It’s fairly safe to say the bantamweight and the super-bantamweight divisions have been almost totally dominated by Japanese fighters these past couple of years or so. This won’t change no matter who wins the fight that has just been ordered by the WBC. With the superb Junto Nakatani now aiming to conquer the 122-pound division, with him having vacated his bantamweight belts in order to do so – with Nakatani also, we all hope, soon to land a massive fight with a certain “Monster” – it will be up to the less-famed Inoue brother to win the vacant WBC belt.
Inoue, 20-2(5) will face Tenshin Nasukawa at a date to be determined – the fight to go to purse bids on October 21 if a deal is not reached before then – and the winner will walk away with the green belt. Nasukawa, still perhaps best known to US fans for his quick and embarrassing stoppage loss to Floyd Mayweather, this in an exhibition bout that left the grossly outsized Nasukawa in tears, is currently 7-0(2), and his impressive performances have made those fans who tuned in forget about the Mayweather debacle.
Can Inoue Shake Off Rust Against a Streaking Nasukawa?
29 year old Inoue is a former WBA bantamweight champion, with him losing the belt to yet another brilliant Japanese fighter in Seiya Tsutsumi in October of last year. So, Inoue will likely be fighting some rust when he gets in there with 27 year old Nasukawa, what with Inoue having been inactive since losing his title.
Nasukawa has boxed twice this year so far, with him picking up good wins over Jason Moloney and Victor Santillan, the Santillan win coming in June. A speedy southpaw who has competed in numerous disciplines such as kick-boxing, Nasukawa may well be looked at as the favourite to win this fight.
Another Blockbuster Japanese Clash on the Horizon
With a strong supporting card likely, this fight could prove to be yet another exciting clash to watch unfold in Japan. Inoue has never been stopped, while Nasukawa has yet to lose as a pro boxer.
The winner not only takes the WBC belt but also keeps Japan firmly in control of the lower-weight divisions, where their dominance has been absolute in recent years.