Comeback Match (5)

Lee Il-su received a significant impact from the straight punch that came down on him while he was delivering a middle kick.

This was also a kind of counter, if you could call it that.

That's what a counter is. A technique that maximizes power by using the opponent's force.

[It landed. Yu Jung-ak's straight punch hit Lee Il-su's face precisely.]

[A counter came in at the timing of the middle kick. Lee Il-su seems to have taken a shock.]

[The referee is counting.]

[Yu Jung-ak's attack frequency is low, but he's landing accurate counters. It seems he's done a lot of research on Lee Il-su.]

[Lee Il-su stands up. There's bleeding from his nose. He says he'll continue.]

As expected, Lee Il-su wasn't the type to fall here. Yu Jung-ak resumed his fighting stance. Lee Il-su was a promising fighter nicknamed the post-Jang Sung-hyun. All involved parties called him a genius-level talent.

His muscles were soft, giving him a spring-like elasticity, and he had a good sense of rhythm. His stamina wasn't bad, and he had a strong competitive spirit. Above all, he was surprisingly a hard puncher, so his punches were heavy. It wasn't enough to overwhelm an opponent with one hit, but his punches were unexpectedly heavy, so carelessly exchanging punches with him could lead to being the first to lie on the floor.

Lee Il-su's previous opponent had rashly engaged in a slugfest and promptly ended up on the floor. In short, Lee Il-su was born with talent.

The comparison to Jang Sung-hyun wasn't far-fetched. Jang Sung-hyun was born with similar talents.

However, there was one difference. While Jang Sung-hyun maintained a poker face throughout the match, Lee Il-su, perhaps due to his youth, was much more fiery. Jang Sung-hyun wouldn't show much reaction whether he took damage or dealt it, remaining expressionless. The slugfest with Yu Jung-ak was truly an exceptional occurrence.

On the other hand, Lee Il-su was the type to burn hotter the more damage he took. He had the temperament you'd typically see in a shonen manga character.

So unless you could put him to sleep with one shot or consistently score points throughout the match to win by decision, he was difficult to approach.

Even with blood trickling from his nose, Lee Il-su's expression showed no signs of intimidation. Yu Jung-ak stared at Lee Il-su with an unchanged expression. Normally in such situations, the fighter who scored the knockdown would move in to finish off the downed opponent.

But Yu Jung-ak didn't move in.

'What a dirty bastard!'

From Lee Il-su's perspective, Yu Jung-ak might seem underhanded. However, Yu Jung-ak was simply doing what he needed to do, regardless of how Lee Il-su felt. He even slightly fanned the flames to make Lee Il-su more agitated.

While looking at Lee Il-su, he threw a very light inside leg kick. It was a technique you'd typically see in the feeling-out process.

That inside leg kick made Lee Il-su more excited, and he rushed in. Yu Jung-ak lightly stepped and neutralized Lee Il-su's attack.

[Yu Jung-ak doesn't move in again. Lee Il-su clearly seemed to have taken a shock. Did he get hurt from the middle kick?]

[It looks like Yu Jung-ak has brought countering as his strategy. That's how fighting is. It's important to throw a lot of attacks, but what's more important is hitting your opponent, isn't it? Of course, landing many hits is important too. But how much damage you deal to your opponent, that's what's crucial. Yu Jung-ak may not be attacking frequently, but he's landing damage at the right timing. So he doesn't need to attack a lot. The knockdown he scored in the first round gave Yu Jung-ak wings of confidence, while it shackled Lee Il-su with pressure. That's what's led to this result now.]

[Then should Lee Il-su have controlled his tempo without dwelling on the knockdown he took in the first round?]

[That's right. If you calmly control the tempo, opportunities will surely come. But Lee Il-su got too excited. On the other hand, Yu Jung-ak coolly played out the game. Ah! Yu Jung-ak shows another defense show.]

[He neutralizes all of Lee Il-su's attacks and smoothly escapes from the corner. This time he even lands a middle kick to the body as he exits. He's composed. Oh, this time he doesn't completely escape but follows the middle kick with a one-two straight and hooks from both hands. Lee Il-su actively raises his guard and defends.]

[Lee Il-su has to defend. The shock from the earlier knockdown must still be there.]

As commentator Seo Dong-gi said, Lee Il-su was defending against Yu Jung-ak's combinations. He was defending while looking for an opportunity to strike back, but Yu Jung-ak knew this. So he didn't put proper power into his punches.

In other words, they were fake punches with no intention of dealing damage. Yu Jung-ak quickly threw hooks with both hands and then moved away.

It would be more accurate to say he just touched the guard rather than aiming for Lee Il-su's head. Lee Il-su lost the flow of the fight once again.

Yu Jung-ak's strategy had worked perfectly, and now Lee Il-su was floundering and sinking in confusion. Blood was still flowing from his nose.

Yu Jung-ak again stepped and used his jab to create distance. This time it was a flicker jab coming up from below.

Lee Il-su mechanically threw a powerful counter hook to the flicker jab, but Yu Jung-ak leaned his upper body back as he retracted his jab. As a result, Lee Il-su's punch didn't connect. Yu Jung-ak had already figured out Lee Il-su's reach in the first round.

Combined with his unique evasion ability, Lee Il-su couldn't touch Yu Jung-ak with ordinary attacks.

[Yu Jung-ak is pecking away at Lee Il-su with jabs. He'll probably throw a straight or hook again soon, right?]

[We don't know that. He might end the round like this. Yu Jung-ak doesn't need to rush anymore. Lee Il-su is moving in again, looking for timing. That's right. This is the only way now. Lee Il-su needs to get in somehow and turn the tide.]

[Yu Jung-ak calmly defends.]

[Speaking of defense, Yu Jung-ak's movement in the corner is really amazing. I mentioned Pernell Whitaker earlier, didn't I?]

[You mean the boxer nicknamed the god of defense?]

[That's right. Yu Jung-ak's defense has similarities to what that fighter showed.]

[You mean it's that impressive?]

[Yes, it is. However, in standing martial arts, stubbornly sticking to such no-guard defense can lead to disaster. Boxing only uses punches, but standing martial arts can use kicks and knee strikes too, right? Yu Jung-ak will have to be careful about that aspect.]

[It seems even more impressive that he's showing such defense in a standing martial arts match, not just boxing. So far, it seems Yu Jung-ak has overwhelmed Lee Il-su, wouldn't you say?]

[He's completely dominating. Lee Il-su went three rounds in a close fight with Jang Sung-hyun, but now he's completely caught up in Yu Jung-ak's pace. If this continues, the third round might be even tougher for Lee Il-su.]

Yu Jung-ak also overwhelmed Lee Il-su in experience. Above all, the strategy he had prepared was excellent. It was a strategy that completely saw through Lee Il-su's tendencies.

This was the game plan that Rumsak Noi had pondered over for a week.

Rumsak Noi wasn't just a simple trainer. He was a monster Muay Thai fighter with over 300 fights under his belt. In terms of standing martial arts, he had a more impressive career than anyone else in the country. It was a strategy devised by such a person after careful consideration. It couldn't help but be effective.

As the second round was ending, Lee Il-su started to breathe more heavily. It was natural. No matter how good his stamina was, he had moved a lot and even suffered a knockdown from a powerful punch. It would have been strange if his stamina remained the same.

'Now your stamina is starting to run out, isn't it?'

Yu Jung-ak started to gradually increase the tempo. He approached closer, mixing jabs and punches to pressure Lee Il-su. Lee Il-su shook his head and approached.

'I'm not dead yet, you know?'

In response to Yu Jung-ak's aggressive offense, Lee Il-su angrily unleashed a flurry of attacks. Yu Jung-ak then swayed back, preparing to retreat.

'Coward!'

Lee Il-su advanced again. At that moment, Yu Jung-ak suddenly didn't retreat but closed the distance and grabbed the back of Lee Il-su's neck.

Then, while pulling Lee Il-su, he threw a knee kick with all his weight behind it. The knee kick landed precisely on Lee Il-su's side. Lee Il-su's hook hit Yu Jung-ak's temple.

[Ah!]

Even the commentators shouted at this situation. The crowd's cheers momentarily stopped. Both fighters' attacks had landed simultaneously.

But it was Lee Il-su who fell. Yu Jung-ak's knee kick had landed first, and Lee Il-su's hook came after. It was a punch without much power behind it, and even at that moment, Yu Jung-ak had turned his head to minimize the damage.

Lee Il-su clutched his side and fell to his knees. The referee quickly approached. He was about to start counting when Lee Il-su stood up. His face was full of pain, but he took a fighting stance until the end.

'You're going to endure that?'

Even Yu Jung-ak, who rarely showed surprise, was shocked this time. If a knee kick of that power hits the side, 99 times out of 100, people would lie flat on the ground. Even if no bones were broken. When a knee kick lands on an inhale, you experience pain close to hell.

But Lee Il-su stood up. Yu Jung-ak had no reason to hesitate anymore. The damage was clear. As soon as the fight resumed, Yu Jung-ak quickly approached Lee Il-su. For the first time, Lee Il-su retreated and raised his guard.

Yu Jung-ak grabbed Lee Il-su's head and unleashed knee kicks to his abdomen. Lee Il-su hunched over and desperately defended his abdomen.

Ding.

The bell rang again.

"Did it not land properly?" Yoon Chang-seon asked.

"It landed properly."

"But he endured?"

"Yes. He's a tough one."

"Seems as tough as you."

"Huh? Coach, am I that tough?"

"You fought to the end with Jang Sung-hyun even after your ribs were broken, didn't you?"

"That's different. Well."

"Jung-ak. End it in the next round. Keep throwing low kicks. Inside, outside, and punch the body. Then it's over."

"Got it, bro."

The third round began. Lee Il-su came out with the bleeding from his nose stopped. He looked quite recovered, but Yu Jung-ak didn't mind. He didn't rush in like in the latter half of the second round, but started his assault steadily as Rumsak Noi had instructed.

Yu Jung-ak continuously threw kicks at Lee Il-su, who had his guard up tight. Aggressive low kicks. Normally, it's standard to throw low kicks aggressively at the beginning of a fight, but now it was the opposite.

[Wow. Yu Jung-ak is actively targeting Lee Il-su's legs even though it's the third round.]

[Yu Jung-ak seems to have come out with a clear plan. He appears to have sharpened his knife in response to Lee Il-su's provocation. Throwing low kicks in the third round means this. It means he's absolutely determined not to make mistakes. Right now, Lee Il-su has taken damage to his abdomen and face, so he needs to focus on defense, and in that situation, if you target the legs, Lee Il-su has to keep defending.]

Thwack!

As Lee Il-su lifted his leg to defend against the low kick, Yu Jung-ak immediately threw a hook, pushing Lee Il-su back. Lee Il-su retreated.

Yu Jung-ak wasn't just aiming for low kicks, but was cleverly mixing in feints. Because he was complicating Lee Il-su's thought process, even his jabs were landing occasionally. The third round was completely Yu Jung-ak's round.

[The nose has started bleeding again. Lee Il-su is being completely overwhelmed.]

By the middle of the third round, the outcome became even clearer. Lee Il-su, who had been so aggressive, became completely docile after three knockdowns.

Perhaps due to the damage from the powerful low kicks, Lee Il-su flinched even when Yu Jung-ak just took a low kick stance, and Yu Jung-ak was using this to gain small advantages. And Lee Il-su kept getting pushed back.

'Just one shot. Just one.'

Lee Il-su was preparing for one counter shot. He had already discussed this with his coaches. He was waiting for the moment when Yu Jung-ak would come in big after giving up everything. However, Yu Jung-ak was anticipating even this.

'It's so obvious.'

After two minutes passed, Yu Jung-ak started to throw slightly bigger attacks as Lee Il-su hoped. Lee Il-su's eyes sharpened. Lee Il-su retreated slightly. It seemed like he was being pushed, but he had entered the corner on his own.

It was an invitation to come in. He would end it with one shot.

The sly Yu Jung-ak pretended not to notice and threw a big kick before moving in. Then he made a gesture of throwing a strong left hook.

It was literally just a gesture. In other words, a feint. But Lee Il-su fell for that gesture hard.

Lee Il-su threw an overhand hook with all his might against Yu Jung-ak's left hook feint. It was such a powerful hook that his body leaned forward.

Yu Jung-ak slightly turned his foot to avoid Lee Il-su's attack. This exposed Lee Il-su's side.

And as Rumsak Noi had said, he threw a powerful body shot.

Thud!

A powerful impact sound was heard, loud enough to be picked up by the microphone. After landing the body shot and stepping back, Lee Il-su collapsed to the floor.

And he clutched his side. The pain was so intense that his mouthpiece fell out. The referee didn't even need to count, he just crossed and waved his hands.

It was a KO victory for Yu Jung-ak, who had perfectly controlled the fight.