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The story
After Tenshin Nasukawa lost his boxing match on points and was seen crying afterward, former world champion Shinji Takehara criticized him, saying “Kids these days, huh? (laughs)” Fellow former champion Hatakeyama looked back on his own era, saying, “Back when I was active, losing meant instant unemployment and nothing but despair — I couldn’t even cry.” On 5ch, alongside this generational gap in how the loss was received, questions also poured in over Tenshin’s fight strategy — despite scoring a knockdown in round 7, he didn’t press the attack and settled for light punches instead — while opinions on Takehara’s remark itself were also divided.
What people said
Hatakeyama: "(Back when I was active) I was married with kids, so losing meant unemployment — nothing but despair, I couldn't even shed a tear."
It's decided by points across every round, so thinking one knockdown means you've won is just wrong.
Kids today probably don't have that mindset much.
Yeah.
Gen-Z baseball players cry a lot too these days, it's pathetic.
Can't trust guys like this with Japan's future.
Whether you're frustrated or sad, a real man doesn't cry in public.
That used to be considered admirable, but honestly, everyone really likes the type who shows their emotions, like a high school baseball player.
It's not an act — that's just who he really is.
He looks like a truant elementary schooler, so it checks out.
Same age as Main-chan and Hashikan (nicknames of Japanese child star Mainichi Hazuki and actress Kanna Hashimoto), huh?
That was his only real shot at winning.
Even if it looked sloppy, he should've gone all-in and forced it.
Didn't he realize that once the guy recovered given how the fight had gone, there'd be no path to victory?
Well, I guess if you're complaining about the decision, you probably think you already won, so maybe not.
That's the moment to throw hard punches and finish him — the body shots were landing too, it makes zero sense.
These looked weaker than a turtle's combo punches, I laughed.
Thought he was just messing around.
the fatal problem is he didn't realize he was losing.
As the challenger, he needs to think that unless he dominates from start to finish, he'll lose on points —
even a draw means the champion retains the title.
Exactly this.
Not just him — his corner too.
With burning power 😡👊 I'll move the world 🥊😡🥊 Vegas Vegas (dun-dun-DUNN!)
With burning power 😡👊 I'll move the world 🥊😡🥊 Vegas Vegas (dun-dun-DUNN!)
With burning power 😡👊 I'll move the world 🥊😡🥊 Vegas Vegas (dun-dun-DUNN!)
With burning power 😡👊 I'll move the world 🥊😡🥊 Vegas Vegas (dun-dun-DUNN!)
(this is the event's hype-song jingle, repeated on loop) — guessing a lot of people got irritated from hearing this over and over
The referee was terrible, but he was the strongest guy out there yesterday.
Nishida really had nothing going for him, total defeat.
They traded blows up close, but Goodman was always a step above — he was strong.
In the end, he could never beat Yakushiji, after all.
my baseball coach used to say that all the time.
I don't really get that logic either.
Makes no sense.
He switched to boxing just a few years ago and is already giving a real fight to guys who've done nothing but boxing since childhood — doesn't that talent gap make them feel embarrassed?
Far more people actually do praise his talent and growth.
What happened at yesterday's post-fight press conference is that even those people ended up going "hmm…"
He's a convert from kickboxing, so unless he completely dominates, there's no way lifelong boxers are going to give him respect.
Is Tenshin actually popular with young people?
Do young people even watch boxing in the first place?
He's the first Japanese person to win a world title at middleweight, so of course he's a legend, idiot.
Someone's always going to be "the first" at some point.
It didn't specifically have to be these guys.
Though he's a naturalized citizen.
Which nationality was he when he won it again?
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Boxing judges score fights across four categories — clean hits, effective aggression, ring generalship, and defense — so scoring a knockdown doesn’t automatically guarantee a win. The thread split over two separate issues: whether Tenshin’s decision not to press the attack after his round-7 knockdown was the right call, and how to judge Takehara’s “kids these days” remark. The former sparked debate as a matter of technique, the latter as a generational issue, and each drew its own separate wave of discussion. Takehara is known for his outspoken comments in the past, but he has also publicly discussed his battle with bladder cancer, and the thread saw some sardonic reactions tying his health history into the conversation. Hatakeyama’s comment that “losing meant instant unemployment” reflects how fighters of his era had to suppress their emotions just to make a living — a context that’s easy to miss if you only read the remark at face value, rather than it simply being tough-guy posturing.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Nanademo Jikkyo G) thread “A Legend of the Boxing World Criticizes Tenshin: “Kids These Days, Huh? (laughs)”.”
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