June 4th, 2016 — Korakuen Hall
Irony has a strange way of showing itself in boxing. The tickets had sold out days ago, every seat supposedly claimed. Yet as the first bell rings, the great Korakuen Hall looks half-asleep, its seats more than half empty, its cheers scattered and thin.
The noise doesn't swell, only drifts. The crowd that is present barely claps between rounds, their voices sounding more like polite obligation than excitement.
"Keep your guard up!" someone yells from the middle rows.
Another voice answers, half-hearted, "Body, go for the body!"
A moment later, someone laughs nervously, clapping twice. "Don't fall asleep in there!"
But perhaps it's only natural. The first five bouts on the card are between unknowns rookies and mid-tier fighters, most of them from Minato Bayside Gym's young stable.
The so-called "sold-out event" feels less like a fight night and more like a rehearsal.
