Outside Source
Tenshin Nasukawa’s one-sided first round defeat to Floyd Mayweather Jr. was the talk of the MMA world on New Year’s Eve, but the kickboxing ace has vowed that the loss will only make him better in the long run.
The Japanese kickboxing sensation hit the deck three times in the first of three three-minute rounds before his corner threw in the towel to end the RIZIN 14 boxing exhibition on New Year’s Eve in Saitama, Japan.
While some felt as though the two-minute showing underlined the disparity between Mayweather’s boxing skillset and that of 20-year-old Tenshin, other notable names, including Rory MacDonald, have expressed their belief that the exhibition was fake.
The day after the one-sided loss, Nasukawa took to Instagram to outline the reasons he took the fight, why he doesn’t regret agreeing to the contest, how he will improve on the back of the defeat and how he hopes that the fans will still support him despite the first-round loss.
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“At the end of the day, I got finished, but I have no regrets. I am disappointed at myself since I thought I could have done better. But I will face the facts and will continue to take on any challenge. I learned that I didn’t work hard enough to earn this opportunity, and I will use this defeat to improve myself and move forward this year,” the post read.
Nasukawa also praised Mayweather and insisted that he will make it to the same level as the boxing great in the future.
“I came to realize how truly great Mayweather was,” he added. “I was the one underestimating him. I promise to make it to that level! It may take some time for me to become the man to haul the industry on my shoulders, but please continue to support me! Everybody who work to make this fight happen, thank you very much. Mr. Mayweather, thank you very much.”
This article first appeared at MMA Fighting – All Posts
