NOVEL WEB Chapter 104: Chapter 104 – Youngest champion?
After wrapping up the TV interview, Alex and Yagi immediately headed to Kamogawa Gym. The Porsche 1991 glided smoothly through the streets, drawing glances from pedestrians as it pulled up in front of the gym.
Alex parked the car and stepped out, adjusting his black suit before slamming the door shut. As he made his way to the entrance, he could hear loud chatter from inside. The moment he opened the door, his eyes landed on Ippo, who was holding a poster-sized newspaper article.
"Alex, you're here! Look at this!" Kimura called out, pointing at the newspaper in Ippo's hands.
Yagi, just as curious, stepped closer.
Aoki grinned and said, "You're officially in the world rankings now!"
Alex raised a brow and walked over, taking the paper from Ippo. At first, he ignored the headlinefeaturing Evander Holyfield as the new Heavyweight Champion, flipping the page nonchalantly. However, what he saw next caught his attention.
A large photo of himself was printed in the article—the moment from his recent fight in America, where the hostile crowd had thrown trash into the ring.
The bold headline read:
"ALEX 'THE GREAT' MAKUNOUCHI – IS HE THE REAL DEAL?"
Alex smirked before glancing below the article. His eyes immediately locked onto the updated world lightweight rankings:
Lightweight Division Rankings (1991)Champions:🟢 WBC Champion: Marcus Rosario
Record: 26 fights, 21 wins (19 KOs), 2 losses, 3 draws (3 No Contests)
🔵 IBF Champion: Pernell Whitaker
Record: 26-1 (17 KOs)
🔴 WBA Champion: Juan Nazario
Record: 21-2 (16 KOs)
⚪ OPBF Champion: Vacant
Top 10 Contenders:
1️⃣ Jorge Paez – 35-2-3 (30 KOs)
2️⃣ Freddie Pendleton – 27-18-3 (23 KOs)
3️⃣ Tracy Spann – 25-0 (21 KOs)
4️⃣ Darryl Tyson – 31-4 (16 KOs)
5️⃣ Alex Makunouchi ↑ – 7-0 (7 KOs)
6️⃣ Sharmba Mitchell ↓ – 19-1 (14 KOs)
7️⃣ Chil-Sung Chun – 15-1 (11 KOs)
8️⃣ Policarpo Diaz – 29-0 (25 KOs)
9️⃣ Joey Gamache – 20-0 (17 KOs)
🔟 Miguel Angel Gonzalez – 13-0 (12 KOs)
Alex lowered the paper and smirked before turning to Takamura.
"Seems like I'm already better than you," he said, smugly.
Takamura scoffed, crossing his arms. "For now,"he said, rolling his eyes.
At that moment, Coach Kamogawa stepped out of his office, holding a fresh newspaper under his arm. His gaze fell on the paper in Ippo's hands.
"Is that Alex's new ranking?" he asked, pointing at the article.
Before anyone could answer, Takamura clapped a hand on Kamogawa's shoulder and said, "Old man, get me a ranked opponent already. I can't bear to see Alex's smug face any longer!"
Kamogawa twitched in irritation as Aoki and Kimura grabbed Takamura, trying to stop him from shaking the old man.
"Calm down! We're working on it!" Kamogawa snapped, swatting Takamura's hands away.
In the corner, Yagi simply nodded, taking mental notes for Takamura's next fight.
Then, Ippo's gaze shifted to the newspaper in Kamogawa's hands.
"Coach, what's that?" he asked, pointing at the folded paper.
Kamogawa spread it open, revealing another big headline:
"Eiji Date to Defend the Japanese Featherweight Title!"
Below it, another subheadline caught Ippo's attention:
"Ippo Makunouchi vs. Keigo Okita!""New Rookie King vs. Last Year's Rookie King!"
Kimura's eyes widened, and he nudged Ippo with his elbow.
"Looks like you've got an upcoming match," he said with a grin.
Yagi adjusted his glasses and explained, "Okita requested a match against you, so we booked it."
Ippo gulped, feeling the weight of the challenge ahead.
Meanwhile, Kamogawa flipped the page once more, revealing yet another piece of news.
"Alex Makunouchi Vacates the Japanese Lightweight Title!"
The moment Aoki read it out loud, his eyes lit up, and he dropped to his knees in pure joy.
"YESSSSS!!!" he shouted dramatically, his hands raised toward the heavens.
Everyone in the room turned to look at him with puzzled expressions.
Aoki noticed their stares and quickly defended himself. "Don't look at me like that! You know what this means!"
Kimura smirked and said, "That Alex is moving forward?"
Aoki crossed his arms and shook his head. "Wrong! This means I have a chance to win the Japanese Lightweight Title! I've been praying for this moment!"
Alex, leaning against the wall, scoffed. "What a bum."
Aoki snapped his head toward him. "Don't compare me to a monster like you!"
A sympathetic smile crept onto Alex's face as he placed a firm hand on Aoki's shoulder, looking at him like a parent comforting a hopeless child.
"There, there…" Alex said in a mocking tone.
Aoki scowled, about to retort, but before he could, Coach Kamogawa spoke up.
"I've been hearing some interesting rumors lately," the old coach said, folding his arms. "Apparently, Marcus Rosario is planning to challenge Juan Nazario for his WBA title."
Alex's brows lifted slightly.
"Is he trying to unify all four belts?" he asked.
Ippo, still getting familiar with the world championship scene, turned toward Aoki and asked, "How many belts does Rosario have right now?"
"Just the WBC belt," Aoki replied.
Takamura, who had been listening quietly, suddenly scoffed. "Wait, aren't both of them from the same country?"
Coach Kamogawa shrugged. "That's right. But I only heard this through other gym coaches, so who knows if it's true or not?"
Alex's expression darkened slightly, but it wasn't from worry—it was from excitement.
"That's good," he muttered, his eyes flickering with determination. "I want his name to be known for domination and perfection. I want the world to see him as unbeatable."
Kimura, crossing his arms, gave Alex a puzzled look. "Isn't that bad for you? You're going to have to fight him one day for that belt."
Alex smirked, shaking his head. "No, that's actually perfect. Imagine this—everyone thinks he's invincible, an unbeatable champion… and then I knock him out."
Kimura and Aoki's eyes widened at the confidence in his voice.
Takamura grinned, pointing at Alex. "Now that's a great way to make a name for yourself!"
Yagi, ever the pragmatist, adjusted his glasses. "That's still a long way off, though. You've only just entered the rankings."
Alex sighed dramatically, looking up at the ceiling. "Yeah, I know… but still, I missed a huge opportunity to become the fastest WBC champion in boxing history."
Ippo tilted his head. "Isn't the fastest champion in history… Saensak Muangsurin?"
Alex nodded, knowing exactly what Ippo was referring to, but Ippo continued explaining for the others.
"Saensak Muangsurin, from Thailand, won the WBC Light Welterweight Championship in 1975 in just his third professional fight. That made him the fastest boxer to win a world title at the time, and his achievement still stands to this day."
Takamura burst out laughing and smacked Alex on the back.
"Stop daydreaming, Alex! If Coach set you up to fight Marcus when you only had two pro fights two years ago, your face would've been on the canvas in less than three rounds!"
Kimura and Aoki snickered at the thought.
Alex, unfazed, smirked and shrugged. "Maybe… but I know I can't break that record. Instead, I want to break the record for the youngest world champion, the one Ricardo Martínez set when he was 21."
Coach Kamogawa let out a deep sigh, scratching his head.
"Trust me, kid. I've been sending out challenge requests to every champion in the lightweight division. None of them are accepting."
Alex's smirk disappeared, replaced with a furrowed brow.
Yagi chimed in, his voice calm but firm. "In the lightweight division, the champions have two different mindsets. Either they're afraid to risk it all just to fight you, or… they don't see fighting you as being worth the risk."
"So, is there nothing we can do?" he asked.
Takamura, sensing the mood in the room, suddenly clapped a hand on Alex's shoulder.
"Forget about all that for now," he said with a wide grin. "You just made your ranking debut, and Christmas and New Year's are only a few days away! Let's just enjoy the holidays for now. You can worry about those distant problems later."
Alex glanced at him before finally exhaling deeply, his tension easing slightly.
"...Yeah, I guess you're right."
Laughter and lighthearted conversation filled the gym once more as everyone slowly shifted their focus from rankings and challenges to the upcoming holiday season.
For now, the future could wait.
Note: Current Japanese lightweight rankings
Japanase Lightweight Belt: vacant
Top 10 Contenders
Rank 1: Shinobu Iga
Record: 10-2-0, 6 KO
Rank 2: Kenta Hoshino
Record: 11-2-1, 7 KO
Rank 3: Daichi Kuroda
Record: 12-4-0, 5 KO
Rank 4: Ryota Sakamoto
Record: 14-4-2, 9 KO
Rank 5: Riku Tanaka
Record: 8-4-0, 6 KO
Rank 6: Aoki Masaru
Record: 10-6-0, 6 KO
Rank 7: Hayato Shimizu
Record: 10-4-1, 6 KO
Rank 8: Tetsuya Miyamoto
Record: 9-5-1, 3 KO
Rank 9: Hiroshi Yamamoto
Record: 8-4-2, 4 KO
Rank 10: Koji Nakamura
Record: 6-4-0, 2 KO