You’ll face a lot of old opponents with renewed vigor in this circuit. They all bring new moves to the table, so don’t expect the same old fights!
Piston Honda’s back for round two. He’s largely the same Piston you’ve already fought, but with a few new tricks. When he wiggles his eyebrows, expect three consecutive jabs, followed by a couple of uppercuts. Duck each of the jabs, then sway left and counter-jab each time he attempts to uppercut. Honda’s also updated his Piston Punch. Instead of quickstepping around the ring, he simply hops back and dashes in to deliver four consecutive jabs, followed by some uppercuts. Block each jab, then sway and counter-jab each time he uppercuts. Hit him with a few more jabs while he’s stunned.
Watch out for Honda’s feint—occasionally he ducks down and turns his hips back and forth before throwing an uppercut. Before you dodge, wait until he’s turned back and forth two times. If you can land a solid hit on him just before he throws a punch, you’re bound to earn a Star—but there’s always a chance he’ll block your strike. The safest bet is to counter each of his uppercuts and chip away at his Stamina until he stays down.
This is a test of footwork more than any other fight. Popinski doesn’t have any particularly fancy tricks up his sleeve; he’s just quick and powerful. One hit can lead to several more pretty easily. His quick jabs are tough to predict, but Popinski shuffles his feet right before he does a three-jab combo.
Be ready to dodge left or right at a moment’s notice. You don’t have many Hearts in this match, so don’t waste them on punches that are sure to be blocked. Each time you dodge one of Popinski strikes, hit him with a jab to the face. Successfully countering one of his hooks or uppercuts will leave him stunned—hit him with flurry of punches until he recovers. Don’t hesitate to throw a punch the instant he reels back for a hook or squats down for an uppercut—hitting him just before he swings will most likely land you a Star, so be quick and confident!
Bull is back and he’s fiercer than ever. He’s largely the same Bull you remember, but tougher, meaner, and out for revenge. Many of the same tricks work here, but with slightly different timing. To knock him down, you must land a Star-fueled uppercut or counter his Bull Charge. Otherwise, Bald Bull simply regains his Stamina before he goes down.
Bald Bull still raises and lowers his hands just before he throws a hook, but he also uses a slower version of the same motion as a taunt—whenever you see this taunt, hit Bull with a punch to earn a Star. Counter one of his power punches to momentarily stun him, then immediately throw your uppercut for serious damage. If Bull’s Stamina is low enough, he’ll drop to the mat—if not, you’ve still managed to inflict some serious damage.
His Bull Charge is largely the same, and you can still knock him down by hitting him with a body blow just after his third hop. However, there’s another option this time around. If you dodge Bull’s charge, he doesn’t return to the ropes for another pass—instead, he hops back twice, pauses, and then hops forward for shorter charge. If you prefer, you can dodge the first charge and counter just after he hops in for the shorter charge—just throw a body blow once he starts hopping toward you again. Either way, countering his charge is still the key to besting Bald Bull.
Don Flamenco is another returning fighter who’s learned a few new tricks. He was a cautious fighter before, but this time he plays a more offensive game. Since he’s new to the aggression game he provides a few clues when he’s about to strike—namely his bad habit of putting his gloves to his face before throwing a left jab. If you see those gloves go to his face, dodge and throw some counter punches to his head. Of course, you should also counter after each of Don’s right hooks and Flamenco Punches.
Flamenco still enjoys taunting—and once he starts, he won’t stop until you attack—but he won’t always throw his Flamenco punch when you take the bait. After blocking your punch, there’s a good chance Flamenco will simply continue to taunt you. You must hit him each time he taunts. Each time you do, he blocks your punch. This virtually guarantees that you’ll run out of Hearts at some point during the match. Make sure you dodge his punches until you’re back in the fight.
One of the best fighters in the sport of boxing, Mr. Sandman fights like an even more vicious Bald Bull. He comes out of the gate throwing jabs like Zeus throws thunderbolts. Each hit that connects will cost you three Hearts and a significant amount of Stamina; if you have trouble dodging these jabs, try blocking them instead—it’s not ideal, but it should let you hold out long enough to retaliate. Otherwise, sway to dodge each hit of his opening combo—just know that Mr. Sandman tends to mix up his rhythm every so often.
When he’s done jabbing, that’s your chance to strike! Dodge one of his hooks, hit him with a jab to the face, then go for the gut as fast and hard as you can! Don’t hit his head more than once or he’ll retaliate with another jab. Repeat this strategy until he unleashes his triple-uppercuts.
Before he uses his signature attack, Mr. Sandman stops fighting and shuffles his feet. Be ready to dodge when his feet stop moving. Slip all three uppercuts, and then retaliate with a jab to the head, followed by more body shots. Mr. Sandman is one tough opponent, but if you can dodge his strikes, your counters should put him on the mat before the match ends.
Right from the start of the fight, Super Macho Man starts throwing uppercuts. If you’re quick at the start of the fight you can get a gut punch off of him. Expect immediate and furious retaliation in the form of a flurry of uppercuts. Show him your footwork by dodging all of the uppercuts, and then give him a hailstorm of face hits. Use the same tactic when he throws hooks into the mix. Of course, beating the champ won’t be that simple—watch for Super Macho Man’s signature punches!
If you want to take the title, you must overcome Super Macho Man’s spinning punch. If he suddenly stops attacking, beware! After a brief pause, the champ unleashes one of two spinning attacks. If he vibrates, it means he’s about to perform a spinning punch. Dodge this attack and counter with a jab to his face. If, instead of vibrating, Super Macho Man steps back, it means he’s about to perform a series of spinning punches. When this happens, dodge each and every spinning punch he throws. When the onslaught ends, throw a punch to his head to begin your counterattack.
