The defeat to Floyd Mayweather in a farcical exhibition big-money boxing match on the last New Year’s Eve may have shone kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in a negative light in many a fighting fan’s eyes, but the Japanese bounced back in scintillating fashion in his latest show.
The 20-year-old Nasukawa was competing in the RISE World Series 58kg kickboxing tournament at the Ota-City General Gymnasium, Tokyo this weekend and produced an other-wordly knockout of Federico Roma to seal his place in the Semi-Finals of the competition.
In the third round in the Japan capital, Nasukawa took his moment to reassert why he’s considered the best kickboxer in the world right now.
Nasukawa, the featherweight world champion in the sport, humiliated his Argentine opponent in the ring, striking an arrogant, taunting pose before unleashing a brilliant cartwheel kick flush to Roma’s skull, sending him to the canvas and propelling Nasukawa into the last-four.
It really has to be seen to be believed, with a move more likely to be seen in the Matrix series than in a professional bout.
Nasukawa initially went full Crouching Tiger just over one-and-a-half minutes into the round, invited Roma to attack, then launched a series of punches, capped off with a crowd-cheering Capoeira kick which connected with Roma’s jaw.
The result means he remains undefeated in the sport, having competed in three pro-bouts last year and winning all three.
This was kickboxer Nasukawa’s first fight of 2019, and what a way to crack off the year. You can watch the video below. Try and replicate it at your peril!
