It took years of build up, but finally the biggest fight in kickboxing history, at least since the hey day of K1, finally happened. Tenshin Nasukawa fought Takeru Segawa, Takeru on a 35 fight win streak, and Tenshin being undefeated in 43 professional fights…. and for some reason it was booked for only three rounds. I’m not sure who decided that the most anticipated kickboxing bout of the last two decades only needed three rounds, but I’d have to question if they themselves had taken a few too many blows to the head. Perhaps that same person made the decision to make the fight currently, impossible to view outside of Japan, legally.
Much had been made of the ‘rivalry’ between the two fighters. With some claiming that they were even arch rivals. That’s impressive considering that this is the first time they have ever fought. Tenshin Nasukawa was something of a polarising figure, because while it could not be denied that he was a great kickboxer, with slick hands and fast kicks, it was also argued that he was rather protected. Much like Masato, it often felt like the judges were in his corner, and his fight against Rodtang was particularly controversial with the consensus being that Tenshin actually lost that fight.
Takeru on the other hand, despite fighting a similar level of opposition to Tenshin, seemed to be held in a bit better regard. The two were considered the best kickboxers at their weight and I don’t think there was a clear favourite to win once they showed up. Despite both being black belts in Shin Karate, which can most simply be described as kickboxing in a gi, they are two fighters of radically different molds. Tenshin being much more of a pot shotter and sniper, and Takeru being a swarming combination puncher.
Tenshin dropped Takeru and became victorious in this very brief affair and it must be said that the fight really was too short. The first round was a clear win for Tenshin, given he scored a knockdown, but the judges scored the second round a draw (save for one, who ruled in favour of Tenshin) with the final round being a decisive win for Tenshin. While we can’t know if Takeru would have had more success in the later two rounds, it must be said that Tenshin as a fighter tends to get worse as the bout goes on. He’ll quickly tire and begin throwing himself onto the floor with rolling thunder kicks, and using the time to recover as opposed to actually fighting. He is rarely, if ever pulled up on this.
In a five round fight this could have very well gone the other way, and while I joked earlier, part of me wonders if a three round fight was by design, as it would favour Tenshin. The two fighters didn’t compete against each other for so long, largely because they competed at different promotions, with Tenshin knocking around Rizin, and Takeru being a K1 mainstay. While the fight pulled good numbers, after all it is the two best kickboxers today finally swinging leather at each other – it feels as though it was marred by the same internal politics that prevented the fight from happening for so long. Rumours of Yakuza involvement make the whole bout a typically shady affair from Japanese combat sports.
The question now is, how likely is a rematch if Tenshin won. Had Takeru won, I’d assume an immediate rematch, but with talk of Tenshin leaving kickboxing and moving onto boxing, as there doesn’t seem to be much left for him to do. The bigger question though, is what is next for kickboxing now that these two titans appear to be moving on. Only time will tell.
