The life of teenage drifter-turned-boxer Joe Yabuki has always been tough, but now things go up a level as Joe finally makes his professional boxing debut.

With his coach Danpei failing to get a licence for his boxing gym, thus meaning Joe cannot register as a pro, Joe, as ever, takes things into his own hands, going into the dressing room of pro fighter Wolf Kanagushi and knocking him out, with the press in full view. Joe gets the chance to tell the press his story about not being able to fight because the powers-that-be won’t give him a licence; the media coverage results in a climb-down by the authorities and the license is granted. Joe and friend Nishi end up taking the exam to become pros (Nishi passing on the first attempt, Joe on the second).

And so we finally witness Joe take to ring in his first professional match, although it’s not against the big name that he wants to take on. He has to work his way up before he can take on Kanagushi properly, and from there, take on old rival Rikiishi, whom he previously fought in juvie in a match that ended up being a draw. Rikiishi is also keen to battle Joe again, which results in him having to take desperate measures in order to shed the pounds needed to qualify for Joe’s bantamweight classification. However, eventually both make the grade, and the rematch is on.

For much of this collection, the story is mostly build-up to the big fights that we the readers want to encounter. First we go through Joe having to qualify to become a pro in the first place, followed by his first match proper, before his battle with Kanagushi and ultimately climaxing in the grudge match with Rikiishi. While on the surface this might annoy some readers who just want to get onto the big event, the way the story is told sees Joe developing his fanbase amongst a wider crowd, outside of the shanty town where his die-hard fans come from. He gains a reputation as a brawler, gaining the nickname of “Rowdy Joe”.

He also attacks his opponents in press interviews, much like Muhammad Ali, who was at his height of his fame at the time the manga was written and is named here. It is at this point that you can see why readers of Ashita no Joe developed radical political tendencies at the time and formed left-wing organisations, associating themselves with working-class Joe, much like people in the USA identified with Ali and his stances supporting black civil rights and attacking the Vietnam War.

As a result, the story not only continues to be thrilling due to the sporting action, but somehow this manga transports you back to that era in a way many other stories written at a similar time fail to do. For much of the time, you get a feeling of hope, that if someone like Joe can overcome his background with the aim of reaching the top, then even you the reader can do so too, and once you make that connection, you can start to see it in other anime and manga that would, in turn, be influenced by it.

Regarding the production, one major change has occurred with a change of translator, with Annelise Ogaard replacing Asa Yoneda. Personally, I believe Ogaard’s translation to be an improvement, with nothing appearing to be out-of-place. The rest of the team featuring letterer Evan Hayden, editor Daniel Joseph and cover designer Matt Akuginow continue to maintain a high standard. Volume 4 of the omnibus edition is due out in December.

As the story progresses, it will be fascinating to see whether Joe’s career continues to go on up, or if things come back down to Earth.

Our review copy from Vertical Books was supplied by Turnaround Comics (Turnaround Publisher Services).