The kickboxer who transitioned to professional boxing after a one-round loss to Floyd Mayweather is now being lined up for a potential showdown with Naoya Inoue.
According to WBN, Tenshin Nasukawa, who recently moved to a 5-0 record in boxing and secured a ranking, could face Inoue in 2025. Currently, Nasukawa is ranked seventh by the WBO, third by the WBC, and second by the WBA in the bantamweight division after his victory over Gerwin Asilo last month. Plans are in place for him to potentially challenge Inoue in the summer or on New Year’s Eve of 2025. The hope at Top Rank, following their co-promotional partnership, is that Nasukawa will hold the world title at 118 pounds by then and be ready to step up and challenge Inoue.
Inoue, who has dominated every division he has entered, holds a 28-0 record with 25 KOs and is a two-weight undisputed champion. Meanwhile, Nasukawa, with an undefeated record of 51-0 across MMA, kickboxing, and boxing, gained significant attention following his 2018 encounter with Mayweather.
The potential match between Inoue and Nasukawa is seen as a strategic move by Top Rank, underscoring their growing influence in Japanese boxing. If both fighters remain unbeaten, the bout is expected to take place at the Tokyo Dome, with a crowd of nearly 60,000 fans. This high-profile event would pit two of Japan’s biggest stars against each other on one of the most important dates in the boxing calendar.
