In the blue corner, the energy shifts into something far more urgent. Villanueva sits heavily on the stool, his shoulders rising and falling unevenly as he struggles to pull a full breath back into his lungs.

The damage from those body shots still lingers, buried deep, refusing to fade no matter how hard he tries to steady himself.

"Breathe, Dante. Slow it down. In... out... don’t rush it," Mendosa says, one hand firm against his chest, guiding the rhythm while watching him closely.

Another cornerman presses an ice pack against his side, right over the liver. The moment it touches, Villanueva flinches, his body tightening despite himself.

"Stay with it," the man insists. "You need that to calm down."

A third works quickly, wiping the sweat from his face, lifting his chin just enough to check his eyes and keep his focus from slipping.

"Look at me. Don’t drift. Stay sharp."

Villanueva exhales through his teeth, trying to force control back into his breathing, but it’s not fully there yet. The pain still cuts through every inhale, and his legs haven’t completely steadied under him.

"You can’t let him drag you into that again," Mendosa continues, his voice more intense now. "He wants you open. He wants you reacting. Stay behind your guard, rebuild from the jab. Don’t give him those exchanges."

Villanueva gives a slight nod, though there’s tension in it, frustration still simmering beneath the surface.

Around him, the corner keeps moving, adjusting, pressing, checking, doing everything they can in the short window they have, trying to put him back together before the bell calls him out again.

But when Villanueva’s breathing steadies even a little, he pushes back against the instruction.

"I know it’s a trap," he says. "But I can’t just ignore it, can I? He’s standing in the corner. That’s where you’re supposed to have your opponent. If I don’t take that, I look like a coward."

Mendosa knows the line of thinking is dangerous. Still, he doesn’t dismiss it outright.

Instead of arguing, he turns his head and looks across the ring at Ryoma, his expression tightening as the realization settles in.

This isn’t just about reading the fight. Ryoma is reading the man himself, understanding exactly where Villanueva stands mentally, and using that against him.

Normally, that kind of tactic comes from the older fighter, someone seasoned enough to play with rhythm, pressure, and pride to draw mistakes out of a younger opponent.

But here, it’s completely reversed. It’s Ryoma, the younger fighter, the one dictating the mental game, using those same psychological traps on Villanueva.

As much as Mendosa recognizes the mind game at play, and as much as he understands the pride driving his fighter, he knows he can’t let this spiral any further.

If it does, it won’t just cost them the fight. It will leave Villanueva looking completely outclassed, reduced far more than he already has been.

He steps in closer, his voice steady as he lays it out plainly. "That should tell you how good that kid is. He reads you inside and out. And he has the ability to carry out whatever he reads. Even something like that... putting himself in the corner just to make you abandon your defense."

Villanueva doesn’t answer. His gaze drops, the resistance in him fading, not in defeat, but in acknowledgment. If anything, the respect he holds for Ryoma only deepens.

But Mendosa doesn’t let him settle there. He leans in, tapping his clenched fist lightly against Villanueva’s chest to pull him back.

"And that’s exactly why I told you," he continues, sharper now. "Stop sympathizing with his condition. That shoulder isn’t your responsibility. You don’t get to be kind in a fight like this. Go after it. No more hesitation."

Villanueva blinks, the doubt still there, but shifted now. "You really think it’s still a weakness? After the way he used his right hand in that round?"

"He used it, sure," Mendosa replies. "But pay attention. Every right he throws is compact. Nothing extended, nothing fully committed. That’s not by choice. That’s limitation."

His eyes narrow slightly. "A dislocated shoulder doesn’t just disappear in a few weeks. Less than three? That’s nowhere near full recovery. It can still give out."

Suddenly, the official’s voice cuts cleanly through the tension in the blue corner.

"Seconds out!"

Mendosa turns slightly, irritation flashing across his face at the interruption, but he doesn’t waste the moment.

He steps in closer, gripping Villanueva’s shoulder firmly, forcing the message in one last time.

"No more hesitation. You hear me!"

This time, Villanueva answers without pause. He gives a firm nod, his gaze hardening, the last traces of doubt and restraint fading into something colder.

Mendosa studies him for a brief second, then nods back, satisfied.

"Good."

He steps away and gestures sharply to his team.

"Out. Clear it."

The cornermen move quickly, pulling the stool out, grabbing the bucket and towels, slipping through the ropes as the referee watches both corners.

Across the ring, Ryoma’s corner clears just as quietly as it held itself moments ago. No rush, no wasted motion. Nakahara steps down last, eyes lingering on his fighter for a brief moment before leaving him alone on the canvas.

Villanueva pushes himself up first, rolling his shoulders once, lifting his guard as he steps out from the corner. His stance tightens, more rigid now.

On the other side, Ryoma rises without any sense of urgency. He steps forward with that same calm presence, his arms lifting loosely as he settles back into his lazy, swaying rhythm, guided only by subtle movements of his shoulders.

They face each other again, the distance closing to that familiar line. The noise in the arena builds steadily, anticipation rising as the referee glances between them.

"And here we go... round three coming up," the lead commentator says, voice steady but charged.

"This is where things get interesting," the second adds. "Villanueva’s been knocked down twice, but he’s still in this. The question is, what adjustments can he make?"

"Because if he walks into the same traps again," the lead continues, "this could end very quickly."

"And on the other side," the second says, "Ryoma looks completely in control. Not just physically, but mentally. He dictated everything in that last round."

"But now Villanueva knows," the lead adds. "He knows what he’s dealing with."

"Yeah," the second replies. "And that might make this even more dangerous."

The tension peaks. And then...

Ding!

The third round begins, and both fighters move at the same time, but the contrast is immediate.

Ryoma steps toward the center with that same calm, lazy sway. Villanueva, on the other hand, closes the distance with instant pressure.

He doesn’t stay at long range this time, doesn’t build behind probing shots. He cuts the space early and settles just a step deeper than mid-range, close enough to threaten exchanges but not fully committing to inside fighting.

"And Villanueva wastes no time!" the lead commentator calls out. "He’s not feeling this out anymore, he’s stepping in right away!"

"Completely different approach from the last round," the second adds quickly. "He’s cutting the distance early, not letting Ryoma settle into that rhythm!"

"And look at where he’s positioning himself," the lead continues. "Not all the way inside, but just outside of it. That’s a tricky range to deal with!"

"Exactly," the second agrees. "He’s close enough to pressure, but not so close that he gets tied up. He’s forcing exchanges on his own terms now!"

He opens with a sharp combination, left and right snapping out in tight arcs, not quite straight punches, not quite hooks, something in between that makes the rhythm harder to read.

Ryoma defends well, but the ease from before is gone. His guard has to shift more actively now, his legs bracing to absorb the impact as the punches keep coming.

Dug. Dug. Dug.

Dug. Dug. Dp. Dp. Dug.

"Now this is different," the lead commentator says, a hint of surprise in his voice. "That rhythm from Villanueva... it’s not easy to get a read on."

"Yeah, he’s taken away the comfort," the second replies. "Ryoma can’t just sit back and see everything clearly anymore."

"And you can tell," the lead adds. "He’s still handling it, but he’s working for it now."

"That’s the key," the second says. "Villanueva’s not trying to outthink him here. He’s forcing him to deal with volume and awkward timing instead."

At first, Villanueva keeps his real intention subtle, pressing forward like a fighter trying to take back control.

Then the intent starts to show. He slips in a small, dirty adjustment, catching Ryoma’s right glove with his own right, disrupting the guard before pulling away and swinging a heavy left.

Ryoma reacts quickly, pulling his right hand back to cover his side. But Villanueva isn’t aiming for the opening.

He drives the punch straight into the upper arm.

DUGH!

Ryoma’s expression tightens, the shift subtle but unmistakable as the discomfort registers.

Villanueva sees it, and he doesn’t let the moment pass. He follows immediately, driving a strong right toward the center.

Ryoma brings his guard in to protect his chest, but the punch veers off, slipping past the line he’s covering.

It crashes into his right shoulder instead.

BUGH!

The impact lands clean. And this time, there’s no ambiguity left in it. Villanueva isn’t just pressing forward anymore. He’s made his decision.

He’s going after the injury.