A Night of Upsets
Disclaimer: I do not own Hajime No Ippo\Fighting Spirit. The franchise and all its characters are the property of Morikawa Jyoji, Kodansha and all other respective entities.
In August, The East Japan Rookie King Tournament had entered its Quarter Finals. Hosted at the famous arena known as Korakuen Hall, no doubt the audience would be treated to a spectacle of fantastic boxing tonight. the fight card featured Ippo Makunouchi, who was fast becoming a fan favorite in the tournament due to his amazing comeback knockouts. The night would be topped off with a match between Mamoru Takamura vs Champion Yoshiaki Yajima for JBC Middleweight Title.
Makunouchi's opponent tonight was Kenta Kobashi. Kobashi was considered to be a rather unremarkable boxer, dragging fights out and winning by decision. The crowd found his matches to be a boring affair, especially in juxtaposition to a knockout artist like Ippo Makunouchi, who was slated as being the hardest puncher in the tournament.
With this perspective, the crowd was expecting Makunouchi to make a smear out of Kobashi. Ippo was bringing power behind his punches while Kobashi was giving love taps. Kobashi's boring win against Yoshida Mitsuo earlier was probably a fluke. It would be a four-round bout and just one good punch from Ippo and Kenta would be eating canvas. Most people didn't see the fight making it past round one.
But as they say, anything can happen in boxing…
Come fight night, there were five matches scheduled on the card. The two matches everyone was most anticipating were the final two, with Ippo vs Kobashi slotted as the fourth match before the main event of Takamura vs Yajima.
In Locker Room B, Ippo shadowboxed in eager anticipation before the staff member announced it was time. On his way to meeting Kobashi in the ring, Takamura told him he'd be watching him in the green room. While tonight's match was important for Makunouchi's career, it went double for Takamura. Ippo's win over Kobashi would create a victorious atmosphere for Takamura's championship match. Tonight, they were going to make Coach Kamogawa proud!
Once inside the ring, the ref went over the rules as the two stared each other down, fighting back their nerves to avoid showing weakness. This match could prove pivotal for both of these young fighters.
Back in his corner, coach Yasuda placed his warm hand on Kobashi's shoulder, exchanging glances. They had gone over this fight multiple times, nothing left but to just do it. The bell rang and the fight was on!
Round one began with Makunouchi hoping to establish his rhythm before exchanging punches. In response, Kobashi took on his peculiar stance, one arm outstretched with the other held close to his face. He noticed Makunouchi tense up. Kobashi had studied Ippo carefully, taking note of his flaws and weaknesses. Perhaps Ippo hadn't studied up on him enough?
That's when Kobashi overheard Ippo's coach instruct him to attack aggressively. Fortunately for Kobashi, he had prepared for this situation. When Ippo came in with that hard right hand, Kobashi neutralized it with a cross-block. As Makunouchi pressed forward with his punches, the out-boxer remained calm, keeping his guard up despite his arms numbing from absorbing the impact.
When Ippo would move in for a strong right, Kobashi would take his outstretched hand and use it to misdirect Ippo, sending him around the ring. It was like a matador fooling a bull with his red cape, but substituted with a glove. Several times, Ippo would be tricked by Kobashi's left hand and Kobashi would punish him with his light jabs to the face. Not particularly painful, but they added up and only put Kobashi up on the scorecards.
Ippo soon became frustrated by Kobashi's strategy, his swings were becoming wider and his guard lowering. Every time he would get within striking distance to land one of his powerful uppercuts, Kobashi would snuff it out with a clinch, pushing him either against the ropes or into a corner.
The round soon became monotonous and Ippo was losing his composure. He was supposed to have a flashy win to get Takamura hyped up for his title fight. Kobashi's style was ruining Makunouchi's rhythm, his timing and it was making him look bad.
After clinching to avoid another powerful left, Kobashi pushed Ippo against the ropes, resting his chin against Makunouchi to a chorus of boos from the crowd. That's when Kobashi noticed that Ippo was sweating quite a bit as he brushed up against him. Everything was going according to Kobashi's plan.
"You idiot! You let him break your pace!" Kamogawa shouted at Ippo in the corner as he wiped him down. "If your swings are too wide, you can't hit anything!" Ippo's coach was simply reaffirming what he already knew. Kobashi's awkward style was really putting a spanner in his works. And he could only imagine how irritated Takamura must've been by his performance...
"My body's feeling great, but I am having trouble with my rhythm." Ippo explained in between breaths, "when he got me in those clinches, he threw off in some crucial moments. It agitates me and I swing way too wide."
"He's good at disconcerting you at those key moments." Kamogawa noted, "He did an excellent job analysing your moves when he secretly watched you." starting to realize how much of a problem Kobashi could pose to his boxer, "But it's also true that he's only predicting your movements just to defend."
"It's a sign that he's afraid of your power." that was the phrase that rang in Ippo's ears the most. So far, Kobashi had just been using his notes to defend. Once he got him to trade punches, he'd dominate the fight.
"Wide swings are bad, but continue to go in aggressively again in the second round. Go on, turn up the heat." ordered the head of the Kamogawa Gym.
"If you do what I tell you, kid," Kamogawa then leaned in to pop Ippo's mouthpiece back in, "he'll get distracted and drop his guard. When that happens, go in flying!" Ippo nodded as Kamogawa brushed him off with the towel another time. Makunouchi was too busy thinking about the next round to notice. Coach had never let him down before, round two was going to be all him!
As the buzzer sounded for 'Seconds Out', Ippo pounded his gloves as Kamogawa told him not to lower his guard. Ippo's marching orders were to amp up the aggression, control the fight and make Kobashi buckle under the pressure. Once that happened, he'd be in perfect position for a KO victory. However, round two was where things really took an interesting turn...
Round two started off with a surprise flurry from Kobashi, who ran out of his corner and pelted Ippo with multiple jabs. Whatever strategy coach Kamogawa had instructed Ippo to do went right out of his head as Makunouchi tried to answer Kobashi with a barrage of his own. Ippo pounded at Kobashi's crossblock, each punch swung with more fury than the last. Kobashi was forced into the corner, it looked like he had him! Ippo was about to hammer him with a heavy right hand, this would break through! This would be payback for humiliating him in front of his senpai!
But just like before Kobashi hooked his long arms around Ippo's biceps, much to the chagrin of his opponent and the crowd! Coach Kamogawa ordered Ippo to keep up the assault and not give Kobashi a chance to regroup. However, Ippo had used up more energy on that rush than he wanted to, Ippo's breaths became heavier and the amount of sweat he was producing became more noticeable.
Ippo's punches were becoming slower and Kobashi's punches were landing cleaner. The gap between the two on the scorecards was increasing with every second. Kamogawa realized that they'd fallen for Kobashi's strategy hook, line and sinker. Kobashi was out to drain Ippo's strength and stamina by forcing him to fight at Kobashi's pace. Just like with Mitsuo, Kobashi was going for a decision win.
With that, the bell rang once more, and Ippo's frustration was increasing. Another round with no clean hit. He just couldn't catch him.
In the safety of his corner, Kobashi and Yasuda went over how well the fight was going. They had ruled two rounds now, much to Kobashi's delight. "We're leading by two points now? Excellent, excellent." Kobashi replied as he regained his breath. Yasuda could only look on in appreciation of Kobashi's effort in withstanding the pressure of Makunouchi's punches.
"Two more rounds to go, I know you're really tired, but hang in there." Yasuda encouraged his boxer softly.
"I will. At least I know Makunouchi's even more exhausted than I am. If I know him as well as I think I do, he's got to be drained!" Kobashi declared, glancing over at Makunouchi's corner. He was right. Surrounded by his cornermen, Makunouchi was drenched in perspiration, breathing heavily as if he was really being put through the ringer. He was starting to seem desperate to find a way to get out of this situation. A faint idea popped into Kobashi's head… no, best to stick to the game plan. "For the rest of the fight, I'll play it nice and safe. If I can do that, I'll win this!"
The bell sounded for Round 3.
"Box!" Ordered the ref as they came out in their respective stances. This was it. Ippo was going to go all out and this round and go for a knockout! He knew he was down on the scorecards, a knockout was the only way he'd come out of this the winner. 'Go on, Makunouchi! Annihilate that wimp!' chants like that rang out from Makunouchi's fans, wanting to see this hug fest come to an end.
Kobashi retreated back, but was still in fighting form, he noted that his punches were still strong, but Ippo was soon dragging himself across the ring. His leg muscles stiff among other things. Whilst Kobashi's punches weren't exactly killer blows, the damage was really starting to pile up at this point. The clock seemed to wind down quicker than usual, as the crowd seemed to be watching a repeat of the previous rounds. Ippo was shocked to hear the bell as Kobashi casually walked past.
Another round gone by and zero progress had been made for one Ippo Makunouchi. At this point, a fourth round knockout was their only hope. Ippo hauled himself over his corner, eyes focused on the mat, not wanting to look at the disappointment on his coach's face. He felt like he was really letting his gym down. Coach Kamogawa, Yagi and especially his senpai.
As he slumped down on his stool, Kamogawa observed his exhausted boxer, "Looks like you're completely spent. Still you've got to find a way to nail him in the final round because points are not going to win this for you!"
Seeing as how frustrated Kobashi had made him, Kamogawa decided to stoke the fire a little more. "Otherwise you'll fall right into Kobashi's trap." Once Kamogawa mentioned Kobashi by name, Ippo perked up and protested, "No! That won't happen! I'll win this fight! I won't throw in the towel! It's not over! I'll finish him!" a look of defiance on his face. To lose in such a fashion would be an insult.
"Good! Yagi! Ice!" to Ippo's confusion, Kamogawa pulled the waistband of Ippo's trunks and proceeded to pour all the ice cubes out of the bucket and onto his undergarments, particularly in the groin area.
"This outta cool you off!" With conviction Kamogawa began to work the ice cubes around in his trunks as Ippo's expression shifted from rattled to relieved as he relaxed down under.
"Feel better now, kid?"
Kobashi watched in mild disbelief as the mini-spectacle occurred in Makunouchi's corner. Was it just the frustration or perhaps all the clinching that played a part in that? Nevertheless, this fight would go on how he wanted it. The final round was about to begin and Makunouchi had yet to land a single solid blow on him. All that hype about Makunouchi's punches being devastating, and yet here he was with his fragile physique, able to withstand his blows and gas him out in three rounds, not to mention outmaneuver him with little trouble.
As their break wound down, Yasuda simply reviewed their gameplan once more. The usual strategy of play-it-safe and stay away from his right. Kobashi remarked how it was scary just how beat-for-beat his strategy had worked. If he just stuck to it, his victory was a foregone conclusion.
"After three minutes, it's going to be my hand that's raised!" Kobashi proclaimed with a fired up look in his eyes. Yasuda was somewhat taken aback by that last statement. Kobashi had never declared victory with such conviction. "Y-yeah." he managed to reply before 'Seconds Out!' was announced.
This was it, the final round. Kobashi saw that Makunouchi seemed to be revitalized, obviously, he was going to box aggressively and try to win by KO, as it was the only way he could win at this point. No matter, he'd just play keep away for three minutes and earn the decision as planned. It was then that Kobashi started to hear some voices in the crowd... cheer for him? That was a new sensation. Had he earned some fans from this performance? Perhaps in torroing Ippo around, he'd snagged some respect for himself.
Once the two fighters stepped in, Kobashi immediately took a step back, defense as always. Ippo advanced wanting to force an exchange of punches. Ippo started off with two jabs, to which Kobashi answered back with a hook but hit nothing but air as Ippo nearly grazed him with an uppercut! The out-boxer recognized this as the same combination he used on Jason Ozuma. Ippo's punches were still alive and Kobashi stayed on his backpedal.
It seemed like no matter what he did, Kobashi just kept out of reach! Ippo was relying on heart and letting his frustration fuel him. How dare this guy! There was a lot riding on this night for the Kamogawa Gym and for Kobashi to adopt such an unengaging boxing style for a victory! 'Damn you!' Ippo roared in his head, 'Just get hit!' he thought as another punch failed to hit its target. 'I promised Takamura-san I'd win!' Anger really beginning to cloud Ippo's judgment.
Ippo's agitation was clear on his face. Kobashi remarked to himself, 'well, too bad.' as Makunouchi advanced in for another reckless blow. Kobashi noticed that both hands were low. Kobashi had been landing lefts all night and added another one to the tally. Ippo's face could only take so much damage and the punch stunned him, leaving his chin exposed! To the amazement of everyone, including Kobashi, his right straight managed to hit Ippo right on the button.
The crowd was shocked and amazed. Kobashi had just landed a clean one-two and sent Makunouchi staggering back!
'What was that? What did I just feel?' Before Kobashi could ponder just how solid that punch landed, Ippo clumsily tried to retaliate with a right of his own, which was easily sidestepped by Kobashi and Makunouchi stumbled into the ropes. He was obviously still reeling from that one-two from earlier.
Kobashi didn't push forward, still wrapping his head around this new development. He had stunned Makunouchi with one blow. He had just thrown a punch that had knockout power! Should he just stick to his original plan? Ippo again interrupted, but at this point he was so exhausted that Kobashi was able to repel him back again with another jab. 'So it is working!'
The crowd had come alive! And they were cheering for him! What started off as a few random chants had evolved into whole audience! In the gym, he was always criticized for being a soft touch. A KO win over Makunouchi would change that perception of him being a wimp. For a long second, Kobashi stood there before deciding… 'Here's my chance! I can knock him out!'
Now it was Kobashi's turn to blitz. He immediately laid into Ippo with lefts and rights, trying to break Ippo's guard and send him to the mat! 'If I can keep this up, I'll knock him out for sure!' The crowd began to chant for Kobashi, energizing every punch 'Go down! Go down! Go down!' he screamed mentally with every sound of leather hitting forearm. The crowd began to chant for Kobashi, energizing every punch!
'Fall down!' Kobashi's punches finally broke through Ippo's guard, landing snug into Ippo's face and sending him bouncing off the ring ropes. 'Yes! He's going down!' he celebrated inwardly as Ippo's figure began to fall towards the mat. As it seemed to be a job well done, Kobashi had dropped his guard.
Little did he know that the light in Ippo's eyes wasn't extinguished yet. Makunouchi saw that he was wide open and immediately shifted his body weight for a powerful right body blow! Kobashi was sent staggering back and clutched his stomach which was roaring with pain. He had been upright so his abdominal muscles were relaxed, making it hurt much worse.
However, victory was staring him right in the face. Kobashi wasn't going to let one body blow stop him from his dream of a KO! Kobashi stepped in again to launch another attack on Ippo, who seemed to be on his last legs. This was supported by the fact that Ippo had switched to defense once more, blocking Kobashi's barrage.
Kobashi was so fixated on getting that knockout, that he didn't stop to think that Ippo might be luring him into a trap. Operation Turtle. Truth was, Ippo was waiting for Kobashi to overcommit on a swing and then counter, It was risky gamble, he was still suffering from the effects of that one-two and he was still exhausted, but Ippo was waiting for Kobashi to overcommit on a swing and then counter.
Yasuda tried to call out to his boxer, but in a role reversal, Kobashi was the one too caught up in his aggression to hear him out. Kobashi's right hand could still feel the sensation of landing that perfect punch, he wasn't going to let this opportunity slip away. He was going to win by KO!
After pummeling away at Ippo's guard for several seconds, Ippo's hands finally gave way and he was sent staggering back into the corner, bumping his head into the back of the turnbuckle. The feeling sent a shock through Ippo's body. He looked absolutely stunned! His hands were down and he was wide open for the perfect shot!
'One more punch! It'll all be over then!'
'Here's the finish! How do you like this?!' as he threw his right hand as if aiming to shatter every criticism thrown towards his boxing. Kobashi released everything he had behind this punch!
As Kobashi's glove careened towards Ippo's face. The in-fighter knew it was time to set up his counter. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Kobashi had thrown a wide swing, now it was time to dodge under and...
'What...?!' No movement. Why wasn't he moving? No matter what he did, Ippo's legs just wouldn't respond. By the time he could think of anything else, it was already too late...
The sound Kobashi's glove colliding with Ippo's face rang out throughout the stadium. Ippo's eyes were glossed over as his feet slid forward from under him and he fell as if his strings had been cut!
"Kid!" Kobashi heard his coach cry out as Makunouchi slumped to the mat, mouthpiece dangling from the edges of his mouth before finally falling down his chest and onto the canvas below, leaving a trail of saliva down his pecs. What a vicious hit!
The ref immediately got in between the two, ushering Kobashi towards a neutral corner as he examined the body of Makunouchi. When would he begin the count? Would there be a count?
… the ref then waved his hands in the air, signaling the knockout! At Round 4 at 2:47 Kobashi had defeated Ippo Makunouchi by way of knockout!
The coach, Yagi, Kimura and Aoki were just as shocked as the rest of crowd. What had they just witnessed? How could a soft puncher like Kobashi knockout a powerhouse like Makunouchi? No one had expected a turnout like this.
Suddenly a few spontaneous claps began to sound off, and they soon evolved into a round of applause. Chants of 'Way to go, Kobashi!' and 'Fight like that next time, Kobashi!' rang throughout the stadium, which elicited bows from Kobashi. He then raised his right fist, the fist that earned him the win.
Once the crowd able to look back at this fight, it was easy to forget that this was only Ippo's fourth professional fight. None of his previous opponents incorporated much clinching in their boxing styles. Makunouchi wasn't used to having his rhythm so constantly interrupted. But the whole nature of the battle shifted when Kobashi landed that right cross. Whether it was luck or skill, that one punch changed the course of everything. Fate had favored Kobashi this day.
Iit can't be understated, Kenta Kobashi just beat the man with the heaviest hands in the tournament. And not just beat him, he knocked him out cold. As Kobashi raised his fist, he looked to see Ippo being escorted towards the back on a stretcher, still unconscious from the match.
Anything can happen in boxing...
What transpired next would only be recalled as flashes in his memory. Ippo would remember looking up at the ceiling lights as they scrolled past as he seemed to rock back and forth on what felt like a hammock.
The voice familiar but too echoed out to fully recognize it, "-Look at yourself!-" accompanied by a hot breeze brushing against his face. "-A lousy boxer like you is not qualified to watch a title bout!-"
It was all a blur for Ippo as he felt like he was being laid down on plank or something. Barely lucid he was able to hear someone say "-Guess you'll just have to hear about it, loser!-" was that his senpai? Was that Takamura?
After that, he heard a door slam and the rest was darkness.
A short time later, the door to the green room opened once more. At this point, Ippo was still out cold, sleeping off the effects of his losing effort. Unbeknownst to him, he was receiving a visit from the man who just beat him, Kobashi.
The Rookie King Tournament Semi-Finalist couldn't resist visiting Ippo. Especially after what had transpired. For a long time Kobashi stared at the sleeping Makunouchi, trying to find the right words to say. With only the two of them in the room, he finally spoke out, " I never knew I had a KO punch until I fought you." He gently places a hand on Makunouchi's chest, still drenched from the fight, "For showing me what I had in me, I'll always be grateful to you. Thank you, Makunouchi." giving him a slight bow of respect.
It was then that he heard the crowd suddenly pipe up from the TV. Kobashi looked at the TV and was shocked by what he saw. "Whoa, maybe I'll end my next match with a KO punch like that?" Kobashi commented as he looked at his now clenched fist.
Back in the ring, a countdown had started. Someone had been knocked down and the crowd was chanting… but they were chanting for Yajima. Yoshiaki Yajma had just delivered Takamura the first knockdown in his career. Aoki and Kimura were awestruck by what just happened. This night had been a terrible night for their gym. First Ippo suffered his first loss by KO, and now this?
Yajima stood tall in his corner, looking pleased with himself as he benefited from the crowd advantage. He was used to the pressure of a title bout, something this newcomer seemed to be struggling with on top of having the crowd against him. Rather than let Takamura get his bearings and get his rhythm, Yajima was planning to take him down quick.
For a long time, Takamura took a knee. Kimura and Aoki cried out to him. Coach Kamogawa noted that normally Takamura usually didn't caught by such feints. True, he was feeling pressured, but more so than pressure. He was feeling anger, anger that Ippo wasn't able to secure a victory for him like he'd hoped. He'd ruined his coronation! Takamura was off a step and it was all his fault!
With a mighty roar, Takamura rose to his feet, which made the crowd come alive once more. The match would continue!
The challenger stood tall and stared holes through the champion. Yajima merely smiled at him and rushed in, seeing the posture as just a poker-face to hide the damage. The champ began to throw straight hands at the face, going for the knockout early. But Takamura was light on his feet, back up and dodging his punches. He was waiting, waiting for the big one.
Once Takamura was backed against the ropes, Yajima put his whole body behind the shot. But instead of tearing through a guard and meeting Takamura's face, Yajima's glove tore through nothing but air as the contender vanished from sight!
"Gotcha!" Takamura shouted as he clattered the champion with a vengeful uppercut, sending his bloodied mouthpiece rocketing into the air! Yajima bent backwards and staggered as Takamura furiously rushed at him, landing another solid right hand to keep him off balance.
Soon Takamura had Yajima against the ropes, raining lefts and rights at the champion's guard. All that stubborn guard did was anger Takamura further as he tore it open with a smash! With Yajima exposed for more punishment, Takamura recklessly rushed in straight. This was what Yajima was waiting for…
Takamura had just fallen for this technique moments before and that knocked him down. This time Yajima was aiming to finish him with this next counter! The crowd was on edge as the two moved in for a kill shot! Whoever landed first it would be a matter of speed…!
No way...
Author's Note: I planned on this just being a one-shot. Any reviews, positive or negative, are you for your readership.