one big blow!
Ippo doesn't go easy at the end.
He'll take it to the finish.
No. He's going too easy.
He's being too hasty, trying to knock him down.
Ippo's punches may look powerful, but he's only using his arms.
Including the punch that earned a down,
he's only using the muscles in his arms when he swings.
That makes sense.
He couldn't have gotten up if Ippo was using his entire body.
Too hasty?
But he's showing a good attack.
His attacks are too linear.
But look at Geromichi now.
That's!
The turtle tactic!
Put up a tight guard and wait patiently for the opportunity.
It's the tactic Ippo often uses when he can't find another way.
That's right.
Ippo finds the opportunity to turn the match around like that.
Geromichi's trying to do the same?
I can't keep up with his speed.
I can't do anything like this!
If it'll end soon, I'll take a risk and use my Sunday punch!
The challenger hits the body!
No, the champion was anticipating that!
It's blocked!
Whoa! The champion's feet leave the ground!
That's a crazy blow!
He lifted him up about 10cm!
That's way heavier than a featherweight class punch.
Without a doubt, that's a higher weight class punch!
He blocked it!
Even though I could only strike air up to now...
I get it!
I should've been calmer and seen it sooner!
Even while his head makes large moves, his body remains stationary!
Good!
I'll go for his body!
The challenger's body blow!
It connected this time!
Again! And a third time!
An unexpected retaliation! The champion flinches!
I can hit him. I can hit him!
Go!
Don't falter!
Go!
It's now an exchange of blows!
Did the challenger choose a kamikaze style?
Thirty seconds to go!
Can he finish it? Or will he survive this?
Both of their punches are connecting!
There's now less than twenty seconds left!
My punches are hitting Senpai!
Left!
That looked powerful! Will he go down?!
I won't go down!
Not when I can finally hit him!
One more push!
Not yet!
It's only the start!
Why?
Why are you stopping me, Referee?
The gong! Can't you hear it?
The first round is over.
Go back to your corners.
This is a very strange scene.
The one who showed regret was the challenger, not the champion who couldn't finish the match.
Yamada-kun...
I was only getting started.
But...
next round...
The match looked like it ended after the second down in the first round.
The upperclassman Makunouchi took a definite lead with a score of 10-7.
How will the next round unfold in this match of former gymmates?
Just when I started to hit him!
I was only getting started!
Nao!
Coach, did you see that?
My punches connected with Senpai!
Yes, I did.
Going after his body was a good call.
Your body blows are first class punches: heavy and damaging.
You can definitely take him down if you continue hitting!
Yeah!
I'll go after his body in the next round too.
Aim at his body, keep hitting him, and...
Then what?
Do you realize it now?
Body blows are slow-acting blows.
It's nearly impossible to keep hitting him while being exposed to Makunouchi's punches.
His punches are too powerful!
But I can't hit him any other way!
He's so fast that I can't hit him.
What can I do?
I don't want this to end in the early rounds.
I haven't been able to show him anything yet!
Don't give up.
A fast-acting body blow...
does exist!
It's called a solar plexus blow.
I expect you know why you couldn't finish him.
I was too excited.
He retaliated when I got too tense and hit me with big blows.
I'm asking if you know why you became tense?!
I expected him to be tenacious,
but after getting two downs, I thought I could finish it this round.
I'll tell you the rules of being a pro.
The rules of being a pro?
To execute the tasks given to you.
To respond to the spectators' desires.
And one more thing:
to focus exclusively on the match.
You can't call yourself a pro boxer unless you can fulfill those three.
Forget being a champion.
Remember that as you go out!
Yes, sir!
Now, the second round.
Take him down, Makunouchi!
Don't take too long!
End it this round!
The spectators' interest has shifted
from the outcome of the match to when the champion will take down the challenger.
It's now a mirror-image match, with both using the Peek-a-boo style.
Will the dynamite punch explode?
Or will there be a surprise?
Both charge in!
They're so close they might butt heads!
Both are taking a striding stance.
They're ready to only charge forward!
Left body!
It's blocked tightly.
Right body!
That's blocked too.
The champion is reading ahead.
He can see it!
We know you're after the body!
He's already realized that we're after his body from that fight at the end of last round.
He can do it because of his experience.
The champion's single shot stops the challenger!
The challenger is adamant about body blows!
But the champion blocks it easily!
Perhaps I gave him cheap advice.
If you hit his solar plexus, or the pit of his stomach,
it'll cause an immediate breathing difficulty.
That's the fast-acting body blow.
And that will stop Makunouchi's movement!
But he can't touch his body with such tight blocks.
Am I causing Nao to make futile attempts?
He's starting to strike air.
You can start to see the blows after so many body shots.
Obstinate body attacks.
But all strike air!
And the champion's precise blow!
What are you doing, Hammer?!
Repeating that won't work!
You can't hit him if you only aim at his body!
I'm starting to see both his timing and his swing.
I can step in as he finishes his punch!
He's even dodging the body blows.
He reacts quickly even when I find a small opportunity.
But Senpai, how do you think I came this far when I'm only an underdog?
Good!
As he pulls his punch back, I'll step in and take him down!
Underdogs have our own ways of biting back!
The pit is wide open!
A left body!
It's in deep!
W-What is this blow?
I can't breathe!
I-It's in!
A blow to the solar plexus!
G-Go, Nao!
The challenger takes it to the finish!
Th-That's dirty! Damn Geromichi!
He pretended to miss a shot...
Then he forced his hand into Ippo's guard, then pried it apart.
It was necessary to learn mean tricks too.
All to climb to greater heights!
I'm sorry, but I'm going to hit you, Senpai!
The challenger pummels the champion as if taking his anger out!
He got me!
I'll tell you the rules of being a pro:
To focus exclusively on the match!
Yamada-kun is far more focused on the match than I am!
He's a true, genuine pro boxer!
The challenger switched to full offense after the body blow!
The champion steps back!
It's the first time he's stepped back!
Nao!
Nao! Keep going!
It's hurting the champion!
Take him down!
One-two! It's in cleanly!
He still drives ahead!
He uses his size and pushes back!
More obstinate body attacks!
The champion tightens his guard!
This motion is large! Dodge it!
A razor-sharp right body punch!
He dodges it by a hair!
He got me again!
A left body explosion!
It's a body-piercing blow!
One shot slows the champion's movement!
The challenger advances!
Damn it! He's done it again!
Referee! He's using his palm!
The referee can't see it because they're so close together.
God damn it!
It's not illegal unless it's caught!
It's a useful method as long as the match continues!
Actually, it's good work on his side.
But it's illegal!
He's breaking the guard using his palm, not his fist!
A fault hasn't been called.
It's a skill that Hammer Nao learned in the ring in order to survive:
not to be picky about the method in order to win.
In a sense, it's the way of being a pro.
If I were his second, I'd be grinning about a job well done.
Hammer Nao is good!
And the kid is too naïve!
Finally... finally, the champion has been cornered!
The underclassman chased the upperclassman to the edge of a cliff!
Senpai!