Higa wins WBC Flyweight title, becomes first Okinawan world champion in 25 years

Higa wins WBC Flyweight title, becomes first Okinawan world champion in 25 years

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May 20, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo

Okinawan boxer Daigo Higa, 21, of the Shirai-Gushiken gym and ranked first in the world, captured the WBC Flyweight world title at a match held at the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo on the evening of May 20. He defeated Mexican Juan Hernandez, 30, with a technical knockout at 2:58 of the sixth round. Hernandez was deprived of the title due to overweight forfeiture at the weigh-in the day before the fight.

Higa is from Urasoe City and Miyako Technical High School in Miyako-jima.

Higa has become the first world champion to hail from Okinawa since Akinobu Hiranaka won WBC Light Welterweight championship 25 years ago. He is the ninth world champion from Okinawa, including Koki Eto who is a former WBA interim Flyweight champion.

Higa extended the undefeated record to 13 wins (13 KOs) and became the first Japanese world champion with a perfect record (all KO victories).

He became the champion at the age of 21, the same age as Yoko Gushiken, 61, president of the gym, who won the WBA Junior Flyweight title in 1976.

Fernandez’s record fell to 37 fights, 34 wins (25 KO) and 3 losses.

(English translation by T&CT)

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