Takuma Inoue wants to collect bantamweight belts after beating Tenshin Nasukawa for a second time on September 27. The demand is clear. The harder question is whether he can take one from a champion whose boxing experience matches his own.
“I’m not satisfied with just this one belt. I want to collect more,” said Takuma.
The Ring shared Inoue’s comment after his unanimous decision victory in Tokyo. His WBC title remains secure, and he is now 23-2. But two decision wins over Nasukawa tell us more about Inoue’s ability to handle a talented boxing convert than his chances against the division’s other champions.
Nasukawa’s stoppage of Juan Francisco Estrada earned him another opportunity. It did not erase the difference in professional boxing experience between him and Inoue. Takuma could control their exchanges without proving he can discourage a seasoned bantamweight who keeps pressing after the first counter lands.
The opponent who makes this title chase especially interesting is Seiya Tsutsumi. He already beat Inoue by unanimous decision to take the WBA belt in 2024. Tsutsumi is currently listed by the WBA as champion in recess, while Antonio Vargas holds its world title, so a rematch would require the sanctioning body’s title situation to be resolved. Still, Tsutsumi has done what Nasukawa could not: impose himself on Inoue over twelve rounds.
IBF champion Jose Salas Reyes and WBO champion Christian Medina offer other routes to a second belt. Medina stopped former WBO titleholder Yoshiki Takei, making him a more meaningful test of whether Inoue’s careful, low-output approach can hold up against a champion who brings a genuine finishing threat. Ryosuke Nishida has moved to super bantamweight, and Takei no longer holds the WBO belt; neither should be presented as a current bantamweight unification opponent.
Takuma does not need to fight like his explosive older brother Naoya to be a good champion. He does need to show that his style works against someone beyond Nasukawa. If he wants more belts, Medina or Salas Reyes would give him the chance to prove it.
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