Takuzō Karasawa (唐沢 拓三, Karasawa Takuzō) is a retired featherweight professional boxer who was affiliated with the Kinoshita gym.
His most prominent matches were against Makunouchi Ippo for the JBC featherweight title in the Under Siege Arc and his match against Itagaki Manabu in the Class A Tournament, where he retired after the match.
Background[]
After winning the All Japan Rookie King Tournament, and later becoming ranked 7th, Karasawa planned to challenge Ippo for the JBC title, in hopes to revive Kinoshita Boxing Gym since Sanada Kazuki retired.
History[]
Part II[]
Spirit of a Weed Arc[]
As Karasawa was training, his coach informed him that he sent the letter of challenge to the JBC featherweight champion Makunouchi Ippo, and asked if he was sure about it. Karasawa revealed he has a plan and was positive he would win, as he saw with everyone how the Dempsey Roll was beaten by Sawamura Ryūhei.
Under Siege Arc[]
Karasawa's training to go against Ippo.
After Ippo accepted the match, his former senpai, Sanada Kazuki arrived at the gym to warn Karasawa that Ippo is strong and is not the same as when Karasawa saw Sanada fight him before. However, Karasawa noted that he is not the same as before either, and wanted to spar with Sanada to show him his Dempsey Roll countermeasure, but Sanada did not want to since he is not as strong as when he was a boxer. When Sanada asked him about the odds, Karasawa revealed it is 7 to 3 against him. He believed the risks were high, but there was a 30% chance in winning. He asked Sanada about Ippo's punches, which Sanada explained how they are not normal. After hearing that, Karasawa felt he had to take the belt by relying on his guts, and asked Sanada to give him advice and watch him train. To prepare for his match, Karasawa had Kinoshita focus on training his body to take Ippo's punches by having Kinoshita repeatedly step on his body. After a break, Karasawa told Sanada that he plans to use this training in his match with Ippo, not stopping at all in the ten rounds as he knew that if he stopped, Ippo would come at him with the Dempsey Roll, which is why he is building his body to withstand Ippo's punches.
Karasawa's strong body gained from training.
Later, Karasawa earned a rock hard body from the training. While Kinoshita believed it should bounce back Ippo's fist, Karasawa felt Ippo could have a punch that exceeds their imagination. He thought that he could withstand a few punches, but he assumed his feet would stop in the end. Kinoshita tried to offer some encouragement, but Karasawa told him that he didn't plan to stop and would keep accumulating points. When Kinoshita asked him what he would do if he got caught in the ropes and Ippo uses the Dempsey Roll, Karasawa answered that that was when he planned to show his courage by waiting with a counter, and, if he can't knock Ippo out, it would get him out of a tight spot, planning to stay standing until the end to win.
Karasawa meeting Tsugumi.
After leaving the gym, Karasawa saw Kinoshita's daughter, Tsugumi, who mentioned that Kinoshita told her that Karasawa is their shining star of hope after so long, and he is taking extra care of Karasawa so that he can become champion. Karasawa claimed that he thought he forced Kinoshita to put him in a title match, since he was taking a big gamble. Karasawa noted how he knew that Kinoshita has been down since Sanada retired, and that since he loves the Kinoshita gym, he wanted to know if there was anything he could do to help, which was why he wanted to challenge Ippo. Tsugumi wondered if Karasawa was scared, but he simply told her that things will get brighter.
When Karasawa's weigh-in with Ippo arrived, he went to the Kōrakuen Hall with Sanada. After the weigh-in of which Karasawa passed and saw Ippo, Karasawa wanted to hear Sanada's thoughts on Ippo's condition. Sanada felt that Ippo has been training a lot since his back is twice as large since he fought him. He thought Ippo was in perfect condition physically, but he didn't know if he was at his best mentally compared to his last few matches. Karaswawa wondered if Ippo's spirit was lacking. Sanada replied that Ippo is hard to judge, but he had the same expression of anxiety as when he fought him. Sanada advised Karasawa to take advantage of Ippo's anxiety by aiming for the opening hit, and using his feet to escape while aiming for a point lead before Ippo calms down. Karasawa was assured by having Sanada as a second for his match. Sanada mentioned that since he heard from Tsugumi, he planned to help him, but warned him that even an incomplete Ippo is still very strong, and he should be okay as long as he has the spirit to bounce back. Karasawa admitted that he was weaker than Ippo, but he believed he wouldn't lose when it came to spirit.
Karasawa fighting Ippo.
The next day, Karasawa arrived to the Kōrakuen Hall for his JBC featherweight title match against Ippo. Upon arrival to the ring, he was amazed of how different it feels to be in a title match even though it is the same ring. When Ippo went to the ring, Karasawa asked Sanada if ippo is complete, which Sanada replied that he is perfect. When the match began, Karasawa tried to hit Ippo first, however, Ippo intimidated him with his step-in speed and a missed punch, making Karasawa switch to using his footwork. Pressured by Ippo, Karasawa attacked Ippo's guard while stepping back when Ippo charges in, not knowing that Ippo is manipulating him into going into a corner. Once Karasawa was in a corner, he decided to endure Ippo's liver blow and escape the corner. While Karasawa escaped from the corner, the liver blow made Karasawa feel like Ippo drilled a hole through him, and it affected his legs. Desperate to stay standing, Karasawa clinched onto Ippo until Sanada warned him to jump backwards as Ippo is able to punch while being clinched. Karasawa jumped backwards to avoid the uppercut, but was unable to avoid Ippo's left to the face, causing Karasawa to hold onto the ropes. After being overwhelmed while blocking Ippo's combinations, Karasawa clinched onto Ippo and pulled him down to the canvas with him as the first round ends. At the corner, Sanada suggested to continue the hit-and-run strategy, but Karasawa planned to land a counter the moment he gets trapped again at a corner and Ippo uses the Dempsey Roll.
Karasawa getting defeated.
In the second round, Karasawa circled around Ippo while throwing lefts as Ippo slowly approached him, distorting Karasawa's circular path, until Karasawa was put into a corner. At the corner, Karasawa noticed Ippo doing the figure eight motion, anticipating a Dempsey Roll. Karasawa was shocked when Ippo stopped the motion and was unable to react in time as he gets hit by a liver blow. Karasawa became agitated that Ippo won't bring out the Dempsey Roll as he guards Ippo's small and compact punches. Once Karasawa's guard broke, he was hit by a powerful body blow that leaves him crunched over in agony. Wanting to continue fighting on for his love of his gym and coach, he stayed standing. Karasawa threw a left hook at the corner to get their positions switched, however, he gets hit by Ippo's left that went over his hook, sending Karasawa tumbling down. The referee quickly ended the match, resulting in Karasawa's loss.
At his room in the venue, Karasawa expressed to Kinoshita and Sanada how pathetic he feels not being able to draw out Ippo's full power as Ippo sealed the Dempsey Roll, however, Sanada disagreed, knowing that Ippo doesn't hold back and that he in fact faced the true form of Ippo, making him having fought the most dangerous part of Ippo. Karasawa realised how people who have unfair destructive power like Ippo keeps moving on higher, and above him is a world where people have seemingly unfair tools as well. Karasawa mentioned how the towel wasn't thrown, which Kinoshita apologised for not doing it since it was his duty to save his boxer. Karasawa however, felt that his feelings were saved and pleaded for Kinoshita to guide him from the beginning again.
Red Lightning Arc[]
Karasawa meeting Ippo at a pro test.
Karasawa attended a pro test at the Kōrakuen Hall to watch his kōhai take the test, where he met Saeki Takuma, who was there to do the same. They met Ippo, and revealed to him that they would be entering the Class A Tournament to become ranked first in order to challenge for the JBC featherweight title, planning to challenge Ippo if he still has the title. They added how Fukui Kyōsuke will be in the tournament as well, noting that that is all there is for the notable names going into the tournament. When Ippo mentioned that Itagaki Manabu will be in it as well, they didn't know who he was. Itagaki, who came with Ippo to the venue, told them that they would be learning his name whether they wanted to or not. Saeki and Karasawa were intrigued, wanting to meet him again in the ring.
Second Coming of Death Arc[]
Karasawa meeting Ippo and Kumi before Itagaki's match against Kaonar.
Karasawa and Saeki went to the Kōrakuen Hall to watch Itagaki's match against Kaonar Pachon in order to see how Itagaki fights. Before going in the venue, they met Ippo and joked about Ippo bringing his girlfriend with him to watch the match. Karasawa and Saeki watched Itagaki defeat Kaonar by knockout in the second round. The two left after seeing Itagaki celebrate in the ring with an "Ace of A's" declaration.
Chronos Arc[]
Karasawa fighting Itagaki.
When his first match of the Class A Tournament against Itagaki arrived, Karasawa went to the Kōrakuen Hall. When the match began, Karasawa and Itagaki commenced a high-level exchange match where neither landed a hit for a long period of time due to their speed until Itagaki landed a hit, leaving Karasawa surprised by his speed. Karasawa blocked Itagaki's rapid lefts and fired back with his own attacks, of which Itagaki dodged. When Karasawa threw a right, Itagaki had the punch hit his face and spun his neck to negate the damage while using the momentum to throw a counter, hitting Karasawa. While trying to hit Itagaki, a big right he threw led him to get hit by a Cross Counter. Noticing that Itagaki was getting faster, Karasawa decided to shift gears. The two entered an exchange where Karasawa was outclassed by Itagaki in speed, however, Karasawa was able to down Itagaki with a left when Itagaki tried to counter it. When Itagaki got up, Karasawa charged toward him and attacked. None of his punches were able to land as Itagaki dodged them until he landed another left when Itagaki tried to do a counter. Karasawa waited for Itagaki to attack, as he saw no need to aim for a knockout if he can win by decision while Itagaki doesn't go after him. With 25 seconds left until the first round ends, Itagaki went towards Karasawa in an attempt to hit him, however, Karasawa kept him away with lefts. When Karasawa was approached by Itagaki from below, Karasawa blocked a left body blow, then had Itagaki's overhand hit his forehead as the first round ended with Karasawa in the lead by points.
Karasawa getting defeated.
In the second round, Karasawa kept Itagaki from getting close by hitting him with lefts. When Itagaki got faster than Karasawa's eyes can track, Karasawa put his guard up. After getting hit by a punch that went through his guard at the side, Karasawa tightened his guard. Karasawa's guard broke after it got hit by rapid lefts. Karasawa dashed toward Itagaki to try and attack him, however, Itagaki stepped back and hung onto the ropes before moving behind Karasawa. Karasawa continued to guard as it got relentlessly hit with fast lefts, until a left went through, making his head bounce up. With Karasawa's face open for punching, he was hit with multiple left jabs, and when Itagaki went to throw a strong right, it missed as Karasawa fell down from the lefts. The referee quickly ended the match, resulting in Karasawa's loss.
Speed Zone Arc[]
Karasawa went to the Koedo Sushi where Saeki worked. While being served by Saeki, Karasawa revealed to him how he is entering the workforce as he has retired. Karasawa explained to him that when he lost to the in-fighter, Ippo, he thought that his only solution was to improve his speed to make it so that no one can follow him while believing that it wouldn't be possible for anyone to get that fast. However, he noted that when he fought Itagaki, he saw that he was at a level he could not reach and as the person he wanted to be. He decided to leave his dream of becoming champion to him. As he began to leave, Saeki questioned him, mentioning how he is giving up too easily. Karasawa knew that if he can't become the strongest or fastest, there is no place for him. Saeki asked if he has any regrets, however, Karasawa did not answer with a regret of his own, but a wish that Itagaki could fight against Ippo.
Match History[]
| Match History | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Result | Record | Date | Opponent | Location | Time | Type | Notes |
| Retired | ||||||||
| ? | LOSS | ?-5-1 | 1996-09 |  Manabu Itagaki[3]
|
Tokyo, Japan | 2(10), 2:13 | TKO | Class A Tournament First Round |
| Unknown Opponents | ||||||||
| 15 | LOSS | 10-4-1 | 1994-10-03 | Ippo Makunouchi[4]
|
Tokyo, Japan | 2(10), 2:15 | TKO | "The Challenge for the 6th Defence" JBC Featherweight Title Match |
| Unknown Opponents | ||||||||
| ? | WIN | ?-?-? | 1994 | Unknown
|
Japan | ?(6) | N/A | All-Japan Rookie King Tournament |
| ? | WIN | ?-?-? | 1993 | Unknown
|
Tokyo, Japan | ?(6) | N/A | East Japan Rookie King Tournament Finals |
Successions[]
| Preceded by | Title | Succeeded by |
|---|---|---|
| Akira Shigeta | All Japan Featherweight Rookie King | Hiroyuki Hoshi |
| Akira Shigeta | East Japan Featherweight Rookie King | Manabu Itagaki |
Appearance[]
Karasawa's body against Ippo
Karasawa is of average height and build for a featherweight boxer with a long reach to support his regular out boxing style. He has black unkempt hair grown at neck-length, eyebrows of average thickness and black eyes. It is mentioned by his coach that Karasawa has a very aptly built midsection capable of withstanding extremely powerful attacks.
Personality[]
A very determined and kindhearted boxer with pride for his boxing gym, Karasawa trained ceaselessly for the sake of bringing glory back to his gym after the retirement of Sanada Kazuki and has shown to possess an extreme amount of strong-will, determination and spirit, refusing to fall after being hit by one of Ippo's powerful body blows. He has a keen amount of boxing sense and confidence in pre-made tactics.
Like Sanada, he realises after his match against Ippo that unfairness is abundant in the boxing world. Regardless, he decides to continue with boxing, but is shown in later chapters to be considering retirement and joining the workforce.
Boxing Abilities[]
Karasawa is an out-boxer who is distinguished as having possibly the best hand speed in the Featherweight class. He uses textbook out-boxing by going in anti-clockwise circumference and always trying to stay on his feet. When the situation calls for it Karasawa can increase and slow down his handspeed to throw off other out-boxers. This particular strategy worked against Itagaki Manabu until the latter unlocked his true potential.
Techniques[]
Weaknesses[]
Karasawa is regarded as the most orthodox out boxer in the series, and as such his moves are highly predictable. He lost to Ippo from a counter developed specifically against cornered out-boxers and was called "predictable" by the then-rookie Itagaki, who also fought in the out boxing style.
Prior to his match with Itagaki, Karasawa also had trouble taming his facial expressions during a match. He is often seen talking to himself when distressed.
Etymology[]
- The name Takuzō means "expand, open, support" (拓) (taku) and "three" (三) (zō).
- Takuzō's surname Karasawa means "Tang/T'ang, China" (唐) (kara) and "marsh" (沢) (sawa).
Gallery[]
Main Article: Karasawa Takuzou/Gallery
Reference[]
- ↑ Chapter 794, page 14
- ↑ Chapter 572, page 17
- ↑ Round 901
- ↑ Round 582