news-engine

The bantamweight division will feature one of the most anticipated fights of the year when WBC World Champion Takuma Inoue defends his crown against Tenshin Nasukawa on September 27 at Toyota Arena in Tokyo, Japan. This will be the second meeting between the two fighters. In their first encounter, held on November 24, 2025, Inoue earned a unanimous decision victory, after twelve hard-fought rounds, capturing the WBC Bantamweight World Title and handing Nasukawa the first defeat of his professional career. Since then, both men have continued to establish themselves as leading figures in the division. Inoue enters this title defense following a dominant unanimous decision victory over Kazuto Ioka, a performance in which he also scored two knockdowns. Nasukawa, meanwhile, secured another world title opportunity after defeating former world champion Juan Francisco “Gallo” Estrada by technical knockout. The victory confirmed his growth as a professional boxer and earned him mandatory challenger status for the championship. Now, with both fighters riding strong momentum, the rematch promises to determine Japan’s top bantamweight and further solidify the winner’s place among the elite at 118 pounds.