Kimura's been the comic relief the whole time, the one making you laugh while Ippo does the heavy lifting. Then the show puts him in a real ring against a champion who doesn't care about the jokes. Everything that made him lovable becomes a liability, and you're watching someone you've been rooting for get exposed in real time.

Kimura's moment finally arrives. With his friends Ippo Makunouchi and Mamoru Takamura both holding titles in their own weight classes, Tatsuya Kimura feels left behind, and his failure to win the Japanese Junior Lightweight crown gnaws at him. Now he gets his title shot at the annual champion carnival against the reigning champion, Ryo Mashiba. To prepare, Kimura trains with Ichirou Miyata, Ippo's rival, who once lost badly to Mashiba's Hitman style. Mashiba has his own reasons to keep the belt: he hopes to challenge for a world title soon and give his sister Kumi financial security. Kimura's drive to prove himself meets Mashiba's determination to build a better life for Kumi in a single-episode OVA that blends sports drama with comedy.