Tokyo will host an all-Japanese showdown on Monday, July 20th, as Riku Masuda and former champion Daigo Higa meet for the WBA reglar bantamweight championship. This will be a bogus title fight, as the WBA already has two champions, Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez and Seiya Tsutsumi in the same weight class.  Masuda (10-1, 9 KOs) enters the biggest fight of his career after earning his title opportunity with a stoppage victory over former multi-division champion Nonito Donaire in a WBA title eliminator. The 20 year-old southpaw stands 5-foot-9 and owns a 90 percent knockout rate. Masuda will look to establish his jab, capitalize on counterpunching opportunities and use his height, reach and power to keep Higa at range.

 

Higa (21-3-3, 19 KOs) brings championship experience into another title opportunity. The 30-year-old from Okinawa  held the WBC flyweight title from 2017 to 2018, making two successful defenses. He enters the bout following consecutive draws against Tsutsumi and ex-titlist Antonio Vargas. Higa's best chance may be to pressure Masuda from the opening bell, slip the jab with upper-body movement and attack the body in an effort to force the younger fighter into close-range exchanges. For Masuda, the key will be maintaining distance, boxing behind his jab and avoiding prolonged exchanges on the inside. Higa, meanwhile, will need to cut off the ring, withstand Masuda's early power and impose his pressure if he hopes to regain a world championship.