Extraordinary is Round 1173 of Jōji Morikawa's Hajime no Ippo manga series.
Details[]
- Real Life People Mentioned: Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, Muhammad Ali
- Title Page Character(s): Ippo Makunouchi, Genji Kamogawa
Summary[]
Ippo and Kamogawa are doing mitt practice. During it, Kamogawa notes that Ippo's step in is sharp, and he can feel how compact his fists are with the sheer force packed into a small area. After they are done, Aoki and Itagaki are impressed Kamogawa can still do it at his age, and think Ippo and Takamura look more worn out than him. In Kamogawa's office, Yagi thinks Kamogawa's pushing himself too much with Ippo and Takamura back to back. Kamogawa admits it is tough since the height difference makes the angles different. Yagi mention he is talking about Kamogawa's stamina, but Kamogawa ignores him and mentions when he catches their punches, it feels like their punches are filling him with life. He can feel the heat through their gloves, youth being pressed into him, and their sharing their souls with him. Kamogawa okays with their plan that in two months from now Takamura will be the main event, and Ippo will be the semi-final for his return match. An article gets published in Monthly Boxing Fan about the matches, with everyone noticing it. Date and Okita, Imai, Sendō and Hoshi, and Miyata, where they are all interested in the fact that Ippo's back. Takamura's mad that he got to defend the World title again, and yells at the reporters which makes them leave. During his roadwork with Ippo, Takamura is complaining about it. He mentions he can't waste time. He feels title defence are just detours that waste time, when he wants to take the shortest and most direct route to the top. Ippo disagrees since no one in Japan has won a title at a higher weight class, unifying with another belt, and defend them both. Takamura feel until he takes the Heavyweight belt, he can't say he is the strongest human alive. Ippo mentions that Takamura is a trailblazer, where he doesn't need to feel sour over it since it is something no one has ever done before. He thinks Takamura should take things slowly, and he wonders if Takamura is lonely. Takamura tells Ippo that everyone starts out as a nobody, but something got them moving forward. The path starts out as a flat road, but then a steep incline and turns into a mountain where he has to climb over obstacles (other boxers) until there is only enough footing for one person at the top. When the last obstacles is passed, the view at the top is only other who have made it that far can see, he adds the place everyone aims for isn't lonely instead it is extraordinary, where other "(boxing) Stars" are looking down on them. Ippo doesn't think he can do that. Takamura tells him he should stop thinking and just go for it, he does it or he don't.