Villanueva presses in a fraction deeper, sliding his lead foot forward as he commits to a lead hook. This time, there's no hesitation in it, no concern about the shoulder he had been avoiding before.
"And Villanueva's the one stepping in while still hurt," the second adds quickly. "His legs aren't fully there, and he's being forced to lead anyway!"
Ryoma responds just as simply. He shifts a step to the left along the corner and leans his body hard against the ropes as the hook cuts through empty space in front of him.
The miss leaves Villanueva open for a brief moment. And Ryoma uses the recoil from the ropes, letting the tension snap him forward as he drives a straight right toward the head.
Dsh!
The punch lands clean. It's short and efficient, but the added momentum from the ropes gives it a sharp weight, enough to snap Villanueva's head backward on impact.
"Oh! That counter lands clean!" the lead commentator shouts.
