Takuma Inoue W12 Tenshin Nasukawa... Japan's Takuma Inoue (21-2, 5 KOs) is now a two-time bantamweight title holder. On Monday, he was crowned the WBC champion by defeating his compatriot, former kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa (7-1, 2 KOs). Inoue picked up the vacant title via a unanimous decision win on a Teiken Promotions show held in Tokyo. (The title was vacated when Junto Nakatani decided to move up to junior featherweight). Inoue, a former WBA champion and brother of superstar Naoya Inoue, proved that his vast experience to be the determining factor, especially in the championship rounds. The WBC's open scoring system also played a crucial role in the development of the fight. By revealing the judges’ scorecards after rounds four and eight, the system dictated the pace for both fighters at key moments.

 

After round four, the score of 38-38 showed that the fight was level, with Nasukawa’s speed and power punches neutralizing Inoue’s technique. Bit the reveal after round eight was that Inoue had taken a significant lead (with scores of 77-75, 78-74, and 77-76 in his favor). This information was vital, as it forced Nasukawa to seek the knockout or win the final four rounds dominantly, while giving Inoue the confidence to box intelligently and secure the victory. 

 

Nasukawa used his speed and strong jab to dominate the second, fourth, and fifth rounds. His offense caused initial concern. However, Inoue’s boxing maturity emerged in the second half of the fight. In rounds six and seven, Inoue commanded the action with intelligence and short-range boxing, landing effective flurries and handling Nasukawa’s power. The key to victory was defined in the final rounds (ten to twelve), where Inoue neutralized Nasukawa’s pressure in close quarters. At the conclusion of the dozen rounds, the judges’ final scorecards dictated the victory for Takuma Inoue: 116-112 (twice and 117-111.

 

Nasukawa suffered his first professional boxing loss (he also was KO'd by Floyd Mayweather in an exhibition), but made it clear that he still has the potential to be a dominant figure.