Tenshin Nasukawa beats Jason Moloney, Takei title shot next?

Tenshin Nasukawa passed a big test in his boxing career with a win over Jason Moloney.

Tenshin Nasukawa took a strong step up in his fledgling boxing career today in Tokyo, graduating to contender status with a solid win over former titleholder Jason Moloney.

Nasukawa (6-0, 2 KO) won a 10-round unanimous decision on scores of 97-93, 97-93, and 98-92 over the Aussie veteran, who drops his second straight fight in Japan.

Bad Left Hook gave Moloney (27-4, 19 KO) a bit more credit, scoring the fight 96-94 for Tenshin on our unofficial card.

It was a really impressive performance for the 26-year-old former kickboxing champion, who has shown real ambition and drive to make the big transition to the sweet science, and passed a stiff test with flying colors in this one.

Moloney, 34, fought hard through the end and arguably won the last two rounds of the fight, but it was too little, too late, as Nasukawa’s speed advantage wound up meaning more than Moloney’s big edge in experience. Moloney never quite got into a consistent rhythm, though he did nearly floor Nasukawa in the sixth round.

A fight between Tenshin and WBO bantamweight titleholder and fellow former kickboxing champ Yoshiki Takei was hinted at after the fight and would make great sense for both sides.

• Seiya Tsutsumi D-12 Daigo Higa: The only good thing about this result is Tsutsumi retains his WBA title, because if he’d lost it, it would be an absolute travesty. But the draw is pretty bad; Tsutsumi (12-0-3, 8 KO) deserved the win in this fight fairly clearly, as he out-worked Higa (21-3-2, 19 KO) and kind of dominated the second half of the fight. They did both score terrific knockdowns in the ninth round, with Higa dropping Tsutsumi and then the latter returning the favor. It’s the second time these two have fought to a draw, and it shouldn’t have been. Tsutsumi was fighting through a good amount of blood due to a cut on his eyelid from the fourth round on, the cut coming as a result of an accidental clash of heads. It was a good fight, but the result is ridiculous. Tsutsumi was very gracious in the aftermath, giving Higa plenty of credit for a good fight.