Inoue0Nasukawa
Credit: WBC
How often can you watch a major boxing event that has four legitimate championship fights? I’ll tell you now, this is extremely rare. Takuma Inoue vs. Tenshin Nasukawa II has strong star appeal in Japan with the former being a world champion and the younger brother of global star, Naoya Inoue. Nasukawa is a combat sports icon in Japan. The two met before and the fight wasn’t really close. Some may question why Nasukawa is getting a rematch. Regardless, this one is going to draw eyes in Japan and abroad. Let’s talk boxing.
Inoue vs. Nasukawa II Key Facts
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Main event | Takuma Inoue (c) vs. Tenshin Nasukawa, WBC bantamweight title |
| Distance | 12 rounds |
| Date | Sunday, September 27, 2026 |
| Venue | Toyota Arena, Tokyo |
| Event | Prime Video Boxing 16 |
| Promoter | Teiken Promotions |
| U.S. broadcast | DAZN |
| Japan broadcast | Prime Video |
| Stream start | 3:30 a.m. ET per BoxingInsider; 4 a.m. ET per box.live |
| Main event ring walks | Approximately 7 a.m. ET |
| Inoue | 22-2, 5 KOs |
| Nasukawa | 8-1, 3 KOs |
| First meeting | November 24, 2025, same venue, Inoue by unanimous decision |
| Title fights on the card | Four |
Verhoeven led on all three scorecards through 10 rounds at the Pyramids of Giza in May before Usyk stopped him with one second left in the 11th. The Inoue card streams on DAZN in the United States and Prime Video in Japan, with main-event ring walks expected around 7 a.m. ET.
Inoue vs. Nasukawa II Full Card
| Bout | Stakes |
|---|---|
| Takuma Inoue (c) vs. Tenshin Nasukawa, 12 rounds | WBC bantamweight world title |
| Ryosuke Nishida vs. Sam Goodman, 12 rounds | Interim IBF junior featherweight title |
| Tomoya Tsuboi vs. Ricardo Malajika | Vacant WBC title |
| Ryusei Matsumoto vs. Acosta | Vacant world title, strawweight |
| Hayato Aiko vs. Natsuki Kuramochi, 4 rounds | Featherweight |
More Boxing Coverage
How Both Men Got Here
| Fighter | First meeting | Since |
|---|---|---|
| Takuma Inoue | Won by unanimous decision, Nov. 24, 2025 | Beat Kazuto Ioka by decision in May, dropping him twice |
| Tenshin Nasukawa | Lost by unanimous decision, first career defeat | Stopped Juan Francisco Estrada in nine in April, a WBC final eliminator |
There’s no question; if Nasukawa wasn’t such a big star in Japan, there’s almost no way he gets this rematch. From Inoue’s standpoint, it figures to be another relatively easy win and it comes with a massive payday to headline a big card. If things go as planned, it’s a no-lose situation for the Japanese star.
That said, this is boxing and anything can happen. Nasukawa is a gifted athlete and a determined pugilist. We saw what Rico Verhoeven was able to do in a fight with Oleksandr Usyk earlier this year. Perhaps Nasukawa can capture some magic.
Leave a comment