Birthday: August 14, 1975
Homeland: Tokyo, Japan
Occupation: Professional Boxer, Makunouchi Fishing Boat Worker
Weight Class: Featherweight
Height: 168 cm (5'6")
Reach: 168 cm (66")
Style: Out Boxer
Stance: Orthodox Stance
Current Affiliation: Kamogawa Boxing Gym
Trainer: Shinoda
The newest addition to the roster, the charismatic Manabu possesses prodigious talent and was once the captain of his high school's boxing team. Cheerful and fond of puns, Manabu is a formidable outboxer with exceptional speed and reflexes. His fighting style closely mirrors that of Miyata. His signature move is the Hedgehog or Porcupine, a flurry of mid-power punches used in his East Japan Rookie Kings match against his longtime rival, Kyosuke Imai. Outside of boxing, Manabu works as an assistant at the Makunouchi family's fishing business.
Based on former world champion Oscar de La Hoya for his natural ability and good looks, Itagaki idolizes him in the manga. As a featherweight outboxer, he is renowned for his speed and genius-level boxing talent. His trainer is Shinoda Tomoyuki. Alongside Makunouchi Ippo, Takamura Mamoru, Aoki Masaru, and Kimura Tatsuya, he forms one of the core members of the Kamogawa Boxing Gym.
Initially successful in various sports, Itagaki encountered Imai Kyousuke in boxing and lost to him three times. Determined to defeat him, he skipped college and joined the Kamogawa Boxing Gym, where his idol, Ippo, trained. After Umezawa Masahiko retired from the Makunouchi Fishing Boat to pursue his dreams, Itagaki took over his job and began receiving similar work training as Ippo. He avenged his debut loss to Makino Fumito in the East Japan Rookie Kings opening round and won the title after a tough fight with Imai, showcasing his true potential.
With Ippo relinquishing his title to challenge the world, a rematch with his long-time rival Imai, who held the number 2 ranking, was set to determine the new JBC featherweight champion. Despite having beaten Imai before and achieving his goal in the Class A tournament, Itagaki entered the match overconfidently. With a brilliant strategy, Kyousuke cornered Itagaki and wore him down with body blows, eventually KOing him in the first round. Although Itagaki acted like a good sport afterward, he was deeply disappointed in himself for letting down Ippo and failing to uphold Date's legacy.
Current Record
Rank: 1 (JBC)
OPBF Ranking: 4
Total Fights: 14
Wins: 12
Wins by KO: 10
Losses: 2
Championships: East Japan Rookie King
