The young kickboxer turned inside out by Floyd Mayweather, Tenshin Nasukawa, has proved he can box professionally.
Nasukawa did so by defeating WBA fourteen-ranked Luis Robles Pacheco at the EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan. The combat star is now expected to be rated by the World Boxing Association this February.
The 25-year-old super-bantamweight, who dropped to 120 to face bantamweight Robles, could now remain at the weight.
Tenshin’s first two contests at 122 pounds ended with decision victories. However, this time around, Tenshin got the stoppage against an albeit injured Robles.
Abrupt ending in Osaka 😳#TerajiCanizales | LIVE on @ESPNPlus | @PrimeVideo in Japan pic.twitter.com/dxidhNpb3X
— Top Rank Boxing (@trboxing) January 23, 2024
This could be a sign of what may be possible for Nasukawa in the lower class after becoming world-renowned for his knockouts as a kickboxer. Amassing one of the best combat records on the planet at 44-0, Tenshin has 30 knockouts to his credit.
If he can add that as a permanent fixture in the paid boxing ranks, the sky would be the limit, as Naoya Inoue has proven. Inoue won the WBN Fighter of the Year for 2023 after stopping two unified champions last year.
Tenshin Nasukawa’s Floyd Mayweather loss
Having ties to Floyd Mayweather hasn’t harmed Tenshin Nasukawa’s push to be a pugilist. That’s despite a disastrous performance against the ‘Money’ man on New Year’s Eve of 2018.
The southpaw was knocked down three times in the first round as Mayweather brutally ended the RIZIN exhibition. Mayweather has since fought many exhibition bouts, but none as impressive as the win over Tenshin.
A look at the bantamweight scene would tell you there are plenty of opportunities for Tenshin to make his mark. He’s proven his dedication. He must now prove he has the metal to deal with more prominent names.
Campaigning at 118 pounds would be a more intelligent move as the division doesn’t have the strength in depth that super-bantamweight holds. This gives Tenshin plenty of time to acclimate to the sport and eventually work towards the more recognizable names.
Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has seen enough of his work in another code to fancy Tenshin as a future star. But despite the recent win, holding Tenshin back a few more fights would be the smart move.
With all his years of experience, Arum is savvy enough to know how to match the Asian superstar. Former world champion and WBA thirteen-rated Liborio Solis would be a solid test for Tenshin at some point in the future.
In the co-features following Tenshin’s win, Artem Dalakian dropped to 22-0 and lost his WBA flyweight title to Seigo Akui.
Meanwhile, Kenshiro Teraji improved to 23-1 with a majority verdict against Carlos Canizales. Teraji successfully defended his WBA and WBC light-flyweight belts.
Phil Jay is an experienced boxing news writer and has been the Editor of World Boxing News since 2010.
