This Sunday, it’s going down in Tokyo. Takuma Inoue is stepping back into the ring to defend his WBC bantamweight championship, and guess who he’s fighting? None other than Tenshin Nasukawa, the guy he handed the first professional boxing loss of his career to just last November. This isn’t just a rematch, it’s a chance for redemption, a shot at a world title for Nasukawa, and Inoue is coming in as a big betting favorite.
Nasukawa Wants Revenge, But Inoue Is Ready To Defend His Belt
Remember last November? That’s when Inoue, rocking a 22-2 record with 5 KOs, went toe-to-toe with Nasukawa, who at 8-1 with 3 KOs was still riding high from his kickboxing superstar days. Inoue delivered a hard-fought decision loss to Nasukawa for the vacant WBC bantamweight title. It was brutal. Since then, Inoue hasn’t been chilling, he’s successfully defended his championship against Kazuto Ioka. Nasukawa, on the other hand, hasn’t wasted a second licking his wounds. He fought his way back to this title shot, stopping former two-division champ Juan Francisco Estrada in a WBC eliminator back in April. That’s how you earn a second crack, right? Now, the books have Inoue as a -260 favorite to retain his belt, with Nasukawa at +200. Is the upset brewing, or is Inoue just too locked in? Plus, Takuma is the brother of pound-for-pound legend Naoya Inoue. That’s some serious boxing pedigree right there.
A Stacked Card With Major Implications
But hold up, this isn’t a one-fight show. Sunday’s card at Toyota Arena Tokyo is absolutely stacked. We’re talking another championship bout featuring former IBF bantamweight champ Ryosuke Nishida, who’s 11-1 with 2 KOs, facing off against Sam Goodman, 22-1 with 8 KOs. They’re battling for the IBF interim super bantamweight title. The winner of *that* fight could be looking at a future shot against the undisputed champion, Naoya Inoue himself. Then you’ve got the undefeated Tomoya Tsuboi, who’s 3-0 with 2 KOs, colliding with Ricardo Malajika, 17-2 with 12 KOs, for the vacant WBC super flyweight championship. Plus, there’s a battle of unbeatens, Ryusei Matsumoto (8-0, 4 KOs) squaring off against Russell Acosta (17-0, 13 KOs) for the WBO interim strawweight title. Oh, and a featherweight clash between Hayato Aiko and Natsuki Kuramochi. This whole card is set to deliver!
So mark your calendars, set your alarms, or brew that extra strong coffee for Sunday, September 27th. The event kicks off at 3:30 a.m. ET, with the main event ring walks expected around 7 a.m. ET. If you’re in the States, you can catch all the action live on DAZN. If you’re in Japan, Prime Video has you covered. Inoue is looking to prove that first win wasn’t a fluke and defend his title, while Nasukawa is hungry to finally grab that world championship and avenge his only pro loss. This isn’t just a fight; it’s a statement for both guys. Who’s gonna walk out with the belt?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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