Takuma Inoue defends WBC title in Tenshin Nasukawa rematch Sunday

Takuma Inoue defends his WBC bantamweight title against Tenshin Nasukawa on Sunday, September 27, at Toyota Arena Tokyo, returning to the matchup that brought him the vacant championship last November.

Inoue won their November 24, 2025, meeting by unanimous decision after 12 rounds. That result ended Nasukawa’s unbeaten start in professional boxing, and the challenger has since beaten Juan Francisco Estrada to secure another opportunity against the champion.

Both fighters have won since that meeting. Inoue retained his championship against Kazuto Ioka by unanimous decision, dropping the former world champion twice during the bout, according to the WBC’s announcement of the rematch.

Nasukawa stopped Estrada, a former world champion, in a final eliminator. The WBC records the result as a ninth-round technical knockout, giving Nasukawa his eighth professional boxing win and third victory by stoppage ahead of the rematch.

Inoue enters with 22 wins and two losses, including five knockouts, while Nasukawa is 8–1 with three knockouts. Both will be contesting the WBC championship at bantamweight, where the division limit is 118 pounds.

The WBC lists Inoue, 30, with 227 professional rounds, compared with 71 for the 28-year-old Nasukawa. Inoue fights from an orthodox stance, while Nasukawa, who previously competed in kickboxing, is a southpaw. The champion has also contested eight world title fights.

The WBC’s account of the first meeting credits Nasukawa with early success before Inoue adjusted defensively and controlled the later rounds. Inoue’s subsequent defense against Ioka took place at the Tokyo Dome on May 5, with the champion again winning on the scorecards.

Sunday’s event will stream on DAZN in the United States, Prime Video in Japan and ESPN Knockout in Latin America, according to the WBC. The organization lists a 3:30 a.m. Eastern start for the card, with main-event ring walks expected around 7 a.m. Eastern, although that timing remains approximate.