VISION GRID SYSTEM: THE COMEBACK OF RYOMA TAKEDA

Ryoma hears the taunts in his head, but he ignores them. He already has a detailed strategy mapped out for this fight. There is no reason to rush. He simply keeps moving with economical footwork, letting Malik come to him.

Still, the weight behind each of Malik's punches is something Ryoma didn't expect, and he needs to do something about it.

First, he starts building his own lazy, swaying pendulum step to disrupt Malik's sharp and quick pendulum steps. And that alone is enough to hinder Malik's pressure.

Not every punch from Malik can reach Ryoma now. Even the ones that make it to his guard are lightly parried, taking the sting out of them before they can make any real impact.

"Adebayo is certainly coming out hunting here," the first commentator says. "He's putting the champion on the back foot and making Takeda work just to stay out of range."

"Almost thirty seconds gone, and Takeda hasn't thrown a single punch yet," the second commentator adds.

"But this is Takeda's game, isn't it? He's never been one to rush into a fight. He's quite young for a world champion, but he's already rather good at getting inside his opponents' heads."

"That's right. He's picking Adebayo apart bit by bit here. Watching the feet, watching the hands, seeing what Malik gives him. He'll want all that information later on, and he'll use it to dictate the fight on his own terms."

Malik keeps pressing forward, his punches still sharp and explosive, every shot carrying clear intent. But that intensity comes with a weakness.

There is almost no hesitation in his combinations, but as a result, there are hardly any feints to disrupt Ryoma's read. Every punch comes with a clear commitment, making his attacks easier to anticipate.

Malik steps in again with another tight, sharp combination: a cancelled jab immediately followed by a heavy right, then a lead hook to the body.

Ryoma reads the feint clearly, stepping back as he lightly deflects the right hand before slipping into a casual L-step that leaves Malik's left hook swinging harmlessly in front of him.

"Lovely read from Takeda."

"And that L-step was effortless."

Fighting someone this eager to impose his pace makes Ryoma's job of gathering information considerably easier. In less than a minute, he has already grown accustomed to Malik's rhythm, timing, range, and the speed of his combinations.

Now comes the harder part: figuring out how to strike back. Because one of Malik's biggest advantages is his athleticism, something few fighters possess to the same degree.

His body moves explosively not only when he attacks, but also when he snaps his hand back into position after every punch. His combinations are so tight that finding an opening for a counter is proving difficult.

"I need to break that tight rhythm first."

<< Alright, alright… go on, then. Be like Cabello. >>

Ryoma begins blending his swaying pendulum footwork with a bit of flair, though not as wildly as Cabello's.

He deliberately lowers his guard a bit, then offers his head as bait, swaying it slightly to the right.

Malik throws a jab, and Ryoma ducks beneath it, even bowing slightly forward to offer another target for him to hit.

Malik sends a sharp chopping right, and Ryoma simply pulls his upper body back.

Two sharp punches, thrown in the directions Ryoma's plan has led them. And neither of them hits the target.

"That is slick defence from Takeda."

"The champion still hasn't thrown a punch, but look at the way he's playing with the challenger here."

The moment Ryoma changes angle and steps out, Malik has to adjust his position to get back in line with Ryoma before he can strike again.

And that delay gives Ryoma the chance he needs. He sends a flicking left first toward the guard…

Dug.

…just enough to break Malik's rhythm.

The next time Malik sends a jab of his own, Ryoma slips and sends his trademark two-beat flicker.

Dug. Dsh!

The first lands on the guard, but Malik fails to anticipate the lead hook to the head.

"There it is!"

"Finally, Takeda lets his hands go, and he lands the first clean shot of the fight."

Malik quickly sends a diagonal hook with his right, followed with a sharp stiff left.

Ryoma catches the first on his right glove while stepping back, and then slips the left punch while stepping outside to his right.

The moment he gets the new angle, he flicks a fast left before Malik can retract his arm.

Dsh!

"Another one!"

The flicking jab clips Malik's left temple. It is not a heavy punch, but sharp enough to make his left eye wince and break apart the rhythm of his aggression.

"Look how easily he finds his mark once he's got the angle."

Malik adjusts his angle and starts the hunt again. Ryoma simply offers him targets to hit, while secretly guiding where Malik is going to strike. The more combinations Malik sends, the more he disrupts his own posture and striking form.

Having once been the victim of the same situation created by Cabello, Ryoma knows this all too well. And this time, he's using the same defense geometry to destroy Malik's form.

Until one moment, Ryoma stops using his pendulum steps and simply sways his upper body from left to right, occasionally offering his head slightly forward without any guard.

Seeing Ryoma right within his punching range, Malik also stops advancing, becoming focused on targeting that moving head.

He sends a left, still straight but aimed slightly wider toward the outside.

Then he follows with a lead hook, tracking Ryoma's head as it moves back toward its original position.

Then he sends a sharp cross, only to miss again as Ryoma ducks and bows deeper toward Malik's right side.

Malik tries to send a short left hook, but…

Dep!

Ryoma already has Malik's left arm caught with his right glove, while his left glove controls Malik's right shoulder.

Malik cannot get the punch off.

In the next split second, Ryoma is already behind him, reclaiming the open space in the centre of the ring.

"Oh, that is clever from Takeda."

"He's not just making Adebayo miss anymore. He's steering every punch, then taking the angle away from him."

"And look at Malik's position there. Every time he chases, Takeda seems to know exactly where he's going to be."

Malik quickly turns around, and Ryoma simply cocks his left, then his right. Just two small feints, and Malik stops dead in his tracks. He can only stare at Ryoma, confusion clearly written across his face.

It isn't just the feints that make him hesitate. It's the defensive geometry Ryoma has been applying, moving around him within punching range yet remaining almost impossible to touch, slipping away like a slippery eel.

He thought he had prepared for this kind of scenario. Darren had even set up sparring partners who applied Cuban-style boxing specifically for him. And yet, standing in front of Ryoma, Malik still looks completely lost.

In the blue corner, Darren watches the fight with a deepening frown, biting down on his lower lip as irritation begins to show.

The whole point of sending Malik forward from the opening bell was to make Ryoma work. But the champion has turned that pressure into something else entirely, using Malik's own momentum against him.

"For fuck's sake, Malik… can't you hit the bastard just once?"

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