A long-destined collision course provided Takuma Inoue with his second tour as a bantamweight titlist.
The second act came courtesy of an upset win over kickboxing legend-turned-fast-rising contender Tenshin Nasukawa. Inoue captured the vacant WBC 118lbs belt after prevailing via scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 117-111 in their entertaining main event on Monday from the Toyota Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Both boxers were cautious out of the gate, as they parried their respective jabs. Nasukawa struck first with a whipping left hand to Inoue’s body. Inoue struggled early with his offense, as he often missed or only punched as far as Nasukawa’s tight guard. Nasukawa ended the round with a head-snapping left hand straight down the middle.
Inoue sought to pick up the pace in round two after falling behind early. The greater activity level played well with the passionate crowd – more vocal than is normally the occasion for boxing in Japan given the domestic rivalry. Nasukawa used Inoue’s aggression to his advantage, by drawing in his countryman and making him pay with clean left hands.
The momentum remained with Nasukawa, who thrived in the counterpunching role throughout the third frame. Inoue frequently fired off his jab but Nasukawa’s slick footwork created plenty of distance to ensure he avoided getting hit with anything clean. Inoue enjoyed minor success with his right hand but he could never follow up on the moments he connected.
Nasukawa spent much of the fourth round utilizing every inch of the ring. However, Inoue continued to improve on his timing, and was able to land right hands with greater regularity. The shift in momentum allowed Inoue to pull even on all three scorecards – the WBC open scoring revealed tallies of 38-38 across the board to that point.
Inoue continued to remain in control during the fifth, aside from a brief stumble to the canvas. The sequence was properly acknowledged by the referee Michael Griffin as a slip. The best moments of the round came from Inoue, whose straight right hand continued to cause problems for Nasukawa.
The aggressive pace set by Inoue continued to provide fits for Nasukawa as the bout reached the midway point. A role reversal involved Inoue drawing in Nasukawa and forcing the southpaw to throw first, after which he would respond with right hands. Nasukawa, 27, was able to land the occasional left hand but struggled to come up with a solution for Inoue’s money punch.
A two-way exchange at center ring meant both boxers connecting upstairs in the seventh. Nasukawa thought he hit paydirt with his left hand, but it came just as Inoue had already let fly his right hand, which proved the more impactful shot. Inoue also snuck in a left hook to the body. Time was called as Nasukawa was warned for hitting on the break, though he just blankly stared across the ring during the brief break.
The momentum remained with Inoue to the point where he led on two of the three scorecards through eight rounds. One judge had it 76-76, while Inoue led 77-75 and 78-74 with four rounds to go.
Inoue, 29, sought to add to his lead as he continued to come forward in the ninth round. Nasukawa’s early footwork was no longer as effective; he was stationary long enough to get caught by a clean jab-right hand combination. It was rinse and repeat, as Nasukawa paid for leaning in and reaching with his punches.
Round 10 opened with Inoue connecting both upstairs and to Nasukawa’s midsection. A subsequent right hand by Inoue landed down the middle, though Nasukawa managed to counter with a clean left to snap back his countryman’s head. Better footwork by the first-time challenger created enough angles to land with more frequency in the final minute. Inoue took the shots well and continued to land in kind, though it was a much-needed momentum shift for Nasukawa.
A sense of urgency was evident in the corner instructions from Shingo Inoue, the father and head trainer for both Takuma and the four-division champion Naoya Inoue. The detection that the early lead was beginning to fade resonated with the younger Inoue, who effectively rode out Nasukawa’s best moments and sufficiently countered off the ropes. The return of his right hand minimized the work put in by Nasukawa, adding to the already tense atmosphere headed into the final three minutes.
Inoue sought to exploit a brief moment of inactivity from Nasukawa as he launched a purposeful left hook. Nasukawa blocked the punch and later slipped the same power shot, though his observance of the time suggested he was also resisting fatigue. Inoue continued to throw with mean intentions but often missed the mark. A wild left by Nasukawa fell well short, but Inoue was too far out of range to counter.
A right hand by Inoue perfectly timed the herky-jerky motion of Nasukawa in the closing seconds. He slammed in a final shot before the bell, then aggressively clapped his hands together in a self-congratulatory moment as he saluted the crowd.
Inoue claimed one of the two belts left behind by Junto Nakatani, who vacated the WBC and IBF titles to begin his campaign at 122lbs – his target is Takuma’s older brother, and more specifically Naoya Inoue’s undisputed championship.
The first title reign for the younger Inoue, 21-2 (5 KOs), began just months after Naoya abdicated his undisputed 118lbs championship throne to embark on his junior-featherweight run.
A decision win over Liborio Solis in April 2023 meant Takuma Inoue claiming the vacant WBA belt. That night also marked the pro journey for Nasukawa, following an historic and unbeaten kickboxing career where he left as one of the sport’s best-ever athletes.
That level of prodigious talent hasn’t quite festered in boxing, though Monday’s performance left plenty of room for a bright future. Nasukawa fell to 7-1 (2 KOs) with his first combat sports defeat across three disciplines – boxing, kickboxing or MMA.
Meanwhile, Inoue puts behind him a 13-month inactive stretch since the end of his WBA title reign. His 12-round, unanimous decision defeat by Seiya Tsutsumi in October 2024 proved doubly damaging; injuries sustained from the bout left him out of the ring for most of 2025.
Inoue was forced to pass on an opportunity to fight for his old belt earlier in the summer. Upon his receiving clearance to continue, he and his team briefly considered a shot at the vacant IBF belt.
In the end, it was decided that a WBC title fight showdown with Nasukawa was the more significant domestic match-up. It proved correct given the in-house reception – and more importantly in the end result.
