Naoya Inoue vs Tenshin Nasukawa 2: Why the Tokyo Rematch Matters

Naoya Inoue puts his WBC bantamweight title on the line against Tenshin Nasukawa in Tokyo on September 26, and this one carries a bit more weight than most rematches. When these two first met last November, Nasukawa was walking into a title fight in only his eighth pro bout — a wild ask against one of the sport's genuine pound-for-pound forces. He came up short, but the fight itself was good enough that a sequel felt inevitable.

Both men have kept busy since. Nasukawa answered the loss by stopping Juan Francisco Estrada in the ninth round back in April, a statement result against a former multi-division champion. Inoue, meanwhile, rolled through Kazuto Ioka on a wide decision in May. So the rematch isn't a fighter clinging to a moment — it's two men who've both leveled up returning to unfinished business.

The Undercard Has Real Stakes

This isn't a one-fight show, either. Sam Goodman and Ryosuke Nishida meet for an interim IBF super bantamweight belt, and Tomoya Tsuboi challenges Ricardo Malajika for a vacant WBC super flyweight title. Tsuboi is the curious case here: he's in just his fourth official pro fight after a No Contest last time out, but at 30 the accelerated matchmaking is less about swagger and more about necessity.

Zuffa Boxing Rolls On in London

Same weekend, different vibe. Over in London, Johnny Fisher makes his Zuffa debut against Belgian Michael Pirotton. Fisher (14-1, 12 KO) built a following on charm and family-driven ticket sales before running into his ceiling — a brutal fifth-round KO loss to Dave Allen in their rematch. He signed with Zuffa this year on a reported seven-figure deal he claimed dwarfed what Matchroom offered.

Pirotton (12-2, 6 KO) fits the profile of a debut opponent: dangerous enough to be respectable, unlikely enough to derail the plan. If the main event doesn't grab you, the undercard's Craig Richards vs Radivoje Kalajdzic bout is the pick — both sit just below world-title level, and the winner should slot back into contention for a major belt.

There's plenty more scattered across the schedule, from a European featherweight title fight in Birmingham to Misfits shenanigans in Miami. But the headliner is the one worth setting an alarm for. If Inoue vs Nasukawa 2 delivers half of what the first meeting did, waking up early won't feel like a chore.