Mr Money, Floyd Mayweather has sensationally revealed he will fight Japan’s 20-year-old kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in Japan in New Year’s Eve. Planning to extend his 50-fight unbeaten record, Mayweather was long been thought to enter the mixed martial arts arena especially to fight either his old nemesis Conor McGregor or Khabib Nurmagomedov.
BBC quotes although the format and rules of the fight are yet to be decided, it is confirmed that the two will lock horns on December 31st. “I wanted to do something different,” said the 41-year-old American whose last fight came against UFC veteran Conor McGregor on August 26, 2017. And the venue of the fight is Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.
Thanks to his luxurious lifestyle, and constant social media presence, Floyd Mayweather needs no introduction whatsoever. Although, same cannot be stated about his next opponent, Tenshin Nasukawa. Well, for the starter, let us tell you that Nasukawa was first introduced to karate when he was just five.
久々のヤマト
怖くて抱っこはできない、、、笑#那須川ヤマト pic.twitter.com/BJRMLvfnuR— 那須川 天心 (@TeppenTenshin) March 27, 2018
His father initially had no plans for Tenshin to get into martial arts as his only aim was to teach him honour, discipline, respect and focus. However, with the growth of combat sports rising in the country, a young Tenshin decided to make this his bread and butter.
“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.
“I wanted to participate on that big stage…there was no specific individual that inspired me. I was attracted to the stage.”
ナマズっ！
釣りました🎣 pic.twitter.com/QrMJhVYjS7— 那須川 天心 (@TeppenTenshin) October 5, 2018
Since entering the stage, Tenshin’s rise has been nothing short of a revelation. Need a proof? The 20-year-old has fought 27 fights in his career thus far and is undefeated in all of them, with 26 being the knockout victories. Furthermore, since signing for Japanese promotion Rizin, his record in MMA reads 4-0.
Nasukawa rose to fame when he defeated former IBF boxing world champion Amnat Ruenroeng. Standing at 5ft 5in, the 20-year-old’s fighting style has been described as “soft paw fighter and uses a combination of kickboxing and full contact karate.”
Meanwhile, have a look at the list of his titles:
- RISE Bantam weight(−55kg) Champion
- BLADE Japan Cup −55kg Tournament 2015 Champion
- ISKA Oriental Rules Bantam weight(−55kg) World Champion (1-time title defended)
- Rizin Kick Tournament 2017 -57kg Champion
- RISE Feather weight (-126lb) World Champion
