PH’s Gerwin Asilo suffers first loss, falls to Tenshin Nasukawa

Filipino Gerwin Asilo, right, and Japanese Tenshin Nasukawa pose with the WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight title. Nasukawa beat Asilo by unanimous decision.– WBO PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines–Filipino Gerwin Asilo lost for the first time in his professional career after falling to Japan’s Tenshin Nasukawa on Monday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

Asilo, who hails from Ubay, Bohol, suffered a unanimous decision defeat with two judges scoring it 98-91 while the other had it 97-92.

The 23-year-old Asilo failed to win the vacant WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight belt, dropping to 9-1, with four knockouts.

Asilo had trouble finding his range against Nasukawa. Asilo was knocked down in the ninth round although it looked more like a slip.

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The bout was Asilo’s first outside the Philippines. He was coming off a knockout win over Thailand’s Surat Eaim Ong three months ago in Tagbilaran City, Bohol where he claimed the WBO Oriental title.

Nasukawa is a former kickboxing champion and martial artist best known for getting pummeled by Floyd Mayweather Jr. in a boxing exhibition in 2018.

A lot has changed for Nasukawa in the boxing ring since then.

In just a span of 18 months, the 26-year-old Nasukawa fought five times and won each time with two of those victories inside the distance.