In an exhilarating all-Japanese showdown that stored the gang on the sting of its seats for all 12 rounds at Tokyo’s Kokugikan Area, Riku Masuda captured the World Boxing Affiliation (WBA) bantamweight world championship with a hard-fought cut up choice victory over former world champion Daigo Higa. It was a high-level battle the place velocity, timing, and precision finally proved to be the distinction.
The razor-thin nature of the competition was mirrored within the scorecards after 36 intense minutes of motion. Two judges favored Masuda by similar scores of 117-111, whereas the third noticed Higa edging the battle 115-113, awarding the championship to the tall southpaw.
Masuda seemed to capitalize on his peak and attain benefit from the opening bell, pumping a protracted proper jab and firing his harmful left hand from mid-range to maintain Higa at bay. However the former champion lived as much as his status as certainly one of Japan’s hardest warriors, relentlessly urgent ahead, closing the space, and ripping heavy hooks to the physique together with looping pictures upstairs that repeatedly examined the younger contender’s resolve.
Because the battle wore on, Masuda’s sharp counterpunching and superior accuracy step by step shifted the momentum in his favor. Regardless of the fixed strain utilized by the battle-tested Okinawan at shut vary, the 28-year-old southpaw remained composed, moved easily across the ring, and landed the cleaner, more practical mixtures in opposition to a relentless Higa who refused to take a backward step.
With the signature victory in Japan’s capital, Riku Masuda claims the distinguished black-and-gold WBA bantamweight title, securing the most important win of his skilled profession and cementing himself as certainly one of Asia’s brightest rising stars in 2026.
