The referee has already raised a hand to call the Seconds out. But seeing both corners fumbling with straps, he lowers it again and simply waits, granting them a silent extension on the break.
The headgear removal draws a ripple through the crowd. A low buzz begins, soft at first, then growing as more people notice.
"Is he crazy?" someone murmurs.
"Or just trying to prove a point," another replies under their breath.
Near ringside, Tanaka tilts his head toward Sato, his voice pitched low. "Two fighters in a spar taking off headgear? What the hell's going on here?"
Sato's eyes don't leave the ring. "Feels like this stopped being a spar about thirty seconds ago."
The air in the gym shifts. The easy chatter dies down, replaced by a focused hush. The sound of leather gloves being adjusted, the creak of the ring ropes, all of it seems louder now.
