Yesterday we had a notable show from the Kokugikan, in Tokyo. Today, on the morning after the show, a number of fighters from the event held a press conference talking about their performance and what their future plans are.
One of those at the event was former kick boxing icon turn fast rising professional boxing hopeful Tenshin Nasukawa (4-0, 2) [那須川天心], who scored a career best win when he stopped Jonathan Rodriguez (17-3-1, 7). At the press conference he attended he explained he had something to eat and went to bed after the win, no crazy party or anything too interesting. Though he did admit that "KOs are great after all. When you get a KO, you get contacted by all kinds of people." And added that a rapper friend had sent him a rhyme about the performance.
Regarding the left hand that hurt Rodriguez and started the end of the fight, he explained "It was a punch I've been practicing for a long time. I wasn't trying to knock my opponent out with it, but rather I have been trying to improve all of my punches and all of my movements. The fact that I was able to land it so well is the result of my practice."
Tsuyoshi Hamada, who is a representative for Teiken a former world champion himself, joined Tenshin at the press conference and spoke about the youngster’s development. "In the first and second matches, I missed and hit, in the third match I hit hard, and in the fourth match, I thought my opponent would come out, but he was more careful than I thought and kept his guard up. It's about what to do in a situation like that, but I watched the timing as I put it together and went in and out, and when I saw that, I thought I could get by the middle of the match. This time, I was able to get a complete knockout with a punch that I put my weight on. I think that now the general fans can understand. I think I was able to show the results of his training in the ring."
Hamada was asked to score the performance from Tenshin, and explained "Ao (Takahiro Ao, a former world champion and Tenshin’s current trainer) has given 90 points, but I'll give it 80 points. If it's 90 points, there's only 10 more points, but in the future, I'll aim for the four Japanese fighters, so I'll give him 80 points in the sense that he still has room to grow."
As for Ao’s comment’s regarding his charge, he stated "It was a really good match. His level as a boxer has risen not just one but several levels, with his ability to negotiate distance and use his weight to hit. In particular, yesterday he took the initiative and finished the match, whereas I often use counters, so he's a different type of boxer from me. I thought he would finish off the match when his opponent came at him, but he was able to take the initiative and finish the match, so I think it has given him confidence."
In terms of Development, Tenshin himself seemed proud of what he’d done, stating "I think it's in everything. The quality of each of my punches, the way I move, my mental state. Everything has improved in just six months. I feel like I've grown not only as a fighter, but as a person." And then he added "I've continued to do things that I couldn't do before, step by step. When you hit a wall you feel like running away, but I kept working hard towards that goal. I think that will give me confidence for the future."
In regards to the future Tenshin explained "I've come up step by step, so I'll keep climbing with confidence and not get overconfident, and I'll become strong enough that no one will complain about it. I think I was able to show a glimpse of that this time." And when asked about “the big four”, relating to the 4 Japanese fighters currently holding world titles at Bantamweight, "That remains the same. It's natural to aim for number one. Up until now, I wasn't even sure whether to say it, but I want to focus on that and work hard.”
