Hajime no Ippo Vol. 36 — Manga Raw / Buy Official

The defense turns violent early. The challenger owns a punch that blasts through the guard itself, shoving back the close-range fighting that is Ippo's lifeline with raw power. Dropped to a knee, Ippo hears Coach Kamogawa's order to attack at the end of the opponent's combinations, and he finds his opening by diving into the body the instant those arms extend fully. He hammers the liver to kill the legs, then finishes with the Dempsey Roll. Yet the wear carried over from the Sanada fight cannot be hidden, and Kamogawa quietly begins counting the time left to carry Ippo to the world stage. In parallel, Takamura shows a world-ranked fighter the gulf in class, and Ricardo Martinez is set out plainly as the summit. Miyata pursues his own road overseas, and for the first time Ippo takes the wall of the world on as his personal problem.