Luigi wrote:
- When its started, i thought the guy with the awful tattoos was outmatched!
Luigi wrote:
Luigi wrote:Takeru and Tenshin interviewed about their upcoming fight:
Nasukawa Tenshin vs Takeru
Tenshin - ‘This is fate. I absolutely won’t lose. I stake my entire existence on defeating him’
This match between two martial artists planned for June 19th is shaking the nation. The media calls it the fight of the century. Tens of thousands are expected to fill the Tokyo Dome. There are even speculative rumors that the fight money involved could be up in the millions. Putting aside the truth of the matter, it is undeniable that the question “who is stronger, Tenshin or Takeru?” is transcending the world of fight fans and becoming a national concern. It will be a mark on Japanese martial arts history, a true once in a century match.
There is a story to this fight.
Its beginning was 7 years ago. In a kickboxing event taking place in Ootaku Gymnasium. The story started when Nasukawa, who had just won through a tournament took the mic up on the ring and made a plea to the audience.
“There is one more fighter in the country I want to fight. K-1’s Takeru. Bring it on”
Takeru was K-1 champion. A sophomore in high school just declared a challenge to a K-1 champion. But he was no ordinary high schooler. The prior year he had a shocking debut with a 58 second knock out of the Bantamweight rank 7 opponent, just before his summer break as a highschool freshman. After that he continued winning and on his fifth fight he defeated Murakoshi Yuuta to take the RISE bantamweight belt. His record in one year was 9 fights, 9 wins. 8 wins by KO victory. People called him a Prodigy.
But it was only fight fans that called him that. 7 years ago the number of fight fans was not as many as today. Nasukawa was a prodigy, but to borrow his own words the world did not know him at all, Nor did he know of the world
I wanted to make kickboxing “Major”
“I was still a high schooler so I didn’t understand anything about contracts or organizations. I thought if I said I wanted to do it, something would happen, you know like a kid. Even still it raised a bit of noise. But I thought combat sports was all about that. If someone strong was out there, I thought it's obvious that I wanted to fight them. In my organization they did a tournament with the 8 best fighters which I won and when I looked around me the only that stood out in my division was Takeru from K-1. I thought I needed to fight him”
Tenshin started to talk as he looked back on that day from 7 years ago. It is not an uncommon sight to see a fighter call out an opponent after a fight. However, typically that’s restricted to fighters they can plausibly fight. Nasukawa and Takeru are from different organizations. In addition, Nasukawa’s kickboxing and Takeru’s K-1 are technically different sports. Its not impossible, but it was far from a plausible matchup. But that, in fact fueled Tenshin’s design to call Takeru out in such a public manner on the ring.
“I seriously wanted to make kickboxing a “Major” sport. There were passionate fans, but in the grand scheme of the world we were still a minority. Even when I won a tournament, it wouldn’t be up on the pages of the sports paper. Normal people didn’t know of it at all”
K-1, which had been paused as an organization, had just been reborn as “New K-1” the year previous in 2014. It had begun being broadcast globally via Internet TV station ABEMA. And the sight of Takeru who had continued to win on the K-1 ring seemed shining to Nasukawa.
“I will never forget New Years Eve of2015. Takeru was on RIZIN and fighting K-1 rules with a 2 round knock out. It was on national TV and all I could do was watch from home on TV. That was so sad. I will never forget feeling like that. I knew I was definitely stronger, so why is he getting the attention? I always had that feeling.”
Nasukawa says that looking back, he was acting like a victim. He’s a smart guy. Even when getting heated, half his brain was looking back at himself cooly.
“The match may be difficult, but on the other hand maybe because the match is so difficult its worth doing. If Takeru and I fight across the lines of organizations, it would no doubt be a sensation. Even people who don’t watch combat sports may watch us fight. No they definitely will watch. Then, we can cause a sensation, not just in kickboxing but in the combat sports world in general. It was my dream as a child. I said since I was in middle school that ‘I will change the combat sports world’. I told that to all my teachers and friends. They all said ‘No, what are you saying?’ I was full of confidence. I thought I could do anything. I still think that though. To make the match happen I did anything. When Takeru was doing a fight, I went up to ringside and asked him in person to say ‘lets fight’. Thinking back on it, I was an idiot. But I think if you aren’t an idiot like that, you can’t change history”
Nasukawa said an important thing unsaid. To make the Takeru fight happen, he did everything in his power to make it happen. This includes what he was calling ‘idiot’ things, but most importantly, he kept winning against strong opponents. When he decides on the next match, he does not choose his opponent. Always, he simply finds the strongest candidate available. ‘Defeating strong people is what combat sports is about’ is what he says. It could not have been simple. For the seven years since the age of 16 where he became a pro, he became a world champion at the two weights of bantamweight and featherweight. His record is 46 fights, 46 wins (41 kick, 4 MMA, 1 mix). Everytime Nasukawa won, new combat sports fans were born. By continuing to win, he won the attention of the world, and proved he was the strongest. Yet no matter how many times he won, he wouldn’t have truely proven he was the best. Until the day he defeated the one man he had to defeat.
Takeru. Takeru too had continued to be undefeated since that day and proven he was the strongest. There was no need for two “strongest” in the world. Their clash was inevitable.
There is no limit to combat sports, so its worth staking a life on
There’s a footage of a 4th grade Nasukawa fighting in the finals of the Kyokushin Karate All National finals. The 30kg boy Tenshin faces off against a youth almost the size of a grown man. The name of the youth was Nanbara Kenta. 60kgs heavy. The size difference was almost double. The top of Tenshin’s head wouldn’t graze Nanbara’s chin. The reason the two fight was because classes were split not by weight class but by age.
Tenshin uses his swift footwork to dodge his looming opponent’s attack and gets in kicks and punches. Just as you look on in admiration, Tenshin leaps up in a tategeri and his left heel grazes Nanbara’s jaw. Its a magnificent rolling thunder. It was likely a strategy thought out to defeat the large Nanbara. It was no move to be used by children. What enormous time must have gone into learning that move. During the match, he attempted the kick thrice.
Nasukawa says this about talking about Nanbara as his first great rival in life
“Yes that’s it. He was almost twice as big as me and I absolutely wanted to knock him out. But I couldn’t beat him with strength. Thats why I worked on my speed and stepwork, on techniques that had no motion up to it and the rolling thunder was one of my tricks too. I looked at adults do the move and practiced, but it was really hard to land in a match so not even adults really used it. These days a lot of people use it, but if you’ll allow me to boast, I think I was the one that popularized that move back when I was a kid”
Nasukawa began learning karate when he was five. By the time he was in grade school. He wasn’t just going to the dojo but getting trained by his dad every day and entering in matches every week. In his home of Chiba prefecture, he was constantly winning, but in the Kanto region he came up to an impenetrable wall. That was Nanbara. No matter how many times they fought he could not defeat him. Nasukawa’s father had no martial arts experience. To fight an opponent twice his size, he and his father conducted trial and error to learn how to fight, polished their technique and came up with their training curriculum. Today’s Nasukawa style is based on that time. SInce he was a grade schooler, he was already a martial artist. Thus, he isn’t happy when people call him a genius or prodigy. Not because he’s modest but because it isn’t the truth.
“I have been training every day since I was 5. For 18 years, I was doing only combat sports. Its not talent. That's why I don't have a single friend from high school. I’ve never gone to an arcade or rode a bicycle with my girlfriend. But I’ve never regretted it. If I was doing the same thing as other people, I’d end up the same as other people. Being the same as others isn’t fun. I don’t even like being compared to others. I will be a presence that transcends comparison. Thats why I think I’m doing combat sports. Combat sports is fascinating, because there is no real answer. No matter how strong you get, there is no “maximum”. No matter how far you go, there is no limit. Its incredibly difficult, but that’s why its worth staking my life on”
To challenge that limitless world, Nasukawa announced last April that he will be transferring to boxing. “To tell the truth. I thought that Takeru fight wasn’t happening anymore. If the match couldn’t happen no matter what, I should find myself new challenges”.
Yet mere moments after deciding he’s transferring to boxing and determined to retire from kickboxing, the Takeru match materialized.
“I think this is destiny. Everything I’ve accomplished up to now, everything I wanted to do, is all riding on this fight. That’s why I won’t lose. I will knock Takeru out and I’ll stake my existence on that.”
Nasukawa’s expression, which had been relaxed up to now, has started to focus. Nasukawa says there is no such thing as 100% in combat sports. That’s why its interesting. Yet despite that, you can see his overwhelming confidence behind his words. Can the prodigy move onto his new world, while retaining his undefeated title?
Takeru - ‘There is no option but victory. Else everything returns to nothing’
Takeru’s interview started past 7PM, so we were able to question him while he had his meal. He says its a rule for him to finish dinner before 8PM. The fight with Nasukawa Tenshin was more than 3 months ahead, but Takeru was already in the climax of his camp.
“Right now, I’m doing training just focused on the fight everyday. 5 to 6 hours, 7 hours when it goes long”
When asked whether he does weight training as well, Takeru took a sip of his soup and shook his head.
“I don’t do weight training. I don’t need any muscles besides those involved in striking. The muscles you need for striking are best added by practicing striking. So rather than doing weight training, I think it’s more efficient to hit the bag or mits. Otherwise, I do a lot of conditioning work. To increase my cardio, I run a lot.”
We asked whether he has started cutting weight and realized it was a foolish question. All that was in front of Takeru was a cup of soup and a small salad.
“I have one meal a day. Basically this is all. Otherwise I have some nuts and dried potatoes before practice. I take the minimum amount of calories I need for practice and then take protein for recovery after it. These last 4-5 years, I haven’t fought under 60kgs. I’ve already taken out my fat and water weight to get to a 60kg body. So dropping 2kgs from there is difficult, Because you have to carve down muscle”
The reason why Takeru has to drop 2kg is because of the contract weight with Nasukawa (58kg the day prior). 7 years ago, the two were both fighting at 55kgs. Since then, Takeru has gradually increased in size to win world titles in three divisions from super bantamweight to super featherweight. His current natural weight class is 60kgs.
In weight class based sports, the weight cut is crucial. In combat sports you typically cut 10kgs before a fight. Yet, its a totally different matter to cut 2kgs from your already cut body. Even the most veteran fighters are spooked by the prospect. Some liken the pain to hell.
“I need to cut muscle, but if you’re exercising your muscles don’t drop. So you need to radically cut your food intake, starve your organs and then exercise from there. Then your body is forced to break down your muscles to turn it into energy. That’s when you can finally cut muscles off your body. To make that situation possible, right now I need a radical diet”
How long is this “right now” supposed to last
“I’ve been at this for 3 months already, but I need to continue it for 32 more months. If I fail with the weight cut, I’d need to fight dehydrated. And I know Tenshin is not an opponent I can beat like that. I want to fight him in a perfect state, so I will spend all the time I need to prepare the weight cut”
Takeru had already finished his meal for the day, barely the amount you’d expect a toddler to eat. It boggles the mind to think of the half year he spends in this starved state just for this fight. Takeru is extremely calm as he talks about this excruciating experience. From his tranquil expression one could barely sense a hint of fatigue. Is it not hard on him? How does he put up with such a harsh weight cut? Takeru laughs off the questions
“Of course its tough. But to do this fight, I have to get this done. My last 7 years was all for this one fight”
At times I hated him, but now I have only gratitude
I knew that the impression I’d get from normal Takeru would be 180 degrees away from my impression of him on the ring. In the ring, he is terrifyingly aggressive. Retreat is not within his moveset. Even when hit, he moves forward and overwhelms his opponent with straights and smashes in his hooks. When the fight gets desperate he laughs. He sticks out his tongue. He says he’s smiling without realizing it. In the combat sports world, they say it comes out of adrenaline. When he laughs, he is the manifestation of aggression.
The Takeru in front of me now is a different person. He is a polite youth. There are some quiet people that you’d think would be scary if they get angry, but Takeru is not one of them. He’s a kid with a warm heart and a love for other people. This may be his real self. When asked about why he obsesses about the fight with Nasukawa, his expression betrayed his kind heart
“At first, I thought of him as just another challenger. At the time, I had just become K-1 champion and was receiving challenges from across the world. Tenshin said he was jealous of me back then, but I myself thought I was far, far from what I was working towards. When I was a kid, I saw Andy Hug in K-1 and started karate. Even though he was small among the heavyweights, he knocked down people much larger than him and I thought he was like Ultraman.
“I also decided I wanted to be a K-1 champion, continued combat sports and when I finally made it to Tokyo at age 18, K-1 died. 2015 was the year after K-1 revived itself. In the combat sports world, K-1 was rising again and among the many strong new fighters I was one of those who was focused on, but just getting there was tough. And compared to other sports, K-1 weas still fledgling”
He probably means he was still focused on K-1’s revival and had no time to spend looking elsewhere. When did he start concerning himself with Nasukawa?
“I started getting bashed online. Why isn’t [Takeru] fighting Tenshin? Why run? No matter how good my matches were, no matter how many fights I won, that was all people talked about. Even when I won three divisions, people said I was running and K-1 was weak. To be honest, at times I resented his existence. It's not Tenshin who was wrong of course. The reason why I got bashed was because both he and I kept winning. If either of us had lost once, then the match would have lost meaning”
Takeru has said with every fight that if he lost, he would retire. With this we finally understand why. He has always been fighting a battle he could not afford to lose.
“Unless I defeat Tenshin, I cannot end my combat sports career. So I couldn’t lose even one fight. I thought if I could grow the industry, the stage will eventually come about. And now its finally happening. Because Tenshin was here, I was able to make it this far. Because he was here, I was able to defeat even my toughest opponents. Right now, I am filled with gratitude, but unless I win here I can’t prove anything. Everything I’ve suffered for up to now will return to nothing. In this fight, I have no option but to win”
His resolve is quiet but unshakeable. How can he believe in himself so much? When did he “learn” of his own strength? The answer was unexpected
Victory and loss are not determined by talent or abilities
“I’ve never considered myself strong. Not even once. I still don’t think it. I started karate in 2nd grade and up to the point where I graduated middle school, I had almost never won a fight. Among my classmates I was by far the weakest. I advanced across the belts slower than anyone. At first, I was losing even to the girls. I thought of quitting countless times, but I was able to continue because I was frustrated. I know the frustration of losing more than anyone.”
“I train because I don’t want to lose, but I knew even as a child that I didn’t have athletic ability or intuition. If you have no talent, you have to train harder than anyone to win. That's what my karate sensei told me. It was a tough dojo, where even the children did kumite with the adults. You’d be beaten down and dropped and if you didn’t pick yourself up you’d get stomped. I only believed in my sensei’s words that if I trained I could beat people with talent and stayed late in the dojo. Even then, I couldn’t win but I could feel myself losing less, even against bigger opponents. I could feel I was growing. That made me so happy I kept going to the dojo despite losing and losing. I told myself I would get stronger”
He would not see a glimmer of success until he entered high school. After entering the boxing club, in his first practice, he gave his senpai who was training with him a nosebleed. Not even his upperclassmen could beat him. As a sophomore, he took the money he saved to go to Thailand to start practicing kickboxing. After his amateur debut, he almost stopped losing fights.
“Because I kept losing, I know I don’t have intuition or athletic talent, and I also know that those things don’t determine whether you win or lose. When I was an amateur, I fought a pro. I was outclassed on experience and technique. Everyone told me I would lose but that it would be a good experience. Then I won that fight. How could I beat someone much better than me? What about me overwhelmed him? It was nothing more than spirit. I hated being told I was going to lose and determined to fight no matter what.”
“If your spirit is stronger, you can win. No matter how tough it is, you can take another step forward. Even if you’re hurt you can throw another strike back. Combat sports is really a testing of the wills and both participants are hurting so it's all about overbearing your opponent. Its not a question of technique. Of course there’s a bare minimum of technique and training you have to do, but beyond that is only spirit. 40 fights in my pro career and I am certain of that. Where you have to outmatch your opponent isn’t speed or technique. It’s your determination not to lose no matter what. That’s the battle, but almost nobody else realizes that but me. That’s why I won’t lose”
It’s one thing to stand up to your opponent with a strong spirit before the match. The issue is how long that spirit lasts no matter how tough the fight is. That is the origin of Takeru’s confidence. He learnt that no matter how many shots he takes he can move forward and win, because he continued to lose. Can he prove that truth in his fight vs Nasukawa?
Translation by Karaev_Fan.
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