Ippo fought his first match in five months. Ippo was very nervous because it felt like he was walking down the hall after years. He thought that it was very quiet, so he considered that there was a small turnout.
It was unavoidable for him because Ippo lost the match last time. The audience was cheering for Ippo because they had been waiting there and came to see him because they had been feeling lonely without him.
The audience reminded Ippo that one loss was nothing, and they were looking forward to witnessing another knockout on his part. The announcers were excited to witness that the cheering for Ippo had not gone down and that he still had the strong support of his fans.
Ippo was finally making a comeback after five months. It was a weird feeling for him because everyone had changed in the last five months. But he could sense that the mood inside the hall was still as good as usual. Ippo climbed inside the ring for his first comeback match after his first loss.
It was very important for Minoru Fujii to think that Umezawa was absorbed in the match. Umezawa told him that Ippo was his friend, so it was only natural for him to cheer for his friend.
Minoru told him he was acquainted with Ippo as he used to write for a boxing magazine. Minoru told Umezawa that Ippo went inside the ring with full confidence.
Umezawa told him Ippo wanted to make his comeback with that match. Umezawa could tell that Ippo was planning to attempt something different during his match.
Kamogawa warned Ippo that they had no idea how his opponent was planning to attack him. He reminded Ippo to observe the movements of his opponent and to read his actions.
After the bell rang, Ippo and his opponent stowed towards the center of the ring. Ippo could sense from his opponent’s pose that he carried an orthodox style.
Ippo was curious about what kind of boxing his opponent was going to do, but he could feel it out with his left. Ponchai threw a sudden punch at Ippo from the right.
Ippo seized the offensive, slapping it away from Ippo’s hand. The audience was enraged by Ponchai. Kamogawa knew that a highly focused boxer could always respond to even the most sudden attacks.
It was not that Ippo did not have concentration. He believed that his absence from the ring must have played a part in his performance.
In what episode does Ippo learn the Dempsey roll?
Ippo learned the Dempsey role in episode 62. Ippo landed a vicious right punch at Ponchai and did not let him get away from him. Ippo went to the center as he wanted to find out how tough Ponchai was.
Ippo did not want to lose against Ponchai because he did not want to relive what he had gone through in the past five months. The two of them exchanged some blows at the center of the ring. After the end of round one, Ponchai picked up his rhythm, and Ippo dodged all his punches and stuck with defense.
But his coach could sense that Ippo was confident, and it did not seem like Ippo was going to announce a KO as a bluff. Ippo suddenly began to swing punches from both sides as he weaved. He went faster, shook his head to the other side, and shifted his weight at high velocity.
By using the rebound from his swaying, Ippo threw a punch at Ponchai from both sides. Ippo used the Dempsey roll technique from the world of American boxing and landed Ponchai on his back. After defeating Ponchai Ippo, he used the Dempsey roll for the first time during a live match without knowing.
Where To Watch?
Hajime no Ippo episodes are available on Crunchyroll for international viewers.
