Ryan Sheehan: “If I can beat Tenshin then I will be renowned as one of the best fighters of my generation”

This weekend Siam Warriors’ Ryan Sheehan (23-4-1) travels to Tokyo, Japan, where he will face young Japanese superstar Tenshin Nasukawa for the RISE world title in the RISE 117 main event at Korakuen Hall, in the legendary Tokyo Dome City.

It will be the toughest test of his career to date. Tenshin seems unstoppable on paper; a sensational striker tipped for super stardom who boasts a professional record of 17-0 with 13 KO’s and is still in high school.

There is no doubting his pedigree but Sheehan is not one to shy away from facing opponents of this calibre and he will go to Japan in search of an upset.

In an interview with Fightstore Media he stated that, “If I can beat Tenshin then I will be renowned as one of the best fighters of my generation.”

“On paper, he is the greatest fighter I will have fought so far. But, on the day you can never judge what way a fighter will fight. Some people have off days and some people have good days,” he said.

“I would fight anyone, I’m never going to shy away from fights. You’d never see me going on Facebook or social media saying that I want to fight this guy and then pulling out because I think that part is bullshit really. Whatever fight is offered to me; if it seems right then Martin [Horgan] and myself will discuss it and get it organised.”

Sheehan is determined to become a star himself and if he were to defeat Tenshin it would help to establish his status not only in Europe but worldwide.

This fight may be for a world title but it offers an enormous opportunity for him to create a name and earn widespread recognition and respect. To defeat Tenshin would be one of the greatest Irish conquests in modern times. Sheehan is a dynamic, aggressive fighter who’s taken Europe by storm but this is the real test. Emerge victorious and he can go some way to cementing a legacy.

But, how will Sheehan defeat the undefeated Tenshin? According to the man himself there is no way to plan these things.

“I don’t ever go into a fight saying that I’m going to stop my opponent or knock them out. 99 per cent of the time you end up getting stopped of knocked out because you’re rushing in, over extending to try and get the KO. I’ll be ready for whatever way the fight goes. If he wants to go swinging and trading with me then I’ll happily do that. I reckon that I’ll be the most stubborn guy he’s ever seen. I think that our styles match-up well and it will make for a great fight.”

The Corkonian said that he never felt any nerves in the lead up to any of his fights but considered the moment before the first bell to be the only nervous time.

“I live off the energy and support I receive from people. At local shows, you’d see, I always hand around in the crowd, meet people and chill with them before the fight. The most nervous part of the fight is just before the bell. That’s when I feel nervous most.

“The biggest fear is obviously getting knocked out. I think every fighter kind of feels the same. You’re hoping you can perform well too,” he said.

Three weeks ago, Sheehan defended his ISKA European title against Steven Ivory at the Power of Scotland 24. After hurting his right foot in the second round, he overcame the injury to retain his title.

“I got a little frustrated with myself in the last fight. I hurt my foot as a lot of people know already. This time I sort of know how to fight. Not to be as aggressive as usual; I need to be more clinical and technical. It was a warm-up fight but every fight I have is a world level fight. I didn’t take that fight too lightly,” he said.

Following his fight this weekend, Sheehan’s next scheduled bout will come on the Capital 1 show on 8th July in Dublin. Originally due to face James “Donkey” O’Connell in his retirement fight for the Grand Prix title, he will now have a new opponent after O’Connell suffered a broken jaw in action last weekend.

“Unfortunately, James had to withdraw due to his broken jaw. Martin is going to look for a replacement, probably not this weekend, but in the next two to three weeks expect an announcement. He probably has something sorted already but doesn’t want to tell people until after this fight. I will still be headlining Capital 1.”

After nearly five years, the Siam Warriors fighter is looking forward to returning to Dublin as he continues his journey to becoming one of the best Irish fighters.

“The goal is always to be remembered as one of the best fighters to come out of the country. Already, I’m up there with the likes of Stephen Meleady, Aaron O’Callaghan and Shane Cadogan. I want to be remembered as one of the greatest Irish fighters if not the best,” he said.