The "Exciting Match SP 'Tsutsumi Seiya vs Higa Daigo'" in which WBA World Bantamweight Champion Tsutsumi Seiya and former WBC World Flyweight Champion Higa Daigo fought will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW Live and WOWOW On Demand from 9pm on May 5th. Tsutsumi and Higa, who were recording their own commentary, responded to an interview.
The two fighters commented on the WBA World Bantamweight Title Match that took place on February 24th at Ariake Arena, which ended in a draw after an exchange of knockdowns, with Tsutsumi successfully defending the title. It is rare for two fighters who have exchanged blows to provide self-commentary on a match together, but this was made possible because they have been friends since their high school days. Looking back on the historic battle, Tsutsumi said, "I managed to get Daigo down, but I thought he would get back up," and Higa also reflected, "It's a bit embarrassing for me to say it, but it was a good match (laughs)."
The ninth round saw an exchange of knockdowns. Higa's left hook hit Tsutsumi, causing him to collapse and go down. "I wasn't even thinking about the left hook," Higa said. "After I knocked him down, I hesitated for eight seconds about whether to go for a left jab or to knock him down, but I thought about it and went for it," he recalled. After that, Higa went on the offensive, but Tsutsumi's right counterattacked and hit him. This time, Higa fell forward onto the canvas. It was a hard knockdown, but Tsutsumi said, "I thought Daigo would get up." Higa said, "I don't remember anything after that," but as he watched the video, he laughed and said, "It got exciting after I went down. It was fun for me to watch too."
This turned the tide in favor of the champion, and Tsutsumi caught up by winning points in the 10th, 11th, and 12th rounds. All three judges scored the fight a 114-114 draw.
Tsutsumi, who defended his title for the first time in a draw, is now required by the WBA to fight an in-house unification match against interim champion Antonio Vargas (USA). He is a powerful hitter who competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, with 19 wins (11 KOs), 1 loss and 1 no contest in 21 fights, and is on a roll with 9 consecutive wins (7 KOs) in between the no contests. However, Tsutsumi has decided to "rest until April and not do hard training," so he hasn't checked the video yet. "When I watch it, it makes me want to do serious training," he explains.
On the other hand, he also mentioned the unification bout between WBC champion Junto Nakatani and IBF champion Ryosuke Nishida on June 8th, saying, "I think it would be more interesting to combine four belts. I would be happy if we could create that trend," and challenged WBO champion Yuki Takei to a fight, but Takei is scheduled to defend his title on May 28th. His next fight is said to be planned for the fall, but it seems it will be a while before it is decided.
In his fierce fight against Takei in September last year, Higa lost by a narrow margin in a 12th round decision, and this time the fight ended in a draw, putting his chances of becoming a two-division champion on hold. Although he is in toned, he did not comment on his future plans, saying, "Please make no comments about what will happen in the future."
