Proud Wolf Arc

Proud Wolf Arc
Information
Volumes	101-103, (3 Volumes)
Manga Rounds	982-1009, (28 Chapters)
Chronology
Previous	Speed Zone Arc
Next	Go to the World Arc

The Proud Wolf Arc is the forty-second story arc in the series and the fourth in the World Contender Saga.

The wolf has finally reached the world stage after facing many obstacles in his path. Volg fights against the IBF junior lightweight world champion Mike Elliott in Las Vegas. His past rivals Ippo and Sendō watch it from TV.

Summary

The White Wolf's Fangs Grabs Hold of the World

Kamogawa explaining to Ippo about Volg's history in the USA.

At the Makunouchi Fishing Boat, Ippo is excited to hear from Itagaki that Volg has a world title match in Las Vegas, USA against the IBF junior lightweight champion coming up. However, once he hears that it is in one week, and it was announced the previous day, Ippo is worried about Volg since he doesn't know how he will prepare for the world title match in only one week. After learning that Volg is a stand-in since the original challenger hurt himself during training, Ippo wonders why Volg accepted the match when there is only a week to prepare. When Ippo goes to the Kamogawa gym and does mitt practice with Kamogawa, Kamogawa informs Ippo about Volg's boxing history in the USA, where he became ranked first in three separate occasions and became known as the "unofficial champion" in the USA. After Ippo asks why Volg couldn't request a title match when he was ranked first, Kamogawa explains that the champions ignore some matches where there are dangerous opponents and opponents who don't bring money for the promoters. As Ippo wonders why they sent a challenge to Volg with only a week left before the fight, Kamogawa replies that they most likely doubt Volg can win without a chance of doing training and weight management so that the champion can be seen as the one who defeated the ultimate challenger and that Dankichi told him that it is their best chance for a title match. Ippo notices how Volg has always fought in these kinds of matches where he is pushed into a corner, fighting alone and frustrated, planning to cheer for Volg until his voice goes out as he wants to see him as a world champion.

Sendō goes to Tokyo to meet up with Ippo. Once they meet up, Sendō, tells Ippo that he came to watch Volg's world title match with him. Ippo and Sendō run to the Kamogawa gym to watch the match. When they get there, Kamogawa reminds them that the world title match is the next day due to the time difference between Japan and Las Vegas. Kamogawa offers Sendō an overnight stay at the gym, but tells him to not train at the gym, since he might end up demanding Ippo to spar against him, leading to both getting injured. Takamura invites Sendō to come party with him for a night.

IBF Junior Lightweight Title Match - Champion Mike Elliott (Sixth Defence) VS. Challenger Alexander Volg Zangief (IBF Rank 1, WBA Rank 1, WBC Rank 1)

Volg enters the ring.

The next day, when it is time for Volg's world title match, Ippo goes to the Kamogawa gym and begins watching it as it is about to begin. At the Caesars Palace, the venue staff tries to rush Volg to get into the ring. Dankichi tells Volg to not mind them, as he can go to the ring when he has the right mind set. Volg is ready, however, as he knows that certain people he knows is watching, wanting to deliver a message with his match. As he walks to the ring, Volg thinks of how fighting Ippo made his body stronger, and fighting Sendō made his mind stronger. He thinks how his experiences in Japan made his fangs and claws sharper, and has made it this far thanks to them, so the only thing he is worried about is whether or not they can hear his message. Volg and the IBF champion, Mike Elliott enters the ring. Ippo and Sendō wonders with Elliott being a silver medallist in the Olympics and having five world title defences, and Volg being an amateur world champion, which experienced boxer is stronger. Elliott comments towards Volg that he heard wolf fangs are valuable, planning to brag about bagging one after the match. Dankichi advises Volg to keep his wild side from coming out until he gets used to the match since he barely had time to get ready by using his left and find his range. Sendō predicts it will take two rounds it get ready, as he heard it takes two rounds to do so if a boxer hasn't had time to train or is rusty. Sendō knows that Elliott knows this, so he will be out for blood in the first round.

Volg's White Fang getting countered by Elliott.

When the match begins, however, Volg is the one who charges out toward Elliott. He uses the White Fang immediately, however, Elliott successfully counters it by blocking the first hit and countering the second, causing Volg to go down. When Volg gets up, both boxers have a middle range exchange of lefts, with both of them missing. The exchange ends when Volg is sent backwards with his back to the ropes when he blocked Elliott's one-two. Volg is approached at the ropes with his escape routes blocked. Volg decides to press in, causing the two to enter an in-fight exchange. After the two hit each other in a dual exchange, Volg is hurt the most, giving Elliott the advantage, resulting in Volg getting hit multiple times. In between Elliott's combinations, Volg sees a chance to use his White Fang, however, it gets countered again, and Volg is hit multiple times after. As the referee is about to stop the match since Volg wasn't able to do anything against the barrage of punches, Volg surprises the referee and Elliott when he throws a left that taps Elliot's head as the first round ends. At Volg's corner, Volg tells Dankichi that while Elliott's punches are strong, he already faced the sharpest spear and the most durable shield. He receives a leg massage from Dankichi, who instructs him to find a way to avoid Elliot and attack at a distance until he has time to recuperate and get his sense for the ring back, adding that he is not alone. At Elliott's corner, when Elliott points out to the referee that he was slow to stop the match earlier, the referee replies how everyone loves a ten count.

Volg and Elliott in an exchange match.

In the second round, after failing to keep Elliott away at a distance with left jabs, Volg successfully hits Elliott with the multiple Hiens when he gets close. Elliott is unable to get close to Volg for the rest of the second round. At Volg's corner, Volg confirms that he has his feel for the ring back. At Elliott's corner, Elliott informs his seconds that he has remembered the Hien since Volg used it the entire second round. In the third round, after avoiding a direct hit from a reverse one-two, Volg tries to use the Hien, however, Elliott blocks it. Both boxers try to hit each other for the rest of the third round, however, they can not, as they block and dodge every punch. The display of such intelligent boxing leaves David Eagle in the audience so amazed that he claps while the audience is silent. Eagle remembers Elliott as a former teammate at the Olympics.

Volg remembering the phrase Yamato-damashī.

When the third round ended, Eagle remembers talking to Elliott at a party that was thrown for the Olympic boxing team. Elliot told Eagle how he wants to have a match that is like a game of chess, where both him and his opponent out thinks each other when he goes into the professional ring. When Eagle asked him if he thinks that there will be anyone that will keep up with him, Elliot believed that if he keeps winning, he will eventually run into someone that can. In the present, at Volg's corner, Volg tells Dankichi that he sees himself losing. Volg is instructed by Dankichi to keep using the Hien even though Elliott figured out the motion, predicting that there is hope lying beyond Volg enduring his mind and body getting chipped away by Elliott. At Elliott's corner, Elliott knows that he found the boxer he was looking for, having always wanted an opponent that was able make the match like a game of chess. As he leaves for the fourth round, Elliott tells his seconds that the match is already in checkmate. For the entire fourth round, Volg goes into close range against Elliott and attempts to hit him with a left body blow while Elliott counters with a right to Volg's face, however, both boxers can only hit each others block, with Volg getting damaged through the block. By the end of the fourth round, Volg's face begins to turn purple due to cyanosis. At Volg's corner, Volg tells Dankichi a phrase he learned and feels that best describes his favourite boxer, "Yamato-damashī".

Volg and Elliott's finishing dual exchange.

In the fifth round, Volg gets into close range and, after blocking Elliott's left, Volg aims higher by using the Hien. After Elliott blocks the Hien, Volg throws the last hit of the White Fang, however, Elliott dodges it. With Volg open for punches, he is hit by a liver blow, causing him to kneel over. While in the lowered position, Volg still throws punches at Elliot's block that is blocking his body while getting hit by multiple body blows. As Volg begins to throw a punch at a higher trajectory, Elliot guards his face. Volg throws a Tsubame Gaeshi that gets stopped by Elliott, however, Volg throws the second hit of his White Fang, which successfully lands on Elliott, causing him to go down. While waiting for the referee to count, Dankichi gets enraged and begins yelling at the referee and Volg is shocked to see the referee help the unconscious Elliott up and having the match continue. Eagle in the audience is disgusted by the turn of events regarding the referee and, Ippo at the Kamogawa gym shatters the glass table in front of him with his fists in anger, shocking Sendō. Volg decides to let his wolf instincts take over and begins only throwing White Fangs. They get blocked and countered at first, however, more begins to land and he switches up with the Tsubame Gaeshi until they both hit each other in a dual exchange. Both boxers fall over, with Volg onto the ropes, and Elliott onto the canvas. One of Elliot's seconds yells at the referee to pick him up as it is his job, however, Elliot's chief second punches the second, scolding him for making a deal with the referee, hoping he gets suspended. Elliott's chief second and a another second enters the ring, resulting in the match ending in Volg's victory and him becoming the IBF junior lightweight champion.

Volg wearing the IBF junior lightweight belt.

In the ring, Volg thanks Dankichi and his two other seconds before wearing his new IBF junior lightweight belt. For his victory interview, Volg first thanks America in English for giving him a chance, his friends in Japan in Japanese, and his late mother from Russia in Russian. While Elliott leaves the ring in a stretcher, Dankichi helps Volg out the ring and tells him that it is the last time he will spoil him since he is now the world champion.

Future Developments

Ippo and Sendō sparring after watching Volg's world title match.

As Ippo and Sendō finished watching Volg's victory, Sendō's fire in his heart is burning, causing him to want to spar against Ippo, who also feels the same way. Ippo spars against Sendō, which ends in Ippo being left in the ring unconscious. Walking away from the gym, Sendō comes across Takamura, who asks Sendō if Ippo has become weaker. Sendō denies it, thinking that he has just become stronger, and that he will wait his turn on the world title, letting Ippo get it first. Takamura asks what will Sendō do if Ippo loses the world title match or loses on his way there. Sendō claims he will get the world title himself and wait for him. Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki goes to the gym after watching Volg's world title match and they find Ippo in the gym's ring passed out due to sparring with Sendō. Ippo, Aoki, Kimura, and Itagaki goes to Kamogawa's office, where Ippo gets scolded for sparring with Sendō without permission and getting beat up. With the gym members gathered, Kamogawa informs Ippo that his JBC featherweight title is being relinquished and Yagi reveals that Itagaki will be having a JBC featherweight title match to bring the belt back.