Japanese kickboxing sensation Tenshin Nasukawa returns to action on Sunday, April 12, when he takes on Ukraine’s Andrii Mezentsev in the first-round of RISE World Series 2020, in Osaka, Japan. The pair are due to meet in a featherweight bout.
At the moment, the fight is still scheduled to go ahead, but with the sporting world currently in a constant state of flux, due to the coronavirus outbreak, nothing can be taken for granted.
The undefeated Nasukawa captured the RISE World Series -58kg Tournament title in 2019 when he defeated compatriot Shiro via unanimous decision.
The 21-year-old Nasukawa will undoubtedly start as the favorite against Mezentsev, who comes from a Muay Thai background.
Nasukawa’s most recent outing was at RIZIN 20, where he scored an impressive first-round TKO victory over Rui Ebata. The 29-year-old Ebata came into that fight riding an eleven-fight winning streak but was utterly dismantled by the ruthlessly clinical striking of Nasukawa.