On June 8 at Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo, Tenshin Nasukawa (Teiken) — ranked No. 1 by the WBC, No. 2 by the WBA and WBO, and No. 4 by the IBF in the bantamweight division — faced WBA world No. 6 Victor Santillan (Dominican Republic), who held a record of 14 wins (5 KOs) and 1 loss, in a world title eliminator bout. The event was part of “Prime Video Boxing 13.”
The 29-year-old Santillan suffered his first career loss in a WBA world bantamweight title eliminator held on June 11, 2023, at the Sumiyoshi Ward Community Center in Osaka, where he faced Takuma Ishida (Ioka), who had a record of 34 wins (16 KOs) and 4 losses. Santillan lost by split decision with scores of 118-110, 112-116, and 112-116. This bout against Nasukawa marked his return to the ring after a year since his comeback victory last June.
As the bout was positioned as a world title eliminator, signs of nervousness could also be seen in Nasukawa.
Sports Agency Commissioner Koji Murofushi was also present ringside.
It was a southpaw vs. southpaw matchup, and the focus was on how Nasukawa would break down Santillan, who is known for his technical skills.
Nasukawa’s jab followed by a straight left to the body landed cleanly on Santillan.
Santillan responded with a quick straight left and a right hook of his own.
In the fourth round, Nasukawa suffered a cut above his left eye due to a clash of heads, but he landed a left uppercut during an exchange at close range.
Santillan swung wide with both hands, threatening Nasukawa with powerful hooks from both sides.
Nasukawa, who had focused his training on the theme of “finishing the fight”—a key area for improvement—gradually inflicted damage on Santillan with accurate and well-placed punches.
Despite taking punches from Nasukawa, Santillan remained determined and continued to fight back.
Nasukawa’s straight left finds its target.
Santillan’s head snaps back from Nasukawa’s left overhand.
Though staggering from fatigue and damage, Santillan fought back with a powerful right hook.
As the unsteady Santillan refused to back down, Nasukawa, with a fierce expression, drove in a powerful left hand.
Nasukawa went for the knockout, but Santillan held on until the final bell.
The winner was Nasukawa. The official scores were 100-90, 99-91, and 99-91. Although he dominated a world-ranked opponent in this crucial title eliminator, Nasukawa reflected on his inability to finish the fight, saying with a touch of self-deprecation, “Things don’t go as smoothly once you’re in the ring. This is my true level.”
Nasukawa’s next fight is planned for the end of November and is expected to be his first world title match. On the same night, “Big Bang” Junto Nakatani (M.T), who remained undefeated at 30 wins (23 KOs), stopped IBF world bantamweight champion Ryosuke Nishida (Mutsujima) via TKO at the end of the sixth round, becoming the unified WBC & IBF champion. Nakatani is expected to move up in weight and vacate his titles, making a WBC title bout for the vacant belt the likely path forward.
Ranked No. 2 in the division is former two-division world champion Juan Francisco Estrada (Mexico), who holds a record of 44 wins (28 KOs) and 4 losses. He is scheduled to face Karim Arce (Mexico)—the nephew of former five-division world champion Jorge Arce—who has a record of 21 wins (8 KOs), 2 losses, and 2 draws, on June 14 (June 15 Japan time) in Hermosillo, Mexico.
Whether Estrada wins and the title bout proceeds according to the current rankings remains uncertain, but Nasukawa is already looking toward the top of a bantamweight division dominated by Japanese fighters, stating, “No matter what happens, I won’t lose. I’m aiming for all the belts.”
For some reason, Tenshin Nasukawa has moved up to No. 1 in the WBC rankings. If “Big Bang” Junto Nakatani, now the unified WBC & IBF champion, vacates his titles, Nasukawa would be the frontrunner to compete in the title bout. A championship fight against former two-division world champion Juan Francisco Estrada (Mexico) would certainly be a highly anticipated matchup!
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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