For six rounds, Tenshin Nasukawa appeared to be losing the same fight twice. Takuma Inoue was beating him to position, scoring with the jab and straight right, and making Nasukawa’s promise to take the initiative sound increasingly empty. Then Nasukawa dropped the WBC bantamweight champion in round seven.

That knockdown gave the rematch the urgency their first meeting had lacked. Nasukawa came forward with more purpose, found openings for his left hand and made Inoue fight to preserve his lead. Inoue held on to win a unanimous decision Sunday at Toyota Arena in Tokyo, but he had to survive a much harder second half.

The official scores were 116-111, 116-111 and 114-113. Inoue moved to 23-2 with five knockouts, while Nasukawa dropped to 8-2 with three.

Nasukawa’s problem was the time it took him to change the fight. Inoue had spent the opening half collecting rounds with cleaner, more controlled boxing. Once Nasukawa put him down, the challenger needed to keep that pressure on without surrendering another round. Inoue regained his composure and did enough late to stop Nasukawa’s surge from becoming a complete turnaround.

The narrowest official score shows the knockdown’s importance. It also shows the cost of Nasukawa’s slow start. One big round could close the gap, but it could not erase all the work Inoue had done before it.

Nasukawa showed progress. In their November 2025 fight, he lost by scores of 116-112 twice and 117-111. This time he put the champion on the canvas and forced Inoue to fight hard through the final rounds. His stoppage of Juan Francisco Estrada in April was evidence that he had improved; this performance showed he could bring some of that growth into a fight with Inoue.

Still, the result is familiar. Inoue has now beaten Nasukawa twice and made the second defense of the WBC belt he won from him ten months ago. Nasukawa proved he can hurt the champion. To beat him, he needs to start fighting with the urgency he found in round seven.

LIVE COVERAGE

World Boxing News provides live results and a round-by-round scorecard as Takuma Inoue faces Tenshin Nasukawa for the second time at Toyota Arena Tokyo in Japan.

Inoue and Nasukawa collide over 12 rounds for the WBC bantamweight title in their rematch.

Ryosuke Nishida faces Sam Goodman for the interim IBF super bantamweight title, while Ryusei Matsumoto takes on Russell Acosta Silveira for the interim WBO minimumweight title.

Tomoya Tsuboi and Ricardo Malajika also meet for the vacant WBC super flyweight title.

WBN provides live results and updates from every bout as they happen, plus a round-by-round scorecard for Inoue vs. Nasukawa.

Results

All times are local JST.

19:44

Ricardo Malajika handed Tomoya Tsuboi his first professional defeat with a split decision over 12 rounds, winning 116-112 and 115-113 on two cards. Tsuboi took the third 115-113 and dropped to 3-1.

18:47

Ryusei Matsumoto improved to 9-0 and retained his interim WBO minimumweight title with a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Russell Acosta Silveira. The judges scored the 12-round contest 118-110, 116-112 and 115-113.

18:02

Natsuki Kuramochi defeated Hayato Aiko by majority decision over four rounds, earning scores of 40-36 and 39-37, with the third judge scoring it 38-38.

Kuramochi improved to 2-1-1, while Aiko dropped to 2-3-1.

Remaining Bouts

Takuma Inoue vs. Tenshin Nasukawa — 12 rounds, WBC bantamweight title

Ryosuke Nishida vs. Sam Goodman — 12 rounds, interim IBF super bantamweight title

Inoue vs Nasukawa Scorecard

Takuma Inoue vs Tenshin Nasukawa

(Round-by-round scorecard will refresh every 2 mins)

Round-by-Round Notes

Round-by-round updates will appear here when Inoue vs. Nasukawa begins.

TV Coverage

Broadcast information will be added when confirmed.

Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.

Paulie Malignaggi has offered his reaction to a reported clash between Shakur Stevenson and Manny Pacquiaowhich could feature on the undercard of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua.

The all-British heavyweight showdown is expected to take place on December 11, headlining an event at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.

That is, of course, if Fury and Joshua actually make it to the ring, as despite it being announced earlier this week, The Ring’s Mike Coppinger has since reported that their fight is in jeopardy.

Prior to that, it had emerged that an encounter between Stevenson and Pacquiao – between whom there is a near two-decade age gap – was being planned for the same night in Wales.

Should it come to fruition, this would represent Stevenson’s first outing since signing with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing, who he joined after dethroning Teofimo Lopez with a unanimous decision victory in January.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, has not fought since his draw with Mario Barrios in July 2025, when he ended a near four-year layoff and almost claimed the WBC welterweight title.

Yet despite that surprisingly impressive performance, former world champion Malignaggi has emphasised on his YouTube channel that, against Stevenson, the 47-year-old would be facing an entirely different competitor.

“Manny Pacquiao-Shakur Stevenson has no place on this card; [it] has no place in big-time boxing. I am completely befuddled.

“[I’m] disappointed in Stevenson; [I’m] disappointed in Zuffa, obviously. These are ‘click bait’ type of fights. These are names that draw attention, so you can get people to watch. Then the fight’s a dud and all these casuals sit there complaining about boxing, telling you why boxing’s dead.”

Malignaggi went on to credit Pacquiao with being “competitive against the worst world champion I’ve ever seen in my life”, emphasising a considerable difference between Barrios and Stevenson.