Nasukawa’s Body Attack Forced Estrada’s Corner to Stop It
Tenshin Nasukawa defeated Juan Francisco Estrada after round nine on April 11, 2026, at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. Estrada’s corner withdrew him before the tenth, giving the Japanese southpaw a technical-knockout victory in their WBC bantamweight eliminator.
The matchup and early action
Nasukawa sought to recover from his first professional boxing defeat against Takuma Inoue the previous November. Estrada, a former champion in two divisions, pursued another significant win while competing at bantamweight.
The early rounds were competitive enough that two judges had the contest level after four. Nasukawa’s movement and work rate competed with Estrada’s cleaner moments as the veteran tried to close the distance.
The decisive developments
The younger boxer increasingly varied his attacks to the body and head. A sixth-round sequence involving an accidental head clash and a body shot interrupted the action before Nasukawa resumed the pressure.
By the later rounds, straight lefts, uppercuts and repeated body attacks were taking a greater toll. Estrada completed the ninth but did not return from his corner for the next round.
What the result meant
The victory improved Nasukawa to 8–1 with three knockouts, while Estrada fell to 45–5. It also established the winner as the mandatory challenger for the WBC bantamweight championship.
The result was therefore an eliminator victory rather than a world-title win. Nasukawa restored momentum through a sustained offensive performance against a decorated veteran, converting competitive early rounds into the pressure that eventually brought the corner stoppage.
Sources
- WBC: official eliminator outcome
- The Ring: round-by-round development
- Boxing News Japan: date and records
