 After the main boxers have been played , Ippo visits his coach , Genji Kamogawa , at the mountain lodge . While there , he learns about Kamogawa 's history as a boxer via a flash back story . Kamogawa and his longtime friend and rival , Ginpachi Nekota , were both boxers before World War II . After the war , they boxed in exhibition matches . The two boxed each other often and once they met Yuki , a young girl from Hiroshima , their rivalry grew . While boxing , Kamogawa severely injured Nekota , but Nekota hide it because of their friendship . One day , Ralph Anderson , an American soldier stationed in their area , challenged and beat up the local boxers to show American dominance over Japanese boxers . Nekota challenges Anderson , but loses due to developing punch @-@ drunk syndrome from his fight with Kamogawa . During the fight , Anderson used an illegal punch on Nekota that worsened his condition . After Nekota 's defeat , Kamogawa begins intensive training to defeat Anderson . Through his training , he develops an " iron fist " technique . He then challenges Anderson , who because of his near loss has also trained extensively . After defeating Anderson , Kamogawa vows to pass on his boxing spirit to his students in order to show his boxing to the world . 
