Juan Francisco Estrada, long one of the best fighters from the lighter weight classes, is looking to return to prominence after being dethroned. Meanwhile, Tenshin Nasukawa, a talent who was billed as a future star, is seeking to rebound from his disappointing first defeat. This is an elimination bout for the WBC bantamweight belt currently held by Takuma Inoue.
Here’s what you need to know about this show:
When is Juan Francisco Estrada vs Tenshin Nasukawa?
Juan Francisco Estrada vs Tenshin Nasukawa is on Saturday, April 11. The broadcast will begin at 4:30 a.m. ET (9:30 a.m. BST).
What channel is Juan Francisco Estrada vs Tenshin Nasukawa on?
Juan Francisco Estrada vs Tenshin Nasukawa will stream on DAZN.
Where is Juan Francisco Estrada vs Tenshin Nasukawa?
The fight is taking place at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo, Japan.
Who is Juan Francisco Estrada?
Juan Francisco Estrada, 45-4 (28 KOs), is a former two-division champion who is now aiming for a world title in his third weight class.
All four of Estrada’s losses came against fighters who either had world titles at the time or would go on to win them. And his first three defeats – to Juan Carlos Sanchez Jnr in 2011, Roman “Chocolatito” Gonzalez in 2012 and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2018 – were later avenged.
Estrada knocked Sanchez out in their rematch seven months later. He topped Sor Rungvisai by unanimous decision in 2019 to win the lineal junior bantamweight championship. And he met Chocolatito twice more, taking a hotly debated decision win in 2021 and a majority decision in 2022.
Estrada was also previously a unified titleholder at flyweight from 2013-2015. Against the rest of the modern “Four Kings,” he is 1-1 vs Sor Rungvisai, 2-1 vs Gonzalez and 2-0 vs Carlos Cuadras, or 5-2 overall.
After wrapping up the trilogy with Chocolatito, Estrada spent nearly 19 months away before jumping right back in against Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in June 2024. That would be a tough ask even for an active fighter. Rodriguez seized the throne at 115lbs and cemented his status as a pound-for-pound talent in the process, dropping Estrada in the fourth round, coming off the canvas himself in the sixth and then putting Estrada down for the count with a body shot in the seventh.
Estrada spent nearly a year away before returning last June, widely outpointing the 21-2-2 Karim Arce Lugo. That and his past track record were enough for Estrada to be ranked No. 1 at bantamweight by the WBC, getting him this spot in the elimination bout. He is also No. 2 with the WBO and No. 10 with the IBF.
Who is Tenshin Nasukawa?
Tenshin Nasukawa, 7-1 (2 KOs), was being pushed as a future bantamweight titleholder – but he fell short in his first shot, losing a unanimous decision to Takuma Inoue in November in a bout with the vacant WBC belt on the line.
A 27-year-old from Tokyo, Nasukawa turned pro just three years ago after previously being a kickboxing star in Japan. Among boxing fans, he was initially known for his first-round exhibition loss against Floyd Mayweather Jnr in 2018.
Prior to the Inoue fight, Nasukawa took out contender Jonathan Rodriguez in three rounds and then added a trio of 10-round decisions to his ledger, defeating the 9-0 Gerwin Asilo, former bantamweight titleholder Jason Moloney and contender Victor Santillan.
After the Inoue loss, Nasukawa remains highly ranked by the WBA and WBC, slotted No. 2 with both; hence this spot in the latter’s eliminator. He is also No. 9 with the IBF and No. 11 with the WBO.
Without much time to learn from the Inoue loss, Nasukawa is now stepping in against an even more accomplished name in Estrada. Is he catching the future Hall of Famer at the right time? Or will Nasukawa catch another “L”?
What other fights are on the undercard of Juan Francisco Estrada vs Tenshin Nasukawa?
The undercard includes highly touted junior bantamweight prospect Tomoya Tsuboi against former junior flyweight titleholder Pedro Guevara. Tsuboi, 3-0 (2 KOs), is a 30-year-old coming off a stoppage win over Carlos Cuadras that sent Cuadras into retirement. Guevara, 43-5-2 (22 KOs), is 36 years old and has gone 1-0-1 since being obliterated by Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in 2024. The win was over a 13-12-1 opponent, while the draw was against the 13-1-1 Alexis Molina Aguirre.
Also on this show, former junior flyweight titleholder Kyosuke Takami will face former flyweight titleholder Angel Ayala. Takami, 10-1 (8 KOs), was dethroned by split decision in a unification bout with Rene Santiago in December and is moving up to 112lbs for this match. Ayala, 18-1 (8 KOs), is returning for the first time since losing his belt to Masamichi Yabuki via 12th-round TKO in March 2025.
The full list of undercard fights can be seen on BoxRec.
David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.
