The New Dempsey Roll (新型デンプシー・ロール, Shingata Denpushī Rōru) is an evolved version of Makunouchi Ippo's Dempsey Roll.
Overview[]
After Ippo's fourth title defence against Shimabukuro Iwao, the Dempsey Roll's weakness against counters became apparent to boxers all over Japan. Not wanting to drop his best weapon, he works to improve it. However, after Ippo improved it by having the technique stop and go, Kamogawa Genji indicated that the Dempsey Roll still was not complete and could be improved.
Usage[]
Ippo uses the Dempsey Roll, then abruptly stops mid-motion, stopping his opponent from countering and throwing off their rhythm. Ippo can continuously start and stop the motion if the opponent read the previous stop until Ippo has a chance to land the first punch, continuously punching as he would the regular Dempsey Roll.
The New Dempsey Roll addresses the primary weakness of the original Dempsey Roll, which was its predictable rhythm. Skilled boxers could counter the Dempsey Roll by stepping back and countering the hooks. By suddenly stopping the rotations in mid-motion, the opponent's timing is thrown off and they become open to the Dempsey Roll's barrage of punches. After the New Dempsey Roll was used in a title defence for the first time, Ippo's title challengers immediately withdrew.
The New Dempsey Roll is a mere feint that shifts the timing of the punch, meaning that it does not work on boxers that only react when a punch is coming.[1]
The sudden movements put a great strain on the legs and hips and is beyond the capacity of most people, making overuse able to cause permanent injury. It is for this reason that coach Kamogawa Genji declined to teach it to Ippo, but Ippo develops the technique himself, injuring himself during training. Yamaguchi Tomoko warned Ippo to only use the technique a maximum of two times. Even after one usage in his first time using it in a match, Ippo experienced severe muscle spasms in his legs and was unable to sit down. In the post-match examination, Ippo was discovered to have ligament damage and Ippo was given a crutch for a brief period. Yamaguchi warned Ippo that continued usage would shorten his boxing career.
References[]
- ↑ Chapter 509, page 16