It’s rare for someone to master more than one combat sport. One is often good at one but less effective at the other. A determined Tenshin Nasukawa is looking to break the mold.
Nasukawa, 26, may be known for crying after losing to the great Floyd Mayweather in a boxing exhibition, but he is much more than that. A decorated kickboxer, “Shindo” now returns to the boxing ring to face former world champion Jason Moloney on February 24 in the Ariake Arena.
The fight airs on ESPN+ in the U.S. and takes place on the undercard of Junto Nakatani’s WBC bantamweight title defence against David Cuellar.
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The Sporting News looks into the career of Nasukawa, from his early start to his rise in kickboxing.
Who is Tenshin Nasukawa?
Born in Japan, Nasukawa began training at around five, winning karate tournaments at a young age. While his father planned for him to fight to have discipline, Nasukawa believed combat sports were his calling.
“I practised karate until I was in sixth grade. I was winning competitions at a national level, but at the same time, there were the big shows like K-1 and Pride,” he told Bleacher Report in 2018. “I wanted to participate on that big stage. There was no specific individual that inspired me. I was attracted to the stage.”
In 2014, Nasukawa turned pro as a kickboxer following an amateur career with over 90 wins. Competing for the likes of M-1, RISE, and RIZIN, Nasukawa is a former RISE bantamweight (55 kg) and featherweight (57 kg) champion, BLADE Japan Cup tournament (55 kg), and RIZIN flyweight (57 kg) tournament winner. He has beaten some of the best in the sport, including Rodtang Jitmuangnon, Kyoji Horiguchi, and Masahiko Suzuki.
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Outside of kickboxing, Nasukawa has competed in MMA and boxing. From 2016 to 2017 he was 4-0 in MMA. Boxing fans will remember him facing Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition bout in 2018 when he was dropped three times before losing via first-round TKO. Nasukawa later attempted to redeem himself by competing in five more exhibitions.
Joining the pro ranks in 2023, Nasukawa beat Yuki Yonaha, a top bantamweight fighter, via a unanimous decision in April 2023. He moved to 5-0 under the Queensberry Rules with two knockouts, setting up a fight with Moloney on the Australian fighter’s first appearance since losing his world title to Yoshiki Takei.
Tenshin gave another thrilling demonstration of his rapid progress by closing out a unanimous decision victory to go six out of six as a professional boxer. A world-title tilt against Takei could be on the cards in 2025.