Hajime no Ippo: New Challenger 7 Well I’m not paying $60 or some shit to watch tonight’s Cotto vs. Jennings fight on Pay-Per-View so I figured I’d watch Date vs. Martinez instead! Date (like Jennings) is a clear underdog, but surprises everyone by taking the champ’s blows and staying upright through the second round, proving he’s not the same fighter he was 7 years ago when Martinez knocked him out in Round 2. In true shounen anime style, there’s a lot of hinting that the only reason Date can withstand Martinez’s rights now is that he’s had experience with an equally hard puncher in the meantime - presumably our boy Ippo. <3 Proving his mettle in Round 2 doesn’t turn out for the best however, because Martinez is impressed enough to revert to his older, more agressive style and proceeds to batter Date against the ropes for the next 7 rounds. Everyone is depressed, and Takemura remarks that it would take a magic punch for Date to win this lopsided fight. This reminds Ippo that Date DOES in fact have a magic punch - the “Heartbreak Shot” corkscrew body punch that he used to paralyze and knock out Ippo before. The gang notices that Date hasn’t been throwing any body shots in this fight, probably to trick Martinez into guarding his head while he wears him down enough to throw the Heartbreak. Which Date then does, right as the episode ends! Cliffhanger!
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