Machismo vs. Earnestness is Round 1016 of Jōji Morikawa's Hajime no Ippo manga series.
Details[]
- Title Page Character(s): Ippo Makunouchi
Summary[]
Alfredo tells Lisa how he remembers telling himself that if he kept winning, one day he will meet Ricardo in the ring, and while he did, the first time it wasn't even a fight since he was riddled with nerves, then the second time was worse, as he got stronger and forced Ricardo to fight him seriously, causing him to wake up in a hospital bed after the match. Lisa thinks that Alfredo shouldn't obsess over the WBA title, as he can become champion in a different federation, but Alfredo doesn't want to avoid Ricardo, as he has to face the strongest in the would since that what machismo means to him. Alfredo notes how Ricardo is undefeated despite the insane number of title defences, which he has come to appreciate since becoming a boxer, and that is why he wants to take the manly path and be brave like a man should while knowing he is risking his life. While he doesn't know if his next opponent is strong, he knows that he is the only one who can surpass Ricardo. He tells Lisa that he will be heading to Japan soon to fight Ippo with machismo in his heart. Later, at the Kamogawa gym, Ippo is getting used to the training with the extending boxing glove, being able pass through Kamogawa's throws and close in with a liver blow to Kamogawa's protected body. As they watch, Aoki and Kimura notes how the body blows from Ippo's lowered position come out fast and strong enough to put someone down, and Itagaki believes when it comes down to fighting at that range, he bets he is the best in the world. When Ippo and Kamogawa says his training isn't done yet, Aoki thinks that fighting against the second ranked in the world would make anyone nervous, Takamura claims that they want to clear any doubts since when Ippo sparred against Ricardo, he was beaten with only Ricardo's left, and Alfredo uses his left just like Ricardo. Aoki thinks that Ippo got used to it fast and probably trains at home, and Kimura claims that Ippo is probably the world champion in terms of training. Itagaki adds that he sees him doing squats on the shaky boat and ducking iron bars at night, thinking that after all he has done, he doubts he will lose. At the Monthly Boxing Fan, Mari interviews coach Date, asking him what he thinks of Alfredo, and if he notices the similarities to Ricardo, especially his left. Date answers that Alfredo is not just a knockoff, as he has the goods.