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Ryūhei Sawamura (沢村 竜平, Sawamura Ryūhei) is a former featherweight and junior lightweight professional boxer. As a junior lightweight, he became the short-reigned JBC junior lightweight champion before retiring from boxing due to a motorcycle accident he had after the title match.

His most prominent boxing matches were against Ippo Makunouchi as the 5th and strongest challenger Ippo ever faced and about a year later with the title match against Ryō Mashiba.

Background[]

Sawamura's Dark Past

A young Sawamura stabbing his stepfather.

As a child, his stepfather was an alcoholic who would regularly physically and mentally abuse Sawamura and his mother. Eventually, Sawamura stabbed his stepfather with a knife in order to protect his mother. Soon afterwards, while eating with his mother, Sawamura ominously commented on the meat he was eating, noting that it was tough on the outside and more tender on the inside. Deeply unnerved by this, his mother placed him in the care of the state while telling him she was looking for a job, when in reality, he was being abandoned by his own mother. He took three years to realise she had left him. The memory of Sawamura's last meal with his mother left an incredible impact on his life, causing him to develop somewhat of an obsession with meat.

Sendō and Sawamura's encounter

Sawamura encountering Sendō.

His isolation and bitterness was only amplified when he was falsely condemned for killing doves that he had fed alongside Kawabe, who was his teacher from middle school and one of his only friends. Later, Sawamura was to blame for beating many of Sendō Takeshi's fellow delinquents while they were in Nagoya.[3] Because of that, Sawamura was approached by Sendō and his gang, prompting a fight between the two until Kawabe begged Sendō to stop. After Sendō and Kawabe talked, Sawamura and Sendō eventually became acquaintances.

A few years later, his teacher introduced him to boxing, sending him to a friend of his, who was the coach of the Nagoya Oniyaritome Boxing Gym. Sawamura became by time a natural violent professional boxer with a tendency to foul when there was reason. He also became a construction worker. He preferred it over any other job because of the heights he saw, comparing the heights he would see to when he would become the national champion one day.

Sawamura and Shimabukuro fighting

Sawamura fighting Shimabukuro.

When Sawamura partook in the West Japan Rookie King Tournament and won in the first round, Sawamura faced against Shimabukuro Iwao in the second round. Sawamura toyed Shimabukuro around for four rounds. Sawamura won by decision after the four rounds.[4] Sawamura lost the All Japan Rookie King Tournament by disqualification, making him suspended from boxing for a year.

History[]

Part II[]

Dragon Slayer Arc[]

Ippo meets Sawamura

Sawamura meeting Ippo.

After Sawamura's one year suspension, Sawamura rose up in the JBC rankings, becoming ranked third. When Sendō was training for his come-back match after losing to Ippo Makunouchi, Sawamura was his sparring partner. Sawamura criticised Sendō's win in the come-back match at the Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium. Ippo entered Sendō's changing room and attempted to greet and shake hands with Sawamura, however, Sawamura felt no need to be friendly with the champion. Sawamura warned Ippo before walking away to not use the Dempsey Roll when they fight, as he viewed it as a clumsy technique that will fall apart.

Sawamura defeating a junior welterweight

Sawamura defeating a junior welterweight while training to counter the Dempsey Roll.

After Sawamura beat on a group of people on the street for simply "bothering" him, he went to his gym, where coach Karil was worried about Sawamura's teeth marks on his fist, asking what happened. Sawamura only asked if Karil sent his challenge request to the Kamogawa gym, which he did. When the Kamogawa gym accepted the challenge, Sawamura told Kawabe and thanked him for introducing him to the sport that let him beat eleven fighters while being praised for it. He also expressed his satisfaction of hitting his opponents with counters and wondered what the champion will taste like. Later, Sawamura began his training to counter the Dempsey Roll by having a junior welterweight come toward him while he faced away, then looking at the boxer just as he is about to attack, countering him. Dissatisfied with the junior welterweight's speed, Sawamura kicked him while he was down and asked Karil to bring him some "higher grade meat" that are fast.

Sendō and Sawamura's talk outside

Sawamura and Sendō talking outside.

Three days later of not having a sparring partner due to Sawamura's poor reputation around local gyms, Sendō entered the gym and offered to be a sparring partner. Sawamura declined, however, as he believed he would give Ippo details due to their relationship, so they go outside to talk instead. After Sawamura explained how he would counter the Dempsey Roll, Sawamura and Sendō reminisced their past when they first met as high school students. Sawamura wanted to fight Sendō afterwards, but Sendō declined the offer since he doesn't get into fighting outside the ring. Later, Sawamura asked Karil to do mitt-practise while being out of breath, as he wanted to raise his stamina. When his gym hosted a public spar, Sawamura sparred against sparring partners while being easily agitated due to the weight management having a bad effect on him. Later, while Sawamura was on his way to give Kawabe a ticket to his match against Ippo, he ran into a group of people that wanted to attack Sawamura. Sawamura defeated the group and was about to kill one of them before Kawabe arrived and stopped him. Sawamura gave Kawabe the ticket and thanked him for stopping him.

Sawamura throwing a punch at Kumi - Anime

Sawamura hitting Kumi.

On the day of the weigh-in, Sawamura went to the Kōrakuen Hall and was wanting to fight Ippo as he couldn't hold back his hunger, but was held back by Karil. Sawamura laughed at Ippo's words of fighting fair and square in the ring with rules, viewing Ippo as delicious meat. After the weigh-in, Sawamura watched from a distance as Kawabe pleaded to Ippo for him to take Sawamura down, making Sawamura feel betrayed by the only person in the world on his side. When he returned to his motorcycle, he noticed a woman near it, prompting him to hit her with a closed fist, which caused a mark to appear on her face. Her brother, Ryō Mashiba threw a punch which Sawamura dodges, and the two almost got into a fight until Ippo got in between them, insisting that they will fight in the ring the next day. Sawamura left after mentioning to Ippo that in the ring, there will be no one to help him and nowhere to run from him.

Sawamura hitting Ippo while he is down

Sawamura hitting Ippo while he is down.

The next day, Sawamura went to the Kōrakuen Hall and took a nap before his match with Ippo, dreaming about the time he ate steak with his mother, remembering how good the steak was, wanting to taste it again by eating Ippo's meat. When their match arrived, Sawamura and Ippo got into the ring, and, after Sawamura lunged at Ippo to try to start before the gong could ring, the match began. Sawamura was forced to the ropes after only being able to block punches. When Ippo broke Sawamura's guard, Sawamura tripped Ippo, making him fall, and threw a punch at the downed Ippo, nicking his face and earning him a point deduction. When Ippo got up, Sawamura blocked his attacks and tried to counter, however, he was hit with a liver blow at the corner. Unable to get out of the corner, Sawamura clinched, but he was still hit, making him let go. Sawamura attempted to hit Ippo to no avail until the first round ends. Although Karil warned him about the fouls, Sawamura planned to give Ippo as many points as he wants, as he will beat him.

Bullet

Sawamura using his Bullet against Ippo.

In the second round, Sawamura held out his hand as a greeting, but when Ippo held his out, Sawamura knocked it away and threw a punch, which Ippo dodged. Just as Sawamura began to read Ippo's hand speed, Ippo upped his step-in speed and sends Sawamura down with a right to the face. When Sawamura got up, he was taken to the ropes by hits to his body and guard. Sawamura clinched and made Ippo fall down with him. When they both got up, because Sawamura purposely loosened his glove tape, the referee paused the match to let Karil fix it. When the match continued, Sawamura entered an unorthodox stance in order to use his Bullets. Sawamura proceeded to use his Bullets to keep Ippo away until the second round ends.

Flash

Sawamura hitting Ippo with the Flash.

In the third round, Sawamura's Bullets were getting blocked by Ippo's Cross-Arm Block as he approached. When Ippo got close enough to attack, Sawamura hit him with his right Flash, which almost caused Ippo to fall. Sawamura hit him with another Flash after hitting him with multiple Bullets. The damage of the second Flash left Ippo leaning on Sawamura as the third round ended. At the corner, Karil advised him to take his time, which Sawamura agreed, as he noted that Ippo needed more time to tenderise.

Sawamura counters the Dempsey Roll

Sawamura countering Ippo's Dempsey Roll.

In the fourth round, Sawamura's Bullets and Flash were dodged, and Sawamura was hit with a liver blow. Sawamura countered Ippo's followup punch with a Flash, letting him create distance to use his Bullets again. Sawamura eventually was taken to the ropes and was waiting for the moment for Ippo to use the Dempsey Roll. When Ippo motioned the Dempsey Roll, Sawamura used the ropes and leaned back, and as Ippo was sending a punch out with the Dempsey Roll, Sawamura countered the punch. As Ippo was in shock that his technique was defeated, Sawamura caught him as he missed his punch, with the fourth round ending soon thereafter. As Sawamura felt that Ippo was finally tender, he decided to was time to eat him.

Ippo counters Sawamura's Dempsey Roll counter

Sawamura's Dempsey Roll counter getting countered.

In the fifth round, Sawamura brutally beat Ippo throughout the round while Ippo was unable to land a single hit. In the sixth round, Sawamura countered Ippo's Dempsey Roll with a Flash, however, Ippo stayed standing. As Ippo continued to fight back, Sawamura elbowed his back, causing the referee to give Sawamura a penalty. When Ippo motioned another Dempsey Roll, Sawamura got ready to counter it again. However, Ippo stopped his Dempsey Roll in mid-motion, making Sawamura's counter get thrown without hitting anything and Sawamura was hit with a counter from the Dempsey Roll, causing Sawamura to go down. When Sawamura got up, he was attacked until Sawamura hid behind the referee as the sixth round ended. At the corner, Kawabe arrived and tried to encourage Sawamura. However, Sawamura, feeling betrayed that Kawabe pleaded for his defeat to Ippo, spat on Kawabe, knowing that he only has himself to believe in.

Sawamura lies defeated

Sawamura losing against Ippo.

In the seventh round, Sawamura was repeatedly attacked and unable to foul and trip Ippo as he dodged Sawamura's foot. As Ippo's Dempsey Roll was motioned, Sawamura attempted to counter it but Ippo stopped the motion. Sawamura stopped his motion to counter as well, as Ippo continued his motion. Sawamura's counter was dodged and, after Ippo stopped his Dempsey Roll's motion again, Sawamura became confused and was countered after throwing his counter. Sawamura was hit repeatedly with the Dempsey Roll until he went down. The referee ended the match immediately and Sawamura was taken to the hospital. While at the hospital, he was visited by Sendō, who told him how Ippo's fists are like a blade of life that brings out the best in people, feeling as if one trained more, they wouldn't have lost. Sendō revealed how Kawabe came out of the same institution as him, which is why Kawabe can't leave him alone. Sawamura requested for Sendō to tell Kawabe that he wants to eat a grade A steak with him once he leaves the hospital.

Under Siege Arc[]

While working as a construction worker, Sawamura spotted Mamoru Takamura, who was on a trip around Japan, and wondered why the world champion would be around the area.

Chaos Arc[]

Sawamura and Kawbe meet before Sawamura's match against Mashiba

Sawamura meeting Kawabe at the Tyson Steak House before his match against Mashiba.

After his loss against Ippo, he begins to realise the value of hard work, and sets Ippo as his goal, wanting to experience the same heights as Ippo. He moved to the junior lightweight class and had an upcoming JBC title match against the JBC junior lightweight champion, Mashiba at the Champion Carnival. Sawamura ate with Kawabe at the Tyson Steak House, having to eat less due to the weight management. Sawamura admitted that Mashiba is strong to Kawabe and how he likes the view at his construction job, which has him have to work on buildings at great heights, since he can see people as ants he can crush, comparing it to boxing, where if one aims high, they can enjoy a good view. He expressed his desire to take Mashiba's belt and that he has changed after fighting Ippo, who taught him to go all out and kill his opponents rather than almost killing them. When the weigh-in arrived, Sawamura went to the Kōrakuen Hall. Neither boxers made eye contact, however, after Sawamura expressed his dislike of the venue since it was the place where Ippo sent him to the hospital, Mashiba told the reporters that Ippo must have slacked off, since he only sent him to the hospital, declaring that he will send Sawamura to the graveyard. Sawamura replied that he was thinking of the same thing.

Mashiba and Sawamura fighting

Sawamura and Mashiba fighting.

The next day, Sawamura arrived to the Kōrakuen Hall for his JBC junior lightweight title match against Mashiba. When the match began, Sawamura and Mashiba had a high level exchange, with Mashiba using his Flicker Jabs, while Sawamura dodged while closing in on Mashiba, however, neither were able to land a clean hit. Mashiba, at the centre of the ring, sent a barrage of Flicker Jabs to Sawamura until Sawamura ducked under an attack and closed in on Mashiba, standing up to stare Mashiba down to show him that his Flicker Jabs won't work. Sawamura dodged more Flicker Jabs and, when he got close to Mashiba, Mashiba threw a Chopping Right. Sawamura attempted to counter it, however both attacks only grazed their cheek. Both boxers continued to try and land a hit on each other, but to no avail as the first round ended. After the second round ended with neither landing a clean hit as they were evenly match just like in the first round, Karil advised for Sawamura to slowly put on the pressure and wait for his chance, however, Sawamura expressed his dissatisfaction in doing so.

Mashiba and Sawamura fighting with illegal blows

Sawamura hitting Mashiba with an illegal headbutt.

In the third round, Sawamura was bored with how the match has been going with no direct punches landing, and decided to use illegal blows, hitting Mashiba's face with a backhand, which is the first direct hit to land in the match. While the referee was warning Sawamura that he will get a penalty if he does an illegal blow again, Sawamura was hit in the face Mashiba struck Sawamura's face, making the referee warn him too. The two boxers hit each other in a dual exchange before the referee could tell them to continue. Sawamura and Mashiba began a brawl, mixing intentional illegal blows with their boxing. When Sawamura pushed Mashiba to the ropes, he was about to land a right before getting hit with a right counter, sending him down. Since Sawamura saw the counter coming, he backed away to lessen the impact. After Sawamura got up, he was hit with Flicker Jabs that had a different rhythm a few times before eventually blocking and dodging them. Sawamura passed through the Flicker Jabs and hit Mashiba's face with a right and then struck his face with a knee, which downed Mashiba. The third round ended shortly after Mashiba unconsciously got up. At his corner, after Karil told Sawamura that Mashiba will if he keeps hitting him, Sawamura noted that he already learned from Ippo to mercilessly hit people until they stop moving.

Sawamura kicking Mashiba's head while he is down

Sawamura kicking Mashiba while he is down.

When the fourth round began, Sawamura swiftly countered and downed Mashiba after dodging his Flicker Jabs. After Mashiba got up, Sawamura was attacked before the referee was able to tell them to continue. While both boxers exchanged punches, Sawamura downed Mashiba again with another counter. Sawamura, disappointed that Mashiba went down before he could do any real damage to him, kicks Mashiba's head while he is down. After Mashiba got up, he almost fell since he does not know how hurt his body is yet. Sawamura took the advantage, bringing Mashiba to the ropes and using a combination of high to low punches to make Mashiba guard high to leave his body open to attacks. After Sawamura hit him with an uppercut and a counter, Sawamura was clinched by Mashiba until the fourth round ended.

Mashiba and Sawamura's dual exchange

Sawamura and Mashiba having a dual exchange battle.

In the fifth round, Sawamura countered Mashiba at the start. Mashiba fell and pushed Sawamura to the canvas. While Mashiba was on top of him, Sawamura dodged an elbow before getting hit on his left eye with a headbutt. After Sawamura and Mashiba got up, Sawamura was unable to dodge all of Mashiba's Flicker Jabs and began missing his counters since his left eye has swollen shut from the headbutt. When Sawamura got close to Mashiba, Mashiba went to Sawamura's left and Sawamura was hit with an unsuspecting Chopping Right, getting downed. When Sawamura got up, both boxers met at middle range and hit each other with multiple full powered dual exchanges until the fifth round ended. At the corner, Sawamura muttered that he won't accept that Mashiba is stronger, because he is the stronger one. When Karil told Sawamura that he would become the champion if he makes it through, Sawamura remembered his dedication to get the belt to see the same view that Ippo sees.

Mashiba VS Sawamura Ring Out Chaos Arc

Sawamura getting knocked out of the ring.

In the sixth round, after having his Bullets blocked and dodged, and getting hit by a Flicker Jab, Sawamura and Mashiba continued where they left off last round, hitting each other with dual exchanges at middle range. Since Mashiba's punch landed first in the dual exchange, Sawamura was worse off, and eventually Sawamura was unable to reach Mashiba's face after Mashiba hit him. After one of Sawamura's punches were ducked under, he was hit by an uppercut, leaving him clinging to the ropes. Sawamura was hit multiple times at the ropes. Sawamura hit Mashiba with a counter during Mashiba's barrage and began fighting back, pushing Mashiba to the centre of the ring. Sawamura and Mashiba exchanged punches until Sawamura buckled over. Sawamura was pushed to the ropes again, but was able to guard against Mashiba's barrage. Sawamura's guard eventually had a small gap open at the bottom, resulting in him getting hit by Mashiba's short uppercut. Mashiba went to throw a follow-up Chopping Right, however, Sawamura countered it, hitting Mashiba's jaw. Mashiba went down from the counter, as did Sawamura after the referee ordered him to go to the neutral corner. Both boxers got up from the double knockdown, with Sawamura driven to enjoy the same view as Ippo in the world of boxing, where he found out that that is where he belongs after his harsh past in Nagoya. While the referee was deciding whether to continue the match or not, Sawamura was attacked by Mashiba with left and right combinations. When the referee tried to hold Mashiba back, he pushed the referee to the ground and the defenceless Sawamura was mercilessly beaten until he was punched through the ropes and out of the ring. The referee disqualified Mashiba for his actions, resulting in Mashiba losing and Sawamura becoming the new JBC junior lightweight champion while knocked out outside the ring.

Sawamura discovering that he is the new JBC junior lightweight champion

Sawamura discovering that he is the new JBC junior lightweight champion.

After being escorted to the venue's doctor's office on a stretcher, Sawamura woke up and threatened to mess the office up if they tried to get him to the ambulance. He received a checkup by the doctor, and was revealed to be fine to not go to the hospital, however, the doctor recommended for him to be under Karil and Kawabe's watch and for him to see a brain specialist. At his room in the venue, Sawamura asked Karil if he won or lost, since he doesn't remember what happened. Mashiba's coach entered the room and gave Karil the JBC junior lightweight belt in a case. Sawamura was given the case and didn't want it until he opened it and realised that it was the champion belt. He was shocked to see that he won and glad that he has the champion belt that he wanted. He was about to tear up and thank Karil and Kawabe before stopping himself. He left the room and bowed in front of the door as he leaves the venue without letting them know. Sawamura rode on his motorcycle to Nagoya, thrilled that he can see what Ippo sees before getting into a motorcycle accident and sent to the hospital.

Sawamura survived, however, the injuries left him with scars on his face and forced him to retire from being a professional boxer. He became a trainer while still doing his construction job.

Red Lightning Arc[]

Sendō meeting Sawamura to help him with his beatdown tour

Sawamura meeting Sendō to be his guide during Sendō's beat down tour.

When Sendō was doing a beat down tour around Japan, he asked Sawamura to be his guide around Nagoya. Sawamura rode a motorcycle to the meeting spot to pick him up. Sendō wanted to be the driver of the motorcycle, however, he quickly loss control of it and caused him and Sawamura to fall off and the motorcycle crashed, causing Sawamura having to guide him on foot. Once Sendō defeated the boxers on his beat down list in Nagoya, Sawamura took him to the train station. While Sendō apologised for wrecking his motorcycle, Sawamura mentioned that it wasn't his anyway, and that he decided to quit using motorcycles as he has learned how frightening they can be. Sawamura discovered that Sendō plans on going to Tokyo next, and saw that Mashiba and Miyata Ichirō are on the list.

Sendō, Sawamura, Ippo, and Itagaki watching Miyata and Randy fight

Sawaura watching Miyata fight Randy.

Later, after hearing how Miyata was praised for his counters by Sendō, Sawamura was interested in Miyata and went to the Yokohama Arena with Sendō to watch Miyata's OPBF featherweight title unification match as the OPBF champion against the OPBF featherweight interim champion Randy Boy Junior. There, he sat next to Sendō, Ippo, and Manabu Itagaki. Before the match began. Sawamura explained the static that Itagaki heard when he sparred against Randy spells bad news for counter users like Miyata, claiming that Miyata will either lose or have a hard time if he wins. During the seventh round when Miyata downed Randy with a Cross Counter, Sawamura deemed Miyata's father, who was Miyata's chief second, the real genius, due to his training that he prepared Miyata for if the match went into the later rounds, where he would be exhausted.

After Miyata defeated Randy by knockout int he seventh round, Sawamura explained the Corkscrew Counter that Miyata used to defeat Randy. Sendō argued the logic behind it, causing an argument between him and Sawamura. Sawamura asked Ippo if he would win if he fought Miyata now, noting Miyata's two weaknesses that would let Ippo win by knockout in the later rounds, however, he added that that prediction dropped when he saw him use the Corkscrew Counter, which could turn the match around even if Miyata is weakened in the later rounds. He suggested for Ippo to fight him while he still has a chance, as Miyata will just get farther away until Ippo can't reach him. Ippo answered that he was fine with it, as he does not think of him and Miyata as rivals, but someone he looks up to. Sawamura watched Takamura's third WBC middleweight title defence match against Ronald Duck, where Takamura won by knockout in the tenth round. After leaving the venue, Sawamura walked with Sendō to the train station and told Ippo that he got what he came for, which Sendō hinted to Ippo that Sawamura found a goal to be a trainer like Miyata's father.

Match History[]

Match History
# Result Record Date Opponent Location Time Type Notes
Retired
14 WIN 11-3-0 1995-04-21 Japan Ryō Mashiba Tokyo, Japan 6(10), 1:04 DQ "CHAOS"
JBC Junior Lightweight Title Match
13 WIN 10-3-0 1995 Japan Unknown Nagoya, Japan 2(10) TKO/KO First match as junior lightweight
Against 4th ranker
12 LOSS 9-3-0 1994-06-15 Japan Ippo Makunouchi Tokyo, Japan 7(10), 1:15 TKO "DRAGON SLAYER"
JBC Featherweight Title Match
11 WIN 9-2-0 1994 Japan Unknown Osaka, Japan ?(10) KO
10 LOSS 8-2-0 1993 Japan Unknown Tokyo, Japan ?(6) DQ All Japan Rookie King Tournament
Loss by Disqualification
Suspended for a year.
9 WIN 8-1-0 1992 Japan Iwao Shimabukuro Osaka, Japan 4(4), 3:00 Decision West Japan Rookie King Tournament
Round 2 - Finals
8 WIN 7-1-0 1992 Japan Unknown Osaka, Japan ?(4) N/A West Japan Rookie King Tournament
First Round
7 LOSS 6-1-0 1991 Japan Unknown Japan ?(4) DQ Loss by Disqualification.
Suspended for a year.
6 WIN 6-0-0 199X Japan Unknown Japan ?(4) N/A
5 WIN 5-0-0 198X Japan Unknown Japan ?(4) N/A
4 WIN 4-0-0 198X Japan Unknown Japan ?(4) N/A
3 WIN 3-0-0 198X Japan Unknown Japan ?(4) N/A
2 WIN 2-0-0 198X Japan Unknown Japan ?(4) N/A
1 WIN 1-0-0 198X Japan Unknown Nagoya, Japan ?(4) N/A Pro Debut Match

Appearance[]

Sawamura - PS3 - 01

Sawamura's appearance.

Sawamura carries a menacing appearance. He is tall for a featherweight, with a lean but toned build and spiky, unkempt black hair. His eyebrows are thin and slanted upward at the outsides, with eyes almost always half-closed in a look that can be interpreted as boredom or distaste. His eye colour is sometimes light brown, sometimes reddish. His nose points straight down rather than curving outward. During his bouts, he dons boxing shorts with blue accents and the name of his gym emblazoned on them. During his bout with Mashiba, he wore a boxing robe resembling a Changshan with a large dragon emblazoned around his collar.

Sawamurascars

Sawamura's scars after the motorcycle accident.

After Sawamura's match against Ryō Mashiba, he has visible scars on each side of his face from his motorcycle accident.

Personality[]

Much like Ryō Mashiba, Sawamura was a dark, brooding boxer with a devastating fighting style and a tendency to foul. However, unlike Mashiba's openly aggressive personality, Sawamura possessed the attitude of a cold, calculating and oftentimes unstable killer. Also unlike Mashiba, who usually fouled in desperation, Sawamura would often commit illegal moves simply out of pure malice, even when he has the upper hand in a fight.

He was shown to be highly cruel and antagonistic, had openly expressed his bloodlust and desire to kill numerous times, and had a fixation on meat and the 'taste' of his opponents, all of these traits stemming from a harsh childhood. Before and during his match with Makunouchi Ippo, he even went into somewhat cannibalistic rants, desiring to tenderise Ippo so he could relive a childhood memory with his mother, and fantasising about his taste. However, his obsession with meat and tendency to liken boxing to cannibalism seemed to fade after this match.

Following the revelation from Sendō that Kawabe was bought up in similar harsh environments, he became somewhat humble, and his more sociopathic tendencies began to lessen, developing a liking for hard work and a drive to be on the same level as Ippo. However, his cruelty had not completely faded away, and was shown again in his match against Mashiba, which turned out to be a match full of fouls and illegality. Post-retirement, however, he seems to have mellowed out. Though he remains cold and cynical, his more aggressive and vicious behaviour seems to have faded away.

Boxing Abilities[]

Sawamura's Fighting Pose

Sawamura's stance

First and foremost Sawamura was a gifted counter-puncher, his sense for counter-punching is even greater than Miyata's, as he has a very good eyesight. It was said that his counters may even surpass that of Miyata's in all of Japan and Takamura recognised his ability as a "undoubtedly a natural talent"; he later went on to say that his instincts for counter-punching actually surpassed that of Miyata's.

The difference between Sawamura and Miyata's counter-punching is that Sawamura hits his opponent before or after they have thrown a punch, purely to punish them, rather than during their punch, which Miyata does to use the opponent's momentum against them. As a result, Sawamura's counters have been called "dark/evil" while Miyata's are considered "light/good". Sawamura has fast and heavy jabs which are nicknamed the bullet and his most powerful shot is a Right Straight nicknamed the flash. Because of his rough childhood, Sawamura is rugged and is not above committing fouls, despite his great strength and sense for boxing.

Techniques[]

Weaknesses[]

More of a hindrance than anything else is the fact that Sawamura has a tendency to commit fouls due to his sadistic personality. In fact, his tendency to foul cost him his boxing career, as Mashiba brutalised him in retort to this behaviour. Also because of his blood-lust, he will actually not go for a knock out punch until he feels like it which, while still a positive in terms of points, still means that the opponent has a chance to come back, as was the case when fighting Ippo.

Gallery[]

Main Article: Sawamura Ryūhei/Gallery

Etymology[]

  • The name Ryūhei means "dragon" (竜) (ryū) and "flat, broad, level, even, peaceful" (平) (hei).
    • The kanji for Ryū (龍) in his name means "Dragon", creating his nickname the Owari Dragon (尾張の竜, Owari no Ryū).
    • The origin of his given name is from Ryūhei Sugita's given name, "Ryūhei", as stated in Ryūhei's crowd funding page for a relocation of his boxing gym, "Sugita Boxing Gym" to the city of Gifu in Gifu, Japan.[5]
  • Ryūhei's surname Sawamura means "marsh" (沢) (sawa) and "town, village" (村) (mura).
    • The origin of his surname and his Bullet technique were taken from the real life fishing shop "[1]Karil" which fishermen Sawamura Yukihiro and Sakamura Jim had, while **Flash was a different brand soft lure that was popular around the time of the debut chapter's release.

Trivia[]

  • His boxing stance strongly resembles a Muay Thai stance. This may not be a coincidence, as it is shown that Sawamura knows other forms of martial arts when he street brawls with a teenage Sendō. His tendency to hit his opponents illegally with his elbow and knee is also good evidence of this as these techniques are not only allowed, but encouraged and taught in Muay Thai.
  • After Sawamura lost to Ippo in the JBC featherweight title match, it only took him only 10 months to heal from his injures received (listed in chapter 502), "3 broken ribs, 4 lost teeth, and a fracture in his left eye that required immediate surgery and extend hospital stay..." before his next JBC title match to Ryō Mashiba as a junior lightweight.

References[]

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