Takamura-san's world title match is set?
Yeah, in December.
Man, I joined this gym at the perfect time.
I can't wait to see it.
We can't wait either, since we've watched him for so long.
He's finally going to be the best in the world!
That's enough festivity!
Think about the matches in October first.
Aside from Takamura's run-up match before the title match,
Itagaki and Kimura, be prepared for your matches to open for him.
Yes.
Yeah!
I can't lose against a weaker opponent!
I'll raise the mood first!
It's really getting festive.
He's really leading this gym after all.
You can't relax either, Ippo-kun.
You will also fight in the semi-final match before Takamura-kun in December.
M-Me too?!
Your opponent isn't set, but we'll definitely get a full house by having our two big names that day.
So, for the venue...
Yes, it's in Japan.
Takamura-kun strongly wished to have it at Ryogoku Kokugikan.
He has an honorable spirit, so he's trying to avenge Date Eiji's loss at the same venue.
Ryogoku Kokugikan...
I too can fight in the same ring that Date-san fought in.
All right!
Yagi-san! I'll do it!
Yes.
Yeah! I'll do it too!
Your match hasn't been scheduled.
A-Aoki-san...
I'm left in the cold...
I heard about the title challenge.
Oh, where's Takamura-kun?
He's in the bathroom.
He's been taking longer these days.
Okay, not there.
I need to check every time.
I never know if that thing will come out again.
I'm worried about the world title match coming up so soon.
I hear you're constipated.
I guess even you get nervous.
Me, nervous?
What a load of crap!
Isn't it the champion who's scared shitless?
Like how he refused the challenge, then accepted it later?
He's trying to play tricks with us.
Th-That's his manager's tactic, to get them the best deal.
What?
I heard that Bryan Hawk is a difficult athlete to manage.
He's uncontrollable and hardly ever trains himself.
On top of that, they can't even get a hold of him until a week before each match.
He's a champion known for his dislike of training.
B-But he's the world champion.
There's no way he can be one without training.
To win only with natural born talent...
It's rare, but such guys do exist in the world.
I heard he did train right before he won the title.
He proudly said that he trained for nine whopping days at the press conference.
O-Only nine days?
And at the match, he said that he spent more time in bed with women.
He's a real dick.
Maybe he was just bluffing?
I don't know what the truth is.
But it's true that he's strong.
20 matches, 20 wins, with 17 KOs.
He became the best without a loss, despite fighting in the junior middleweight class in America,
where there are a bucket load of tough fighters.
Well, now he's facing the strongest man in the history of man: me.
I'm sure Hawk-kun is whimpering and training desperately.
His manager is troubled.
As usual, he can't get a hold of him.
W-Wait a minute!
He knows about the match, doesn't he?!
Yes, he's been informed of that.
But...
But?
As soon as he was told his opponent is Japanese, the phone went dead.
He's been missing ever since.
He hung up without even hearing my name?
Yes.
Not even my name...
As soon as Hawk heard that he's Japanese...
Middleweight to heavyweight classes are ruled exclusively by Americans.
I know a Japanese fighter can be looked down on, but...
He won't train or hear the challenger's name.
That's total bullshit!
Keep cool, Takamura.
First focus on the match before that.
I know.
It doesn't matter if he trains or not.
I will rule the world my own way.
And on top of that...
I'll kill him!
Hey! Don't push!
Wow! It says run-up match before the world!
So his world title match is really set!
It's that full already?
It's getting me pumped up!
You better thank Takamura-san.
You got it easy.
Oh? Are you nervous, Kimura-san?
Hey, Mr. Veteran.
Come on, man.
It's been a while since my last match.
And I switched my spelling for "Tatsuya" to katakana.
I'm treating this like a debut match.
So you're feeling just like I am.
You should be a bit more nervous.
Let's go, Itagaki.
Hey,
do good.
Set a good mood for Takamura-san's match.
I hope to do that...
but I have my own goal too, so I will fight for myself.
And now, a featherweight four-round match.
I'm sure he won't have many fans, since this is his debut match.
Let's raise his spirit by shouting "Manabu!" loudly.
Yes!
In the red corner, 125 and 1/2 lbs, from Kamogawa Gym...
Itagaki Manabu!
Ready...
Go, Manabu-kun!
Win it!
What's with the army of college girls?
I-It looks like a cheering squad.
In the blue corner, 125 and 3/4 lbs, from Sayama Gym...
Makino Fumito!
That's a gloomy looking guy.
According to the program...
he's fought twice and lost both times.
He hasn't won yet?
Itagaki is a super rookie who switched from the amateur world with a great record.
He's got guts to accept this match.
Itagaki's looking pretty different from when he was in the locker room.
What do you think, Champion?
That's you!
Oh, right.
It's his debut match, so he looks somber.
But he's not rigid.
I can see that he's focused.
It's a good sign.
He's used to a big audience.
On the other hand, his opponent is looking desperate.
That's an expression of, "I want to win no matter what it takes."
He should know your style.
He'll come charging in to interrupt your pace.
Be careful at the beginning.
It feels like I'm locked in a cage.
So, this is how the pro ring feels.
I'll dodge the first blow to start.
That'll tell me what my condition is.
All right!
I'll dodge the first blow to start.
That'll tell me what my condition is.
All right!
I can move! My body feels light.
I can do this!
Man! Those aren't the moves of a four-rounder!
That's so cool, Manabu-kun!
Is this really his debut match?!
I hate to admit it, but Itagaki's boxing is spectacular.
It is.
That's fast!
How many punches did he just throw?
Amazing!
Go for a KO!
Finish your debut match with style as a super rookie!
That's scary! He's getting desperate!
That's all he can do.
The difference in speed is too great,
so he needs to hope for some lucky hit, or take it to a close range battle.
He's making full swings each time.
But this type of fighter is actually easier to handle.
With a counter, the damage is doubled.
He's really calm.
That's a good one!
Go! Knock him down!
That was good.
I can do it!
I will take the shortest route to the title Makunouchi-san is holding.
I won't let him!
I'll stop him this time.
I'll pay him back for those amateur days in this pro ring!
I won't take any detours until then!
Good decision! Finish him!
He looks desperate.
Is it because of Itagaki-kun?
No, he had those eyes ever since he got in the ring.
But why?
Makino, you need some degree of talent.
I know how much you love boxing.
But continuing will only damage your body.
If you can't win the next one, you should give up.
Watch out, Itagaki-kun!
Referee! That was butting!
I-I-Idiot! Stop making an appeal!
Watch in front of you! Throw punches!
Come on, man!
One!
Wh-Why are you taking counts?
Two!
It was a butting! Not a down!
Three!
It's not a down!
Four!
Calm down, Itagaki-kun!
Five!
Take a fighting stance!
Six!
D-Damn! I can go on!
Your opponent was cornered.
It's only natural that he'd do the most risky thing to win.
You can never tell what will happen in the pro ring.
But he lost focus and started making an appeal.
This is a serious down.
This is a typical example of how an ex-amateur, clean boxer gets crushed by a rough fight.
No way...
Box!
Damn!
Use your legs and recover!
Calm down!
Four-round matches go by the two knockdown rule.
Don't take a down for any reason!
I won't take it again.
I can't take any detours!
Elbow!
Stop! Match over!
N-No way!
Why...
It was an elbow! Not a punch!
I'm not hurt at all! I can go on!
I can...
What, you won't admit your loss?
Get lost!
Let us see the next match!
I've never seen such a sore loser!
You lost!
Accept it!
I-Itagaki...
I-I can go on...
I can still...
Itagaki!
Come back later, Idiot!
Learn some manners!
Nobody'll sympathize with you!
He's leaving to booing instead of applause...
He couldn't have any worse debut than that.
Itagaki-kun...
I-I'll go to the locker room!
Please handle the cheering for Kimura-san.
Yeah, don't worry about that.
He's an even better underdog hunter than me.
We are now commencing the semi-final: a junior lightweight class, ten-round match.
Yeah, Kimura!
It's been a while!
I know you can do it!
You're the one who'll win the belt next!
Fight with Mashiba again!
It began.
There's nothing to worry about with Kimura-san.
He's a veteran, so he won't lose against a weaker opponent.
Itagaki-kun, well...
My opponent was clearly weaker, too.
I wasn't going to lose this one.
You were nervous because this was your debut match.
Was that how I looked?
No, you looked pretty good.
I could see his punches.
Those large-motion punches never hit me.
The only things that hit were his head and elbow.
Those are fouls!
Itagaki-kun!
What was that ref watching?!
He missed two fouls!
Itagaki-kun! That'll damage your fist!
You saw them, didn't you?!
Those were fouls!
That didn't feel like boxing at all!
What is this?!
Why...
Why did I lose?
Did you see your opponent's expression?
He looked desperate.
I think he had a reason why he couldn't lose.
So...
You just need to win, even if you make fouls?
Man, is it 'anything goes' in pro?
They weren't fouls.
The referee didn't stop the match.
Maybe he decided those were unintentional.
Or perhaps he really didn't see them.
Either way, you lost your focus in the middle of a match.
It's your fault.
If you were more desperate than your opponent,
you would've hit back even after the hit.
Sen...pai...
You never know what'll happen in a pro ring.
That's enough!
I thought you'd be on my side.
The hell with the pro ring.
This is totally disappointing!
Itagaki-kun!
Maybe I should have told him earlier...
I noticed during the camp at the beach.
Both his speed and techniques are excellent.
But he didn't throw a single punch that I thought was deadly.
Be it obsession or spirit, a person's determination can be felt just by facing him.
But Itagaki-kun was missing that.
Hey, what happened to Itagaki?
He ran off.
I said some pretty tough stuff.
I feel bad doing that to him when he was already depressed.
Forget about him.
I'm sure he'll return to the gym in a couple of days.
I hope so.
So, how's Kimura-san?
It's the tenth round next.
The final round?
He's really taking a long time.
He's been hit a lot!
Is his opponent strong?!
He's a true underdog.
A-And their points?!
My score says even.
How can that be?!
Round ten! Last round!
Yeah!
I'll give him a big one!
Dragon Fish Blow!
Such a large swing...
That's not Kimura-san's style.
He's only surviving because his opponent has weak punches.
He hasn't had a match in a while, so he forgot his style and has been going after a KO.
He stayed tense for the whole ten rounds.
Damn it!
Go down! Go down!
Relax your shoulders!
Compact and quick!
Stop!
That's the end of the match!
I-It's now up to the judges' decision.
Maybe the opponent got that round.
Crap, I was going after a KO, but now it's the judges' decision.
I lead by points, right?
I won, right?
Why are you reading the cards so long?!
Do the math faster!
Or don't tell me...
Red corner's Kimura!
Yeah!
You sure? That's a fishy score!
I thought Kimura lost!
You got saved by the hometown decision!
I'll re-train myself again.
Maybe it's just not the right day.
What happened to Kimura-san too?
No results from the beach camp are showing.
So much for an underdog hunter.
Who are you calling a hunter?!
Kimura-san!
Damn, I wanted to raise the mood for Takamura-san...
We have three matches from Kamogawa Gym today.
I'll put my hope on the third one!
Yes!
And now, we commence the main event of the day, a junior middle class ten-round match.
It's Takamura!
He's wearing a bearskin!
I've been waiting for this, Takamura!
The cheer is so much louder than when I walked in.
I think he'll blow away all of the dark clouds!
A fallen angel is descending upon Korakuen Hall tonight!
The bear is stumbling!
What kind of joke is that!
He's as entertaining as ever.
He's gonna take the fur off!
Show me your face!
Takamura!
Taka...
Listen to this!
This loud cheer...
What? He's got sunken cheeks!
What's going on?
C-Clearly he failed at weight loss.
A thick layer of black clouds are rolling in...
This is not good.
He locked himself in the bathroom before the match too.
Did he eat something bad and get diarrhea?
I-It's not my fault!
Facing him is the Filipino middleweight class champion, Maurice West.
He's pumped about taking a position in the world-class ranking.
H-He looks strong.
It's apparent that he's in perfect condition.
Damn, I might get blamed if he loses.
Please win, Takamura-san!
You were too eager and overworked yourself.
And the diarrhea was caused by excessive liquid intake after the weight check.
You're not in a condition for any proper movement.
But this is the run-up match to a world title match!
We can't lose this one!
Who do you think you're talking to?
Relax and leave every...
He's staggering.
He can't even throw a punch.
Dark clouds are rolling into Korakuen Hall.
But we can't stop this now.
The gong for this critical match...
has just rung!