FORMER Floyd Mayweather Jr opponent and kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa danced his way to a unanimous decision victory over seasoned veteran Jason Moloney.
The two bantamweight contenders collided at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, with their 10-round encounter featuring on the undercard of Junto Nakatani vs David Cuellar.
While he is perhaps best known for losing to Mayweather in an exhibition bout back in 2018, Nasukawa, 6-0 (2 KOs), proved this morning that he is, in fact, a formidable technician at 118lbs.
Two scorecards of 97-93, with the third judge scoring it 98-92, ultimately handed Moloney, 27-4 (19 KOs), his second defeat on the bounce.
Despite coming from a decorated kickboxing background, Nasukawa showcased his tidy footwork and educated shot selection in the opening round, oozing plenty of confidence in their early exchanges.
Not only that, but the 26-year-old’s southpaw jab represented a stern challenge for Moloney, who struggled to keep his front foot on the outside of his opponent’s.
The former world champion then ate a thudding left hand in the third round, with Nasukawa creating several angles to land his eye-catching attacks.
Sure enough, the Japanese star’s polished feet proved effective in the following three minutes, as he continued to dance rings around his older opponent with relative ease.
Always exiting the pocket at an angle, Nasukawa was beginning to produce something of a boxing clinic, catching Moloney with a series of blistering counters in the fifth round.
At the start of round six, though, the 34-year-old found a home for his sharp one-two down the pipe, forcing Nasukawa to show a degree of respect for his power.
Unsurprisingly, Moloney continued to pile on the pressure, perhaps sensing that his unproven opponent was slowly beginning to tire.
But just as the Australian elevated his work rate, Nasukawa enjoyed a successful eighth round of pivots and counters, with the final six minutes seeing him resume his control after suppressing a late onslaught from Moloney.
