Tenshin Nasukawa Switched to boxing "I want to know how far I can go" April 4 at 7:10

A new challenge begins for a kickboxer who was called a "child prodigy".

Tenshin Nasukawa, 24 years old.

After winning all 47 fights in kickboxing and other martial arts, he will make his first professional boxing fight on April 4.

"I want to know how far I can go" "Life Challenge"


We approached Nasukawa's desire to constantly pursue his own possibilities and move on to a new path.

(Sports News Department, Reporter Takamon Adachi)

The turn of a "child prodigy" that attracted attention

On February 2, about 9 members of the press gathered at Korakuen Hall, a sacred place for martial arts.

Nasukawa came to take a boxing protest test.

Eight months after winning what has been called the "Fight of the Century" in kickboxing, the undefeated "child prodigy" began a new challenge in earnest.

Although he said that he was nervous, his sparring opponent, who was ranked No. 8 in the Japan rankings at the time, showed surprising punches and step work, saying, "It was faster than I imagined." In the interview after breaking through the first barrier, he expressed his enthusiasm full of "newcomer".

Tenshin Nasukawa:
"Nice to meet you, boxing fans. I think people will look at [boxing] and say, 'It's not that sweet.' But I'm not licking boxing, and I'm going to fight with respect."

At first I was a crybaby

Nasukawa is a 24-year-old from Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture.

He has a destructive upper left kick, a dynamic torso spinning kick, and a lightning-fast left straight. He defeated some of the strongest fighters such as kickboxing, and gained popularity with his bold performances in the ring.

At his father's kickboxing gym, Hiroyuki continues to teach in the junior division, and is also adored by children as a "reliable teacher."

However, according to Hiroyuki, when he was in kindergarten, he was "the kind of child who didn't even attend the entrance ceremony and cried in the classroom all the time."

How did such a child come to acquire the strength he has now?

The first trigger was that Hiroyuki recommended that I start karate at the age of five after entering the kindergarten.

The place that can be said to be the origin is in my parents' house.

It is a "rehearsal room" built in a room of about 8 tatami mats.

After Nasukawa returns from the dojo and sometimes even after the match is over, he repeats thrusting and kicking techniques against Hiroyuki to practice. At this time, Nasukawa sometimes tried to run away from the practice, saying, "I took a bath, so I can't do it anymore." It is said that Hiroyuki sometimes took him back to the "rehearsal hall" from the bath.

Through practice, I was able to beat strong opponents and win tournaments. I began to feel frustrated after losing to my rivals, and gradually became more aggressive in my approach to martial arts.

Then, after dodging a promise, he began to undergo even more rigorous training.

Father: Hiroyuki: "I told him, 'If you are serious about it, I will definitely let you win,' and I promised, 'I will make you the strongest in the world.'
"

Stoically strong

As if to respond to his wishes, Nasukawa continued to practice with his father in the "rehearsal hall" of his parents' house, stoically pursuing strength.

He rarely played with his friends.

When I was in the fifth grade of elementary school, I admired the glamour of "K-5" and even after I tried kickboxing of my own volition, my life did not change.

NASUKAWA Tenshin
"I felt like that was the only way to go, that I had to do it, so if I ran away, I felt like I was losing. Since kindergarten and elementary school, it may have been the norm for everyone to play outside after school and go home, but in my case, it was normal to go to school, come home, and practice. Looking back on it now, there were quite a few times when I thought it was hard and painful, but it was normal for me. Because of that, I still don't think I'm too things. So I don't think it's an effort."

In the "rehearsal hall", there are still holes that Nasukawa hit during practice.

As the number of holes increased, the strength increased.

He made his professional debut in kickboxing at the age of 15 and has won all 47 fights since then. The crybaby boy who continued to make honest efforts eventually came to be called a "child prodigy."

Abandoning brilliant achievements

After achieving brilliant results in kickboxing, why did he decide to switch to boxing?

There is a desire to constantly pursue one's own potential.

NASUKAWA Tenshin
"I feel like I did everything in kickboxing, but looking back, there was no fun at the end of the game, it wasn't stimulating in any way. I don't like being champion all the time. I wanted to know how far I could go. I chose boxing because I had to try something new from scratch."

Now that I've switched to boxing, my daily life hasn't changed.

"Get up in the morning, run, eat breakfast, rest. We ate lunch and practiced. Over. Eat dinner and go to bed. It's like getting up and running again," he says, just looking for strength.

"Beyond differences"

However, even as a "child prodigy," he was sometimes confused by the various differences between kickboxing and boxing.

One of them is the "punch", which is the basis of boxing. As you lose your kick attack, you'll need punches that deal more damage to your opponent.

The problem that emerged here was that the movements of the upper and lower bodies were not linked. It was pointed out that he has a habit of relying on the strength of his upper body to punch.

When he found a gap in his opponent, he was able to avenge his instantaneous ability to immediately punch him.

In order to overcome this, I seek guidance from the trainer of the former world champion in practice.

After sparring three times a week, we had them punch with their mitts and make detailed corrections such as how to step on, move the center of gravity, and when to deliver punches.

While practicing steadily and repeatedly such as shadow boxing, he gradually became able to hit powerful punches with weight on his weight as he continued to train.

The second is the number of rounds.

In kickboxing, it was mainly three rounds × three minutes, but in boxing, the time is doubled to six rounds × three minutes.

Nasukawa himself believes that the key is how to maintain physical strength while attacking, such as "kickboxing is a short distance and boxing is a long distance like a marathon, and that's how different."

For this reason, I have been doing about 2 to 3 kilometers of roadwork, which I rarely did in my kickboxing days, and have been developing my stamina.

NASUKAWA Tenshin
"We can't finish it right away, so it's like we're gradually building it. I want to show that I can handle and master any sport. It's tough. But it's natural, and if you don't do that, you can't become stronger. Everyone goes to work too, doesn't it? I got on the train, went to work, and finished. It's with that. That's why it's not hard. I guess it's the so-called determination after swallowing all of that."

Success on the expedition

From the end of February, Nasukawa held a two-week training camp in the United States.

The goal is to spar with the same super bantamweight powerhouses.

I wanted to test the boxing skills I had been practicing.

NASUKAWA Tenshin
"If I play against a stronger opponent, I will gain experience and get a good feeling, so I'm looking forward to exchanging fists with such a player once and seeing how far I can go."

In the U.S., we also held more than three rounds of sparring that we had done in Japan.

Here, he also joined hands with former WBO = World Boxing Organization champion Angelo Leo. In the early rounds, I was pressured forward, but from the second round onwards, I was sure to catch it with uppers, straights, and powerful punches that I had honed.

After the sparring, the former world champion also praised his ability.

Angelo Leo
: "As a fighter, I have a lot of experience fighting and I was surprised by the accuracy of the angle of the punch. He's already a kickboxing champion, so he has the mental strength to become a champion. Depending on your efforts, you can become a boxing champion."

After returning to Japan, Nasukawa himself expressed his confidence in his boxing moves, saying, "I think everyone will be surprised that they were doing this kind of movement."

On the other hand, as a "rookie" who has not yet made his debut in boxing, I was careful not to let my guard down in the current situation where things are going well.

NASUKAWA Tenshin
"In terms of working people, the way of thinking of a new employee in his first year has all passed through to the president. I don't think it's good. It gives me confidence over the years. It's only been six months since I've been boxing in earnest, so I have to be suspicious all the time. I only do sparring, so I don't know if I'm the right fit. The answer is in the game, and I think the first step is the debut."

"Lifelong Challenge"

Nasukawa is steadily preparing and taking his first steps as a boxer.

As for his future goals, he gave a surprising answer, saying, "I don't have any goals, and I wonder if I won't be satisfied if I become a world champion in boxing."

When I asked her what motivated her to continue taking on challenges, she expressed her feelings for the children who looked at her.

NASUKAWA Tenshin
"I really like the feeling of wanting to do something, so I hope it will be an opportunity to convey this to children. I want to express with my body that as long as you don't give up, you have a chance to succeed. 'I'll do my best, so do your best,' or 'I'll do something big, so you can do it too.'"

You may no longer be able to show that flamboyant and powerful kick that captivated fans with kickboxing in a fight.

He also admits that he is worried about new challenges.

Even so, he has admitted what he lacks and has been refining himself.

The appearance of a "child prodigy" who continues to pursue strength will surely not change in the boxing ring.

NASUKAWA Tenshin
"Even if someone who hasn't done anything says, 'I'm going to give you a try,' it will be 'What are you talking about?' That's why we have to win this time and we can't lose. There are scary parts, but if you don't work towards those things, you won't enjoy life. "Lifelong Challenge". That's what I think."

Sports News DepartmentReporter
Takamon
Adachi2013 When
I was a junior high school student in charge of boxing and other martial arts in the
Sports News Department, I read the manga "Ashita no Joe" and learned the depth of
boxing.