It looks like the WBC title won’t be vacant much longer in the bantamweight division.
The Ring Magazine reported that the WBC is looking to make a fight between undefeated prospect Tenshin Nasukawa and former world champion Takuma Inoue for their vacant belt. The sanctioning body ordered negotiations for the bout on Monday.
This news comes after former unified WBC, IBF and Ring Magazine champion Junto Nakatani recently announced he was going to vacate the belts and move up to junior featherweight to fight Sebastian Hernandez on Dec. 27th. The move comes as Nakatani (31-0, 24 KOs) eyes a superfight with the undisputed champion at 122 lbs and Takuma’s older brother, Naoya Inoue (31-0, 27 KOs).
Both contenders are ranked in the top 10 of The Ring’s bantamweight rankings, with Inoue at No. 2 at No. 4 and Nasukawa at No. 8.
Inoue (20-2, 5 KOs) has not fought since Oct. 13th, 2024, losing to Seiya Tsutsumi and dropping his WBA title. Nasukawa (7-0, 2 KOs) has fought twice in 2025, last beating Victor Santillan on June 8th.
Kickboxing Prodigy Looking to Fulfill His Destiny
Back in 2018, Nasukawa notably faced Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition bout. He was knocked down three times in the first round before his corner stopped the fight. Boy have the times changed seven years later.
Switching feet wraps for boxing boots, Nasukawa has had a meteoric rise up the ranks in the sweet science. While we’ve seen this before with former WBO bantamweight champion, Yoshiki Takei, Nasukawa is unblemished in not only boxing, but also kickboxing and MMA. Not to mention that the hype around him is one of a kind.
Since going to boxing full time in 2023, the 27-year-old has fought nothing but high level competition, even winning a regional title last year. But 2025 is his breakout year, beating the likes of the aforementioned Santillan and former WBO champion Jason Moloney.
Nasukawa has everything it takes to become a star in the lower weight divisions, the looks, the record and fighting style. Now, he’s one fight closer to becoming inevitable.
Reclaiming World Title Glory Alongside His Brother
It’s hard to carve your own path when your older brother is arguably the greatest Japanese boxer of all-time, but Takuma was starting to do just that.
After beating Liborio Solís on April 8th, 2023, Inoue secured one of the four belts that his brother vacated, and in doing so began his journey as champion. His run was entertaining, stopping Jerwin Ancajas on Feb. 24th, 2024 and beating Sho Ishida on May 6th. Even his loss to Tsutsumi was fun to watch, with Inoue showing the heart and grit to push through a tough challenger.
While Takuma may not have the same punching power as his brother, he makes up for it in skill, in-ring control and masterminding a game plan for opponents.
Since it’s been a year since he has stepped into the ring, it’s hard to tell if we’re going to see the same version of Inoue. But one thing is for sure is that he comes from a fighting family, and he’s looking to take back control of the bantamweight division.
A purse bid is scheduled for Oct. 21 if a deal cannot be reached for the title fight.