By: Hideaki Fukada

April 11th, Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan, in the main event of a Teiken Promotion, Tokyo's Tenshin Nasukawa’s transition from kickboxing prodigy to elite‑level boxer reached his clearest milestone yet with a ninth-round retirement of Sonora, Mexico’s Juan Francisco “El Gallo” Estrada.

From the opening bell, Nasukawa controlled the tempo with superior speed, sharp footwork and disciplined body punching steadily forcing Estrada to reset preventing him from establishing any type of rhythm.

By the middle rounds, the physical disparity was clear, the 27-year-old, Nasukawa looked the stronger, fresher fighter while Estrada’s troubles compounded by an accidental clash of heads in the sixth round showed flashes of his championship pedigree the 35-year-old former WBO/WBC and two-time WBA Super Flyweight Champion and future Hall of Famer, could not keep pace.

By the seventh, Nasukawa’s body work beginning to show on the Mexican veteran’s stamina, sporting significant wear by the end of the ninth seeing their fighter unable to mount a sustained offense, the “El Gallo” corner pulled the plug prompting referee Michael Griffinthe end of the contest (openly scored 79–73, 78–74, 77–75 for Nasukawa) before the start of the ten.

The TKO winner lined up for a highly anticipated rematch with champion Takuma Inoue improves to 8-1, 3Ko’s as Estrada with one victory separating him from a June 2024 seventh round KO loss to Jesse Rodriguez slips to 45-5, 28Ko’s.   

In the semi-main event, Tokyo, Japan’s, Tomoya Tsuboi and Sinaloa, Mexico former WBC Light Flyweight Champion, Pedro Guevara saw their briefly competitive scheduled ten rounder abruptly   come to a close in the second round following an accidental head clash leaving Guevara unable to continue. Under Japanese commission rules, the fight was ruled a technical draw, as it ended before four completed rounds.

The NC, no-contest result leaving both fight without damage to their records with the 30-year-old prospect, Tsuboi at 3-0, 2Ko’s and the 36-year-old, Guevara, 45-3-2, 22Ko’s

In competitive ten round bantamweight contest, Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico's, Jose “Mr. Bonez” Calderon scored a mild upset points win over Los Angeles, California based Katsuma “El Cuete Japonecito” Akitsugi.

Akitsugi pressed the action early, but Calderon’s consistency, timing and counterpunching steadily took hold. The 22-year-old, Calderon dictating the exchanges, working inside landing clean, compact shots took charge by the middle rounds leaving Akitsugi’s too little, too late rally short for a 96–94, 96–94, 95–95 Calderon majority decision win. Calderon improves to 15‑3, 6Ko’s while the previously unbeaten 28-year-old, Akitsugi slips to 14‑1, 4Ko’s.

In a scheduled six round lightweight affair, Tokyo, Japan rising prospect, Keita Kubotera remained unbeaten with a dramatic fifth‑round TKO stoppage of Valencia City, Bukidnon, Philippines, Crisaldy “El Dinamita” Beltran.  

Following two rounds of aggressive pressure from the hometown favorite Kubotera, the powerful packed battle took an early turn in round three with Beltran striking first, shocking the local fans flooring Kubotera with a “dynamite” counter-hook.

Kubotera demonstrating tremendous resilience and a sold chin found his rhythm in the fourth round turning the tide with picking up his work rate targeting Beltran to the body. Keeping with his pressure attack Kubotera would have his big moment trapping “El Dinamita” against the ropes for a sustained volley of battering power shots forcing referee Biney Martin to step in and stop it at 0:59 0f round five. Keita Kubotera keeps his zero at 3-0, 3Ko’s as Beltran stopped in back-to back bouts falls to 5-2, 4Ko’s.

Teiken Promotions is one of the most influential and historically successful boxing promotional organizations in Japan and Asia. Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Tokyo, the company is closely connected to the renowned Teiken Boxing Gym and has played a central role in developing many of Japan’s world champions. The organization is led by longtime president Akihiko Honda, who has overseen its rise into a globally respected promotional powerhouse.

Teiken’s operations are built around fighter development, international matchmaking, and large-scale event promotion. Over decades, the company has cultivated elite Japanese talent while also arranging cross-continental bouts with fighters from Mexico, the United States, and Europe. Its events have been staged at iconic venues such as Ryogoku Kokugikan and regularly feature world title fights sanctioned by the sport’s major governing bodies, particularly the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Association.

Teiken Promotions is widely credited with guiding the careers of several of Japan’s most celebrated champions. Among its most notable fighters are Genaro Hernández’s rival and Japanese legend Joichiro Tatsuyoshi, former multi-division champion Jorge Linares, and long-reigning super featherweight titleholder Takashi Uchiyama. The company also helped promote the career of Naoya Inoue during the early stages of his rise before he later worked primarily with Ohashi Boxing Gym.

Under Honda’s leadership, Teiken has emphasized global collaboration, regularly working with major international promoters such as Top Rank and Golden Boy Promotions to bring high-profile bouts to Japan. This cooperative model helped elevate Japan’s boxing market into one of the sport’s most active territories, especially in the lighter weight divisions.

Today, Teiken Promotions continues to promote major cards featuring rising Japanese prospects and international contenders, including events broadcast through global streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime Video. With more than five decades of history, the organization remains a cornerstone of Japanese professional boxing and a key player in staging world-class fights across Asia.