by MangaMoon

Hajime no Ippo

Remember… when Ippo opens his title fight against Sendo with the Dempsey Roll and knocks the champion down almost immediately? He wastes no time after the bell. His body weaves in a figure eight, building momentum for alternating hooks. Before the crowd can settle, Sendo is on the canvas. But Sendo gets up. Every exchange becomes dangerous. His heavy punches drive Ippo back, while his pressure denies the Dempsey Roll the space it needs. Ippo must build an answer from everything he has learned. By round seven, both are exhausted. Sendo smothers another attempt at the roll, but Ippo meets his attack with a liver blow. Then the decisive sequence takes shape: another body shot, a feint, the Gazelle Punch breaking open Sendo’s guard—and the Dempsey Roll. Sendo falls. During the count, he uses the ropes to rise. He tries to lift his hands, but his body cannot continue. He refuses to lose consciousness: this time, he wants to see the face of the man who defeated him. Ten. He collapses against the referee. Ippo is Japan’s champion. Sendo’s final effort gives the victory its emotional weight. He wants to remember his opponent clearly; Ippo’s search for strength now has Sendo’s face.

Material: wooden