WBC 112lb champ Higa in public workout

Fightnews.com

By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Japanese knockout artist, WBC flyweight champ Daigo Higa (15-0, 15 KOs) showed a customary public workout on Tuesday prior to his third defense against Nicaraguan Cristofer Rosales beneath WBA 160-pound ruler Ryota Murata’s first defense in Yokohama on April 15.

His manager and former WBA 108-pound boss Yoko Gushiken, 62, expressed his strong wish that Higa, 22, would renew the current Japanese record of the most consecutive knockouts to make it sixteen therein. Higa, a dynamic hard-puncher, is scheduled to be awarded Okinawa Prefectural Prize two days after his forthcoming title defense.

Gushiken said, “Should he lose in this defense, I’ll have Higa withdraw from the award ceremony.” The Okinawan champ, however, will be a prohibitive favorite over the Nicaraguan Rosales in his third defense since dethroning Juan Hernandez last May.