5 Things You Might Not Know About Tenshin Nasukawa

Tenshin Nasukawa, a 20-year-old kickboxing sensation out of Japan, holds an unblemished 4-0 record as a mixed martial artist. He will headline Rizin Fighting Federation 14 on New Year’s Eve at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, where boxing legend Floyd Mayweather Jr. awaits. The three-round exhibition match will be contested under boxing rules -- a sport in which Nasukawa has never before competed.

Ahead of Nasukawa’s encounter with Mayweather, here are five things you might not know about the flamboyant young knockout artist:

1. He has earned numerous accolades.

Despite being only 20, Nasukawa has compiled a lengthy list of kickboxing accomplishments. He is the reigning RISE kickboxing featherweight world champion, the former RISE bantamweight champion and the 2017 Rizin Fighting Federation kickboxing flyweight champion. Other honors include his winning the 2015 Blade Japan Cup -55kg Tournament and claiming the ISKA Oriental Rules bantamweight world championship. Considering his success, it is fitting that he has been labeled a “Kickboxing Messiah.”

2. He has never been beaten.

Although he has fought in two disciplines and in multiple weight categories, Nasukawa has yet to taste defeat as a pro. All 27 of his kickboxing contests have ended with the Japanese combatant having his hand raised. Twenty (74 percent) of those victories have come via knockout, many in spectacular fashion. His nascent, unbeaten four-fight MMA career has resulted in two finishes, both by knockout.

3. He has defeated two legends.

Nasukawa’s list of victims is lengthy, but two names stand out. In 2017, he dispatched former IBF boxing world champion Amnat Ruenroeng with a fourth-round left hook to the body. The previous year, Nasukawa, then still a high school student, defeated former Lumpinee Stadium muay Thai champion Wanchalong PK Senchaigym. Just 38 seconds into Round 1, Nasukawa connected with a spinning back kick that knocked out the Thai legend. The finish was chosen as the 2016 “Knockout of the Year” by Combat Press.

4. He started training at a young age.

For a 20-year-old fighter with such a remarkable resume, it should come as no surprise that Nasukawa started combat training as a small child. He was 5 when he began taking karate lessons with his parents and siblings. The star’s father and trainer has said in interviews that he only enrolled his progeny in the art so he could learn about discipline and honor. However, Nasukawa, having set his heart on a fighting future, soon made the move from traditional karate to the full-contact version.

5. He had a lengthy amateur career.

At the age of 13, Nasukawa began what was to be a prolific amateur kickboxing career. Over a two-year period, he fought 111 times. On 105 (95 percent) of those occasions, Nasukawa emerged victorious. Moreover, 62 (56 percent) of those wins were delivered by knockout. It was during his tenure in the amateur ranks that Nasukawa first garnered a reputation for highlight-reel knockouts. At the tender age of 15, the burgeoning talent turned professional. Although he had been training and competing for a decade by this stage, Nasukawa admitted he entered his pro debut with some consternation: “Before my first fight, I was a nervous wreck, but when I got in the ring, I became relaxed. It was then [that] I figured out that I’m good to go once the lights go on.”