By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Former WBC flyweight champ Daigo Higa (20-2-1, 18 KOs), 117.75, Japan, proved too powerful for WBA #3 super fly Sirichai Thaiyen (64-5, 24 KOs), 117.75, as he dropped the Thailander four times—twice in round two and each once in rounds three and four—finishing him for the count at 1:34 of the fourth session in a scheduled ten beneath the Ioka-Franco rematch on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Sirichai (AKA Yodmongkol CP Freshmart), who had failed to win the WBA 112-pound belt from Artem Dalakian via eighth round in Kiev in 2018, looked very fragile, often hitting the deck with Higa’s continual combinations upstairs and downstairs.

Having lost his WBC fly belt to Cristofer Rosales on a ninth round surrender in 2018 and also forfeited his WBO AP bantam title to puzzling lefty Ryosuke Nishida on points in 2021, Higa was said to get into a slump but this impressive victory over the highly ranked WBA contender Sirichai may open a way to win back a world belt in the near future.

Promoter: Shisei Promotions.

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