Nasukawa has eight professional boxing fights. He is popular in Japan and has built his reputation in kickboxing, but he has yet to defeat a credible world-level opponent in a boxing ring. His lone run ended in a clear decision loss to Takuma Inoue, who controlled the distance and set the pace without taking risks. Takuma is a solid title roster. He’s not Naoya Inoue, and that distinction matters when projecting how quickly Tenshin can close this gap.
Estrada turned professional in 2008. He fought Roman Gonzalez three times in championship bouts and went on to defeat Brian Viloria for unified flyweight titles. He held the linebacking championship at 115 for years, competing at an elite pace against the best of his era.
Estrada’s knockout loss to Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez showed physical decline, and some observers believed he was given the benefit of the doubt in close decisions against Gonzalez and Argi Cortes prior to that. Yet seventeen years at the world level leaves habits that younger fighters do not possess.
Age has slowed Estrada. The snap is reduced. The instincts remain. He knows how to bank rounds when exchanges are stuck. He works the body without forcing exchanges and stays patient when opponents rush. Inside, he ties up, turns his shoulders and lets fighters recover before they can build combinations.
Nasukawa’s advantages are youth, probably natural size at bantamweight, and fighting at home in front of a supportive crowd. These are real edges. They do not replace seasonings. Eight professional fights does not equal three fights with Roman Gonzalez and more than a decade in championship rounds.
To validate this fight as an eliminator implies competitive balance that the careers do not support. If Estrada is performing at a functional level, he should be favored. If he can’t handle a former kickboxer still building a boxing foundation, then his decline has accelerated more than most expect.
Experience definitely still battles. In this game, experience belongs entirely to Juan Francisco Estrada.
