Yesterday we got a genuine treat as
WBO Bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (10-0, 8) [武居由樹] made his first defense and narrowly over-came mandatory challenger Daigo Higa (21-3-1, 19) [比嘉 大吾] in what was one of the best fights of 2024.
Following the bout Higa took part in a press conference where he 28 year old strongly hinted at calling time on his career, which has been a genuine treat to follow over the last decade.
Higa stated "I think this was the first time I've had a good fight,". He also added that he had given his all and whilst he had intended to force the action in the final round he simply couldn’t. He also had no issue with the decision, explaining "I wasn't aggressive enough. In the end, my opponent did what I had to do."
Talking about his career Higa explained "A lot has happened in my boxing career. I started boxing with Nogi (Takeshi) when I was 18, and a lot happened along the way, but I was picked up by my current gym and it's been a fun 10 years”. During that time he has been in some sensational wars, made a name for himself as a fan friendly fighter won the WBC Youth, OPBF and WBC World titles at Flyweight, and the WBO Asia Pacific Bantamweight title. He has notched notable wins against Jakrawut Majungoen, in a genuine must watch fight, Juan Hernandez Navarrete, Moises Fuentes, Yuki Strong Kobayashi, Froilan Saludar, Navapon Khaikanha and only lost to world champions, Cristofer Rosales, Ryosuke Nishida and Takei.
When flat out asked if this was the end for him, he stated "Yes, I did my best. I have no regrets.”
