Fighting Spirit (2000)

Episode Overview

Ippo finally encounters Eiji Date, the reigning champion of his weight class, who has come to provide commentary for the evening's bouts. It turns out that Date shares a long-standing friendship with Takamura. During the matches, Aoki and Kimura secure hard-fought victories, both achieving fifth place in their respective categories, while Takamura dominates his opponent once again. Ippo, on the other hand, finds himself ranked tenth in his class. After a few days of recovery for his injured right fist, Ippo eagerly receives an invitation for a sparring session with Eiji himself.