Another decision! What Tenshin Nasukawa “lacks”, direct words from former world champions Masataka Taniguchi & Ryoichi Taguchi.

Next up is Ryoichi Taguchi, 36, who Naoya Inoue, 30, kept describing as “the strongest man I fought” until after his first fight with Nonito Donaire, 40; four and a half years after his last fight on March 16, 2019, he is now on the path to becoming a mentor.

Nasukawa said before the fight that he was going to KO this time, so I had high expectations for him. I think I wanted to see that a little bit. He showed good movement, such as countering a straight left and ducking to the right to throw a right hook, so I think his talent is perfect.

I felt his level had improved, but as to why he missed the KO, I think it was his spirit. I think he didn’t have the heart to say, “I’m going to beat him by KO for sure! I think he could have had a chance if he had pushed harder and attacked more aggressively. Boxing is a world where spirit is the key. I hope he will bring that out in the future and show that he is truly desperate. I want him to learn how to fight by head on head, and I want him to show his determination to win by KO at any cost. This time, I feel that if I had been more concerned with knockouts, I could have finished him.

Also, I felt that Nasukawa-kun has a high center of gravity. But this is his second fight after switching from kicking, so it will take time for him to adjust. I thought that should be tolerated. It’s not easy to get results. Rather than putting pressure on him, I think that since he is a Japanese player, he should be watched and supported by everyone. If you create that kind of atmosphere, I think he will be able to grow and develop. It depends on the timing of matchmaking and what kind of opponent he chooses, but I think he has a good chance of becoming a world champion.