Destined Boxer Arc

Destined Boxer Arc
Information
Volumes	78-79 (2 Volumes)
Manga Rounds	742-754, (13 Chapters)
Chronology
Previous	Scratch Arc
Next	Winner Takes All Arc

The Destined Boxer Arc, is the thirty-fourth story arc in the series and the third in the Survival Match of Asian Champions Saga.

A mysterious boxer pursues to fight Miyata, who he accepts this destined fight that was bound to happen sooner or later instead of fighting his long rival Ippo. Ippo, finding out the truth, understands Miyata's purpose to prove his father's boxing was not wrong.

Summary

The Search for a New Technique

Kumi talking to Ippo about Mashiba and boxing.

Kumi visits Ippo while he is fishing and asks if he wanted to go to the pool, as she knows that Ippo has free time since he just got done fighting Sisphar. However, Ippo can't due to his injuries. As Kumi sits with him while he fishes, Ippo apologises when he starts talking about boxing, but Kumi tells him that she doesn't mind since she likes spending time with him. When Ippo asks how Mashiba is doing since he is still suspended, Kumi mentions how tense he is because he wants a match. She adds that she believes that she is the one who is tense since he always makes her worry when he fights, and doubts that he considers how she feels as she waits for him at home. After Ippo claims that Mashiba cares about her, Kumi mentions that Mashiba probably only thinks about winning during a match, whether he lives or dies for it rather than thinking about how Kumi feels. She claims that she has gotten used to it, since she knows that boxers won't stop just because she says it's dangerous, and also knows that he will have to stop at some point. Kumi asks Ippo to make it back in one piece, just like she asks of her brother.

At the Kamogawa gym, while Itagaki, Aoki and Kimura are sparring, Kamogawa wonders where Takamura is. Kamogawa gets irritated when Kimura tells him that Takamura is out looking for a Sunday Punch. Takamura is at the Shimono Zoo to study various animals since he realised that he is the only one who does not have a signature move with an animal in the name. However, after not finding anything at the zoo, he travels around rivers, forests, and the mountains. His decision stops on the kabuto beetle in which he utilises the way they attack by flipping another beetle over. That night, Takamura comes to the Kamogawa gym and announces to everyone that he will now show everyone the fist of the king. Takamura explains his discovery of the kabuto beetle and, having brought a lot of kabuto beetles, which starts flying all over the gym, shows how one can flip the other with their horn. He demonstrates on Aoki his new technique: the Beetle's Uppercut, by starting from between the opponent's legs, then launching his fist upwards. While he plans to use it in his upcoming match, Kamogawa advises that he shouldn't because it would be counted as a foul. Ippo comes back to the gym and excitedly catches a kabuto beetle. He becomes confused when Kamogawa angrily tells him to get rid of it.

Operation World Domination - Main Event - WBC Middleweight Title Match - Champion Mamoru Takamura (Second Defence) vs. Challenger Rickey Mouse (WBC Rank 7) / Semi-Finals - Manabu Itagaki vs. Alex Harker / Tatsuya Kimura vs. Michael Gehon / Masaru Aoki vs. Padawan Yoda

Takamura wearing the kabuto beetle outfit.

On the night of the matches, Ippo sits and watches with Fujii and Mari. Itagaki knocks Alex Harker out in the first round, Kimura knocks Michael Gehon out in the fifth round, and Aoki knocks Padawan Yoda out in the ninth round. After Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki tells Takamura that they won, Takamura claims that they can start getting ready to leave because his match will be over real soon. As Takamura walks to the ring in a kabuto beetle costume, the crowd and the challenger, Rickey Mouse are shocked, while Kamogawa feels like he is about to die from embarrassment. After the horn accidentally drops from his head, the crowd laughs as he looks like a cockroach now.

Takamura knocking Mouse out with the other horn of the Beetle's Uppercut.

As the match begins, Takamura immediately uses the Beetle's Uppercut, which Mouse dodges. After throwing only the Beetle's Uppercut multiple times and missing, Takamura gets Mouse to the ropes. When Mouse was about to throw a counter to counter the incoming Beetle's Uppercut, both of the boxers step-in leads Mouse's head to connect with the raised "smaller horn" of the Beetle's Uppercut, causing a down. Takamura wants Mouse to get up so he can show the Beetle's Uppercut land, however, Mouse is unable to continue, resulting in Takamura victory. While being interviewed by reporters after the match, Takamura comments that having his opponent focus on the bigger horn and finish with the smaller one was his original plan. Aoki and Kimura thinks that it was a coincidence, while Ippo comments that he still managed to pull off a one-punch knockout win. The reporters suggest that the Kamogawa gym members take a photo together, which they do. Walking out of the venue, Yagi asks Kamogawa if he is mad. Kamogawa responds that he is getting old and has found a group of surrogate sons at the end of his life, wanting to take it at heart and not needing anything in his coffin, as he already has far more than he can take when he passes on. Nekota receives a copy of the photo by Ippo that the Kamogawa gym members took along with a message about how they are doing. Ippo gets a reply back, with a poem he shares with his gym mates about autumn leaves being like boxing gloves and a poem he kept to himself about weight of fists being inherited are heavyweight, though he has no idea what it meant.

Main Event - Non-Title Match - OPBF Featherweight Champion Ichirō Miyata - Donnie Sultan (Filipino Rank 2)

Miyata using his Pin-point Counter to defeat Sultan.

As Miyata has a non-title match against the Filipino second ranker Donnie Sultan, he goes to the Kōrakuen Hall for the match. In his waiting room, his father asks about his fists, which Miyata states that they are completely fine, and all that is left is to cut his opponent down. Ippo and Itagaki are in the audience seats to watch. Itagaki thinks that Ippo should be angry that he broke their promise, but Ippo thinks that Miyata has his reasons.

As the match begins, the audience jeers at Miyata for not fighting Ippo, calling him a traitor. Miyata's seconds thinks that it feels like an away match. Miyata enters his Detroit Style and attacks Sultan with fast footwork and a barrage of punches until he traps Sultan in a corner. Miyata attacks Sultan's guard like an in-fighter until Sultan tried to attack. Miyata attempts to counter the attack, however, Sultan guards against it. As Miyata goes to the other end of the ring, Sultan chases him and makes failed attempts on landing a hit on Miyata. Miyata lands a Cross Counter on one of Sultan's attacks, causing Sultan's knees to buckle. Miyata is chased by Sultan, dodging his attacks once more until Miyata dodges and lands a Pin-Point Counter on Sultan's jaw. Knowing that he has defeated his opponent, Miyata walks away as Sultan falls to the canvas. The referee ends the match immediately, resulting in Miyata's victory. Walking away from the ring, his father comments how Miyata's counter that he learned in his training camp with Takamura looks almost perfect. Miyata agrees, and reflects that it was the punch he planned to hit Ippo with, but he has shown it on purpose to send a message to Ippo that they will never meet inside the ring again. Ippo realises that the new counter was meant for him and he would have went down just like Sultan. Ippo knows that this means they will never meet in the ring. In his room at the venue, Miyata is asked by the Kawahara coach why he showed the new counter when Randy will surely be studying it. Miyata reassures him that he doesn't need to worry since counters will be useless on Randy. Miyata leaves as he thinks about how he can now focus on Randy since he sent his regards to Ippo, gladly accepting his destiny match against Randy. Miyata's father tells his staff that Miyata shouldn't know anything about Randy yet since the videos haven't been delivered yet. He wonders how his son knows and why he considers Randy an enemy, as the only information he has is when Miyata encountered Randy for the first time.

Mr. Sakaguchi telling Ippo the condition to the shortest path to a world title.

Outside the venue, Ippo expresses to Itagaki how he would have lost to Miyata if they fought, however, Itagaki points out that Ippo never said he would win once when the match was decided. Ippo makes Itagaki frustrated as he feels simply being in the ring with his idol would have been enough, however, Itagaki makes Ippo realise that he would have regretted fighting against Miyata if he fought with those feelings. Mr. Sakaguchi approaches Ippo and Itagaki, with the intention of having Ippo sign to a contract, but Ippo turns it down since Itagaki told him it might be a scam. Mr. Sakaguchi asks Ippo if he wants a world title, proposing a deal for the shortest path to the world title, with the condition of defeating Randy, the OPBF interim champion. He explains that the prize money would be split and Ippo would get a chance the fight the world champion. Ippo declines the offer, as it would only happen if Randy defeated the full champion Miyata, which he is confident would beat Randy. Ippo becomes puzzled as Mr. Sakaguchi laughs at his claim and tells him that history has proven otherwise, and that counters won't work on his boxer.

The Truth About Randy and Miyata's Connection

Randy defeating Jakkuim.

After hearing from Ippo about meeting Randy's shady manager, Yagi figures it was Mr. Sakaguchi and informs Ippo to go see Fujii for videos on Randy. Ippo goes to the Monthly Boxing Fan to watch videos of him. He is surprised to see Miyata's father there as well. Watching the videos, they both become shocked to see Randy, using a southpaw stance, knocking out an opponent that used a anti-southpaw counter by switching to the orthodox stance. Miyata's father realises the reason why Randy is the destined boxer for his son and why he is so fixated on Randy. He also realises that Randy is the son of the boxer who ended his career by breaking his jaw with the same counter that Randy used in the tape, wondering how Miyata was able to put it together. Fujii notes how shocked he was as well, believing that Miyata having a match against Randy is destiny. Miyata's father is irritated that Miyata dropped his fight with Ippo in order to avenge him by fighting Randy, deciding that he will put an end to his match with Randy. Ippo doesn't think that the father will be able to stop Miyata, as it is something very important to him. Ippo feels as if he could cheer him on, knowing that Miyata's oath of proving his father's boxing is not wrong is more important than their promise. After Miyata's father left, Ippo states that Miyata will go through with the match no matter what anyone says, even if his father lectures him all night at home. Fujii reveals to him that Miyata and his father do not live in the same home, as Miyata moved away from his father's house after he left the Kamogawa gym and his father sold their old house as he does not need anything from the past.

The story of Miyata Senior and Randy Senior.

Later at the Kawahara gym, Miyata is approached by his father about Randy's father. Miyata reveals to him that he had suspicions that Randy was his son when he first saw him next to Mr. Sakaguchi, and then confirmed it when he researched him when he saw his name. Miyata expresses how thankful he is for a chance to fight the man with same eyes and boxing style as the father who defeated his own father. As Miyata's father sees no way of turning him away from the fight, he warns Miyata that if he is getting into the ring for his personal vendetta, then he won't be there as his second, and that he has less than twenty percent chance of winning. His father stresses again that he has nearly no chance of winning, however, Miyata is delighted to feel like the challenger. Later, after realising that Randy Boy Junior is the son of Randy Boy Senior, who destroyed Miyata's father's career, Yagi explains to the gym members about how he was good with both hands and how he won against Miyata's father, who was defending his OPBF featherweight title for the seventh time. Yagi notes how Miyata's father had the point lead in the final round, but was knocked out after Randy switched from southpaw to orthodox style, and Miyata was there watching and cried out for him. As the gym members wonder if Miyata can win, Yagi mentions how Miyata's father was defeated when there was no information about Randy, but now they have information, so nothing unexpected will happen.

Miyata's Promise to Himself

Miyata meeting his younger self in a dream.

Later, Miyata has a dream about meeting his younger self, who asks his older self if his dream came true yet. Miyata tells his younger self that he has gotten through a lot of trouble because of his dream, revealing that he is still in the middle of his dream. Miyata gets asked about his mother's whereabouts, however, Miyata informs him that he hasn't seen her since the note she left. As his younger self becomes sad that he will still be alone in the future, Miyata reassures him that he can still become strong despite being alone, and that he will become world champion. He is told by his younger self that it is a promise, wanting his older self to keep the promise of becoming the world champion to prove that his father's boxing is not a fluke. As his younger self ran away, Miyata wakes up.