Kirizume has spent too many years in boxing to underestimate the value of history. Long before becoming a promoter, he learned that people rarely buy tickets for a fight alone. They buy the stories attached to it.

And the upcoming event has plenty of those. The headliner already carries enough history on its own, but even the undercard offers another narrative that fans find difficult to ignore.

Kazuya Tojo is scheduled to face Satoru, a fighter widely known as Ryoma’s first student. For many fans, the connection is impossible to miss.

Local media has been more than happy to remind people of it. One of the local television programs even spends several minutes discussing the matchup.

"It’s funny when you think about it," one commentator says with a laugh. "Ryoma Takeda’s professional debut was against Kazuya Tojo, and he knocked him out with a single Phantom Shot."

His co-host chuckles and nods. "And I heard Tojo actually moved up to Lightweight because he wanted another chance at Ryoma. Which is unfortunate. Because Ryoma ended up climbing into a completely different world. Now, instead of fighting Ryoma, Tojo finds himself fighting Ryoma’s student."

"That would make it even funnier if he loses again. Especially considering Satoru is the reigning All Japan Rookie King."

"Maybe. But I don’t think Tojo will allow himself to be humiliated that far. At some point, pride becomes involved."

"A form of indirect revenge?"

"Something like that. If you can’t reach the master, beating the disciple is probably the next best thing."

The discussion continues for several more minutes, bouncing between analysis and lighthearted speculation, but the underlying narrative remains the same.

Everyone understands the symbolism attached to the fight. And by the start of the final week, tickets for Korakuen Hall are already gone. The venue itself is not large, but Kirizume set the prices high because he knew demand would support them.

Even before the fight night, he is proven right. Sponsors pay generously for exposure, and local television continues filling its boxing segments with stories, rivalries, and familiar names that have somehow found their way back onto the same card.

***

April 7th, 2017 — Korakuen Hall

The atmosphere inside Korakuen Hall is already approaching its peak long before the main event arrives.

Every exchange draws a reaction from the audience, and the energy only grows whenever Kazuya Tojo takes control of the ring.

There is something different about him tonight. The familiar elegance is still there, yet beneath it sits a sharper edge, something far more aggressive than usual.

His movements carry a purpose that borders on obsession, as though every clean punch is meant to answer a question nobody has asked aloud.

Across from him, Satoru is learning that lesson the hard way. A southpaw already presents problems most fighters spend years learning to solve. Experiencing it for the first time under these lights is another challenge entirely.

Tojo glides around him with the balance and precision of a left-handed fighter, constantly changing angles while probing with his right jab.

And every time Satoru places his feet incorrectly or angles his stance a fraction too far, Tojo immediately makes him pay.

A light right touches the top of Satoru’s glove, and immediately, a straight left slips through the opening...

BUGH!

...crashing into Satoru’s collarbone, disrupting his posture and forcing him to reset.

Again and again, Tojo finds the same target, disrupting Satoru’s balance before the younger fighter can settle into his preferred rhythm.

"And that’s exactly where experience starts showing itself!" the commentator shouts over the noise of the arena. "Tojo isn’t just landing punches. He’s attacking the structure!"

His partner nods excitedly. "Satoru keeps trying to establish angles, but Tojo refuses to give him clean positions. Every mistake is being punished immediately."

"And look at the intensity tonight," the first commentator adds. "This is not the cautious Kazuya Tojo we’ve become used to seeing. There’s a lot more conviction behind everything he’s doing."

Another left hand slams into Satoru’s shoulder line, drawing a reaction from the crowd.

"A lot more emotion too."

"You have to wonder if all those Ryoma Takeda comparisons are playing a role here. Because Tojo looks like a man who has no intention of becoming part of someone else’s story tonight."

Of course, Satoru did not enter the fight unprepared. For weeks, he had been drilled on how to deal with southpaws.

Ryoma himself, already comfortable fighting from either stance, had served as his primary sparring partner, deliberately boxing as a southpaw throughout camp.

Yet knowledge and experience are not the same thing. By the closing moments of the fourth round, Satoru still looks like a man trying to solve a puzzle in real time.

He keeps hesitating half a beat too long before committing, constantly readjusting his feet whenever Tojo shifts position. Every exchange leaves him a little more uncertain about where the distance truly is.

From the outside, experienced eyes can see the source of the problem. The unfamiliar angles. The mirrored foot positions. The subtle complexities that come with facing a skilled southpaw.

But Satoru does not see it that way. To him, the reason feels much simpler; his opponent is just a better fighter.

"He’s too good..."

Another jab snaps toward him, forcing him to reset his stance.

"I can’t believe Ryoma-senpai beat this guy in the first round."

The thought slips into his head before he can stop it. And somehow, that realization feels even heavier than the punches.

At the very least, Satoru proves far tougher than most rookies. Beneath his reserved personality lies a stubbornness that rarely shows on the surface, and training inside Nakahara Gym has forged that stubbornness into something difficult to break.

He is used to sparring partners who do not care about winning rounds on points alone. He is used to pressure, used to heavy punches, used to surviving against men who treat every session like a fight.

As the final ten seconds of the round approach, Tojo decides to push harder. He has been hunting for a knockdown since the opening bell, and with Satoru still struggling to establish his rhythm, the opportunity feels close.

"Oh, look at Tojo now! He’s starting to step on the gas!"

"Yeah, the patience is disappearing. He’s putting combinations together and trying to force the issue before the round ends."

Several body shots manage to slip through.

Dug. Dug. Thud.

Dugh. Thud! Dug. Bugh!

But none of them are enough to disrupt Satoru’s balance.

His guard bends, his body absorbs the punishment, yet his stance remains planted.

Tojo’s frustration begins to show. With only seconds remaining, he commits deeper than usual, driving forward behind a right jab and another left hand to the body.

Thud!

But the moment it lands, Satoru steps in and wraps both arms around Tojo. The clinch comes immediately.

Tojo tries to work free, but Satoru refuses to let go. They remain tangled together until the bell finally cuts through the arena.

Ding!

"Four rounds completed, and Satoru still hasn’t found a comfortable rhythm," one commentator says. "You can see the southpaw angles are giving him all kinds of problems."

His partner nods. "Absolutely. But let’s give the kid some credit. He’s sharing the ring with a far more experienced fighter and he’s still here."

Once the clinch loosens, Tojo immediately shoves Satoru backward with both forearms, harder than necessary.

"Four rounds already," he says with visible irritation. "And this is all you’ve got?"

Despite controlling most of the fight, Tojo looks anything but satisfied. Part of that frustration comes from the fact that Ryoma Takeda isn’t in the corner tonight. Without him there, the fight feels less meaningful than he imagined.