The Night Before the Decisive Battle is Round 1330 of Morikawa Jouji's Hajime no Ippo manga series.
Details[]
- Title Page Character(s): Takamura Mamoru
Summary[]
While walking to the Kamogawa gym after Takamura's weigh-in and eating at the Hirosue, Taihei and Kintarō comments on how fearsome Takamura is while he was eating. Ippo tells them how he was more calm that he was on his previous weight controls. Taihei and Kintarō are curious about how hard the weigh control is, which Ippo explains that it varies person to person. Ippo mentions to his students how harsh Takamura's weight control is, unable to think about how his mental state is currently, however, his students point out how relaxed Takamura looks. Ippo realises how there has been less problems recently and that Takamura may be able to relax since he is at his best weight class. Before running off, Takamura requests for Ippo, Taihei, and Kintarō to meet him at the Chūka Soba after they drop off his champion belts at the gym. At a hotel, Dragon's staff asks of his impression of Takamura during the face-off at the weigh-in. Dragon claims that Takamura's eyes looked great and believes that he will no longer be alone, predicting that both of them will read each other ten to twenty moves ahead. That night at the Chūka Soba, Ippo, Taihei, and Kintarō, Itagaki, and Kimura arrive, however, Takamura is late. When Taihei and Kintarō mentions how they don't want Takamura to lose against someone who plays around with mahjong, Kimura notes how Dragon has been practising as the match loomed closer, criticising the belief that boxers have to quit their hobbies when a match is nearby, pointing out how frightening it is that someone like Dragon is able to switch his stress on and off easily. As everyone gets worried, Ippo remembers that Takamura even recognises how strong Dragon is, revealing to everyone how he prayed at a shrine. Kimura asks Ippo if he gave Takamura a voodoo doll.