By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Former WBC flyweight ruler Daigo Higa (17-1-1, 17 KOs), 118, wrested the WBO Asia Pacific bantamweight belt by flattening defending titlist, compatriot Yuki Strong Kobayashi (16-9, 9 KOs), 117.5, at 0:45 of the fifth session in a scheduled twelve in the semi-windup of the Ioka-Tanaka encounter with the WBO 115-pound belt at stake on Thursday in Tokyo, Japan. Higa had swept all rounds prior to the trick happening with a vicious uppercut to the face.

It took two years and seven months to reestablish his reputation since Higa forfeited his WBC flyweight belt on the scale and suffered a TKO defeat at the hand of Cristofer Rosales in Yokohama in April 2018. The Okinawan was severely suspended by the JBC for a year as he was shamefully the very first Japanese that failed to make weight properly in world title bouts here. He temporarily lost his motivation to fight on and it was only last February that he came back to the squared circle as a bantamweight (six pounds heavier than previously), stopping Filipino Jason Buenaobra in six heats at the Korakuen Hall. Higa, however, didn’t look sharp after a no less than 22-month hiatus.

Then Higa parted company with his manager and ex-WBA junior flyweight champ with thirteen defenses, Yoko Gushiken, who thereafter pitifully closed his gym chiefly because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s their personal problem that we don’t know about. Daigo again appeared at the Hall only to draw with compatriot Seiya Tsusumi, who had twice defeated Higa this October in their amateur days but was much less experienced as a professional. Higa looked still ring rusty and seemingly lost something special when he was a knockout artist with an unblemished 15-0, 15 KOs mark.

On New Year’s Eve, Higa swarmed over the defensive regional champ from the outset, but his combination was neither sharp nor swift, though still roughly powerful. Upstairs and downstairs, outside and inside, Higa kept punching Kobayashi at a time and finally caught him with a wicked right uppercut that sunk the champ flat for the count. Higa is hoped to regain his previous speed on hand and foot in order to zoom up in the 118-pound category.

Promoter: Dangan Aoki Promotions.

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