Heir to the Throne is Round 1028 of Jōji Morikawa's Hajime no Ippo manga series.
Details[]
- Title Page Character(s): Manabu Itagaki, Kyōsuke Imai, Shimakawa, Genji Kamogawa, Shinoda
Summary[]
Itagaki tries to withstand Imai's punches, not wanting him to underestimate the training he does at the Kamogawa gym, where he was helped building his midsection. Imai knows from last time how tough Itagaki is mentally, so he needs to knock him unconscious as his spirit won't break. Imai's barrage begins to slow down, which Date observes that he is running out of steam due to his reckless plan that took a lot of stamina and focus, which wore away as Itagaki hung on. Imai gathers all the spirit he has in order to continue the body blow barrage again. Itagaki and Imai are unable to handle it anymore, leading Itagaki to block a body blow. Imai realises that Itagaki's face is now open, sending out a right overhand. As planned, Itagaki goes for a counter, thinking how he is the speed king of Japanese boxing. However, Itagaki sees his own punch, which looks slow to him, realising he is about to get hit. Imai's right overhand lands on Itagaki's face, making him slide down on the corner post, sitting down on the mat. The referee immediately stops the match, resulting in Imai becoming the new JBC featherweight champion by a one round knockout.