Tsutsumi and Higa Fight to Thrilling Unanimous Decision Draw
Seiya Tsutsumi retained his WBA bantamweight world title after a 12-round draw with Daigo Higa on February 24, 2025, at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The three judges all scored the rematch 114-114. The result extended their rivalry, but it was also a costly championship fight: both men were knocked down in a dramatic ninth round that later earned major recognition.
Tsutsumi entered at 12-0-2 with eight knockouts and was making the first defense of the title he had won from Takuma Inoue in October 2024. Higa, a former WBC flyweight champion, came in at 21-3-2 with 19 knockouts. They had already met in 2020, when their 10-round bout also ended in a draw. This time, the WBA belt was on the line, and the bout was scheduled for 12 rounds.
The first half was measured. Higa took a cautious approach, while Tsutsumi worked behind combinations and looked to control the distance. A clash of heads opened a cut near Tsutsumi’s eye in the fourth round, adding another complication for the champion. Higa began increasing his output as the fight moved into the later rounds, using his left hook to find openings. The pace and momentum shifted, but neither boxer could establish a decisive lead.
The defining action came in round nine. Higa landed a left hook that sent Tsutsumi to the canvas for the first knockdown of his professional career. Tsutsumi got up, regained his footing and answered with a straight right that dropped Higa later in the same round. Both fighters recovered and continued, turning a close title bout into a sudden two-way test of composure. The Ring later named the ninth its 2025 Round of the Year, recognizing the sequence in which each man scored a knockdown.
Tsutsumi pressed more actively in the championship rounds, while Higa still found chances with his left hook and right hand. After 12 rounds, all three judges scored it 114-114, producing a unanimous draw. Tsutsumi kept the WBA title. The WBA’s fight report confirms the result and cards; The Ring’s account details the knockdowns and late rounds.
The draw marked the second time Tsutsumi and Higa had gone the distance without a winner. Tsutsumi went on to defend the belt against Nonito Donaire in December 2025, winning a split decision. In May 2026, the WBA designated him champion in recess after his team reported a medical condition that had prevented him from training and competing; Antonio Vargas was recognized as the organization’s champion. Higa later challenged Vargas and drew with him in July 2025. Although he announced his retirement after that bout, he returned to the ring in July 2026 and lost a split decision to Riku Masuda in a WBA title fight. Their February 2025 draw remains a signature contest in both careers, remembered especially for a remarkable ninth round.
Sources: WBA pre-fight report; WBA title-status update; WBA on Higa–Vargas; WBA on Masuda–Higa.
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Tags: Boxing, Combat Sports
