Above: Nasukawa seems to enjoy every part of being a fighter. (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

TENSHIN NASUKAWA
Age: 25
Born: Matsudo, Chiba, Japan
Hometown: Tokyo
Weight class: bantamweight
Height:  5-foot-5 (165 cm)
Stance: southpaw
Amateur record: 3-0
Turned pro: 2023
Pro record: 3-0 (1 knockout)
Trainer: Takahiro Ao
Manager: Haru Nagano
Promoter: Teiken Promotions Inc.
Instagram: @tenshin.nasukawa 

Best night of pro career and why: Nasukawa was impressive last time out against Luis Robles (RTD 3), but he is most happy with his dominant decision win over countryman Yuki Yonaha (UD 6) in his April 2023 debut.

“As far as the quality of fight, the third one I had is my best one. But as far as how I felt, it was my debut bout,” Nasukawa told The Ring through Nobu Ikushima. “First of all, it was my first fight since transferring from kickboxing to boxing, and having everyone watch my movement as a boxer, that got me motivated and excited. Fighting in a boxing match was very meaningful to me.”

Worst night of pro career and why: The 25-year-old southpaw says despite winning a shutout decision against Luis Guzman Torres (UD 8) in his second pro fight, he thinks he could have done better and scored a knockout.

“The first fight, I learned boxing and the movement and was happy with that,” said Nasukawa. “The second fight, I wanted to show what I learned with my boxing skills, but I found out that boxers don’t get knocked out as easily [as I thought]. I couldn’t knock him down or out. That’s why it’s the least impressive to me.”

What’s Next: Nasukawa is tabbed to return against Jonathan Rodriguez at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on July 20.

The scheduled 10-round contest will take part on the undercard of WBC bantamweight titlist Junto Nakatani’s first title defense against Vincent Astrolabio.

Rodriguez (17-2-1, 7 KOs) has been a professional since 2018. The Puerto Rican, who lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, notched eight wins before losing his unbeaten record to Manuel Flores (TKO 5). He won nine of his next 10 contests, beating the likes of experienced journeyman Ira Terry (UD 6) and Marvin Solano (UD 6). However, it was a stunning first-round win over former WBA 115-pound titleholder Kal Yafai that really got him some attention. Last time out, the 25-year-old was stopped by Antonio Vargas (RTD 7) in a firefight that saw both men get off the canvas.

Why he’s a prospect: Nasukawa didn’t have the extensive amateur boxing background that many top prospects have. However, he does possess a lot of experience in combat sports, which should serve him well.

He initially made a name for himself in karate before becoming a superstar in kickboxing, where he won all 42 of his matches, and later enjoyed further success in MMA.

His early promise was recognized by Teiken Promotions President Akihiko Honda, who made overtures with a substantial offer for Nasukawa to switch to boxing when he was 14.

Nasukawa felt he still had much to do in kickboxing and initially rebuffed the advances.

“In kickboxing, I was the champion for a long time and there weren’t that many formidable opponents, and I always need to challenge myself,” he explained. “I wanted a change and challenge – something new.”

After turning to boxing, he headed to the U.S. and sparred with former WBO junior featherweight titlist Angelo Leo. He appears to have internalized those experiences and continues to absorb more.

One of Nasukawa’s strengths is his versatility and the variety in his arsenal. Against Luis Guzman, he displayed a full range of accurate punches with both hands (Photos by Naoki Fukuda). 

Jab … check.

Right hook … check.

Right to the body … check.

Left to the body … check.

Cross … check.

“Day-to-day, I train, try to improve and get better every day,” he explained. “That’s basically how it’s been for me from the very beginning of my combat career. I am very confident I can show and prove how much I have learned from the last fight, because that’s basically what I strive for when I train. I am confident I can show the fans where I have improved each and every fight I go into.”

Nasukawa is adept at finding the angles to reach his target. (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

“The Prodigy” feels his game is pretty strong, both defensively and offensively: “Not getting hit, my defensive work, keeping that distance and my power is where I excel.”

As a kickboxer, he was trained by his father, Hiroyuki, who specialized in that discipline. Now that he is boxing, he is working under the tutelage of former two-weight titleholder Takahiro Ao.

“My impression of Tenshin is that he practices very seriously and enjoys boxing,” said Ao.

Meanwhile, another former world champion, Toshiaki Nishioka, who has watched Nasukawa closely, believes his countryman could go far.

“Tenshin has an animal-like instinct to win in a battle, not to mention a sense of precision in his punches,” said the former Ring Magazine/WBC 122-pound champ. “Tenshin is a fighter who can naturally make the right decision at the right moment. This is something not easy to teach. And his physicality, which he has developed through kickboxing, is excellent. I think his core strengths are already better than many world champions. And he also has a very good ability to read punches.”

Why he’s a suspect: Nasukawa has improved leaps and bounds in a short space of time, but he still has a lot of work to do to reach the level required to compete and succeed in the deep bantamweight division.

“It’s basically for me to step in and attack and be aggressive and also to be able to knock my opponent down and out, is what I need to work on … and to learn more English,” he said, laughing.

The Japanese star appreciates that there is a big difference between kickboxing and boxing.

“The footwork you use in the ring, the way you throw the punches and also the duration of the round as well, and balancing all that together. I’m still learning and still find it difficult,” he admitted.

His trainer, Ao, says his charge is focusing on one particular aspect ahead of his next fight.

“Right now, I feel like he is working on correcting his center of gravity (weight shift),” said Ao.

Nishioka predicts that once Nasukawa gains the requisite experience, there will be no stopping him.

“I am sure that as he steadily gains experience in boxing, he will acquire the skill to knock out his opponent,” said Nishioka.

Storylines: Nasukawa was born in Matsudo, around an hour from Tokyo.

“I started karate when I was 5 years old. Nothing has really changed for me,” said Nasukawa, whose younger brother is now a kickboxer as well. “Combat sports is something I have done for as long as I can remember. That’s basically who I am and how I grew up.”

After karate, he switched to kickboxing and became a superstar in his own right.

The uber-popular fighter has 1.1 million Instagram followers but remains humble and unmoved by fame.

“Being famous, I don’t give much weight to that. Being able to prove [myself] and my achievements is more important to me,” he said.

Such was his popularity on December 31, 2018, that Floyd Mayweather Jr. came to Saitama, Japan, and the two fought a scheduled three-round exhibition. The bigger Mayweather dropped Nasukawa three times and stopped him in the opening round. 

Looking back, Nasukawa isn’t unduly bothered by the result and looks at it in a positive light.

“I think it was good I had that fight, because a lot of people saw that fight and got a lot of exposure, and it was a good experience for me,” he said. “And also I got to communicate with a lot of fighters, including [Conor] McGregor. Because of that fight, I learned how great boxing is.”

Toshiaki Nishioka described Nasukawa as having “an animal-like instinct to win in a battle.” (Photo by Naoki Fukuda)

Having achieved so much in other disciplines, he now has lofty goals in his latest endeavor.

“Obviously to become world champion and prove to everyone I have gotten to that level, that’s what I want to show,” he said. 

“I’ve got a little bit more of a way to go as far as getting to that level and being able to challenge for a title, but once I get to that point … I want to be able to take down all the champions that are out there at that time.”

Away from boxing, he is a big anime fan and has several other interests.

“I like American culture, especially music and fashion,” he said. “I like to visit Japanese temples as well.

“Some day, I’d like to fight in the United States, so I’d like to get a little bit more notoriety from the American audience.” 

Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at [email protected].

Follow @AnsonWainwright