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Meet 20-year-old Tenshin Nasukawa, Floyd Mayweather's next opponent who loves anime, aliens, and Harry Potter
Meet 20-year-old Tenshin Nasukawa, Floyd Mayweather's next opponent who loves anime, aliens, and Harry Potter
Alan DawsonNov 7, 2018, 17:57 IST
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Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. of the U.S. poses for a photograph with his opponent Tenshin Nasukawa during a news conference in TokyoReuters
Tenshin Nasukawa may well be the most interesting 20-year-old in combat sports.
Last week, Nasukawa was a relatively obscure fighter, globally-speaking. Though he is a rising star in Japanese mixed martial arts, he competes in the Rizin Fighting Federation, a promotion that is only three years old and receives little press in the US and the UK.
But what a difference a few days makes. Nasukawa has been thrust into the media spotlight as Rizin made a stunning announcement - the company's phenom will fight the unbeaten American boxer Floyd Mayweather in a bout with undetermined rules, at an undecided weight, on December 31 in Japan.
Despite his young age, Nasukawa is already an accomplished competitor with an unblemished processional record.
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If his kickboxing record of 27-0 (20 wins by knockout), and his mixed martial arts record of 4-0 (two wins by knockout, and one by submission), are indicative of his promise, his impressive stoppage wins over the former IBF boxing world champion Amnat Ruenroeng and the former Muay Thai champion Wanchalong PK Senchaigym are testament to his talent-level.
His Instagram profile, which has 225,000 followers, suggests there's more to the fighter than a strong record, though.
Here's everything you need to know about Nasukawa, the fight game's newest star.
Nasukawa began his combat sports journey when he started practicing karate at five years old. Before he turned professional, he had an amateur kickboxing record of 99 wins against five losses and one draw. Even more impressive, he beat prominent Muay Thai champion Wanchalong PK Senchaigym while he was still a student in high school. For many, this was when a new legend was born.
The fight was announced at a Rizin Fighting Federation press conference earlier this month, and stunned the combat sports industry because of how surprising it was. "The biggest event in my life has become reality," Nasukawa said. "I think that everyone is surprised, but I am the same."
He added: "I have punches of timing that boxers do not have. The [weight] class is also different, but it does not matter to me now. I will do KO for the first time that nobody could do in the world. I will change the world with my own fist."
