Tenshin Nasukawa outclassed Australia’s Jason Moloney to earn a deserved unanimous decision at the conclusion of their bantamweight contest at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.

In only his sixth professional contest he demonstrated considerable potential to largely outbox a proven opponent who was fighting for the 31st time.

Following the final bell there existed little doubt regarding which of the two was on course to be awarded victory after their competitive, entertaining 10 rounds. Two scores of 97-93 and another of 98-92 were awarded in the 26-year-old Nasukawa’s favour. His most impressive victory showed that he can perhaps be expected to rival fellow Japanese fighters Junto Nakatani and Yoshiki Takei at the highest level.

As early as the second round it was apparent that Nasukawa was prioritising landing left hands to Moloney’s body. His superior punch accuracy was testing the often-open Moloney, who regardless succeeded with a short right hand.

Straight left hands and a counter left hook from short range made an impression on Moloney, 34, in the third. The Australian sought to land combinations, but successive lefts to the body – the first a counter punch – were his punishment.

As he sought to come forward in the fourth Nasukawa’s advantage in speed was demonstrated. He was comfortable on the back foot as he showed when landing another counter left before an overhand left; Moloney’s high guard was regardless crucial in absorbing some of his power.

It was in the sixth when Moloney had his finest round. A one-two combination that ended with a straight right hurt Nasukawa sufficiently that his legs buckled and he almost touched down with his gloves. Moloney then aggressively pursued him and had increased success while applying pressure, but it was when Nasukawa appeared to have recovered that he later landed successive straight rights, and in between absorbing lefts to the body found the target with another strong right hand.

Nasukawa’s response, in the seventh, ultimately proved crucial and meant that he recovered his sense of rhythm and momentum. He hurt Moloney with a right uppercut that proved his finest punch of the 10 rounds; his nose continued to trickle with blood as a result of the punishment he encountered in the sixth, but he willingly traded body punches with his tough opponent, and then lefts to the head.

He forced Moloney to fall short with jabs in the eighth while he remained on the back foot as they both showed the effects of the pace at which they had been fighting. Moloney’s corner shouted “You’ve got to win the round” to encourage greater activity but it took until the 10th for him to again impress. 

Aware that he needed a knockout he succeeded to Nasukawa’s body, and he complemented doing so with a right uppercut, another right hand, and successive left-rights. Nasukawa fought back to the body – Moloney’s stamina impressed given how many he had taken – and the Australian finished on top via a left hand, a right, and then another right hook on the stroke of the bell.

"It was definitely a hard fight as I expected," Nasukawa said, post-fight, as a fighter perhaps most recognised for the attention-seeking exhibition he had with Floyd Mayweather in 2018.

"Jason was so good, and I was kind of shaken, for the first time ever, in the ring. He was so good, but I exchanged punches with him and I became a man.

"I showed what I'm made of in the ring against Jason. It was really, really fun, fighting against him."

In the main event Nakatani then proceeded to stop David Cuellar, in three rounds.