Boxing: Kyosuke Takami Attains WBA Light Flyweight Crown
Kyosuke Takami (right) punches WBA light flyweight champion Erick Rosa in the fifth round of their title fight on July 30, 2025, at Yokohama Buntai. (©SANKEI)
World titles were up for grabs in three boxing weight classes on Wednesday night, July 30 in Yokohama.
Veteran pugilist Kenshiro Teraji headlined the fight card as the WBA and WBC flyweight champion, with Kyosuke Takami (light flyweight) and Daigo Higa (bantamweight) participating in earlier bouts as title challengers.
Among the three Japanese boxers, only Takami emerged victorious at Yokohama Buntai on this night. The 23-year-old Tokyo native, appearing in his 10th professional fight, earned a 10th-round technical knockout of Dominican WBA light flyweight champion Erick Rosa. Kyosuke Takami reacts after winning his first world title. (©SANKEI) Kyosuke Takami in action against Erick Rosa in the second round. (©SANKEI)
Takami (10-0, eight knockouts) delivered the KO blow with a potent right hook as part of a flurry of punches that pummeled Rosa in the closing seconds of the 10th round. The fight was stopped at the 2:48 mark.
"I'm glad I was able to get the knockout. It was a proud moment," Takami said, according to Kyodo News. He entered the fight as the WBA's top-ranked light flyweight challenger.
The 25-year-old Rosa slipped to 8-1 (two KOs). Kenshiro Teraji (right) fights Ricardo Sandoval in the fifth round of the main bout on July 30 at Yokohama Buntai. Teraji lost his WBA and WBC flyweight titles. (©SANKEI)
In the main event, Ricardo Sandoval outpointed Teraji on two of the three judges' scorecards ― 117-110 and 115-112, while one judge, Pawel Kardyni, had Teraji winning 114-113. As a result, the American challenger wrested the WBA and WBC flyweight championship belts from Teraji.
Sandoval (27-2, 18 KOs) overcame a fifth-round knockdown to conquer Teraji.
"It feels great. All the hard work paid off," the 26-year-old Sandoval was quoted as saying by the website Boxing Scene after beating the Kyoto Prefecture native. "I [have] never stopped working since I was 10 years old. Now we're here, and we're [a two-belt] champion."
Teraji (25-2, 16 KOs) entered the night with victories in seven consecutive fights.
After his first loss since September 2021, Teraji lamented the fact that he didn't end the fight on a winning note with his fists.
"He was strong, and I couldn't finish him off," Teraji said, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun .
The Ring magazine's online report of the Teraji-Sandoval showdown noted that Sandoval's determination was strengthened after the aforementioned knockdown.
Sandoval was described as "a younger man whose confidence only increased after being floored."
It was a difficult matchup for Teraji, facing a fighter seven years younger than him with a 6-cm reach advantage.
"I was torn between attacking or using my feet due to the challenger's tenacity," Teraji acknowledged after the match, Sports Hochi reported. Daigo Higa punches WBA bantamweight champion Antonio Vargas in the second round of their title fight on July 30 in Yokohama. (©SANKEI)
Also Wednesday night, American Antonio Vargas retained his WBA bantamweight title after his fight with Higa ended in a draw.
The 28-year-old Vargas improved to 19-1-1 (11 KOs).
Higa fell to 21-3-3 (19 KOs).
After the fight, Higa, 29, said he's retiring from boxing.
He also expressed appreciation for his longtime trainer, Joji Nogi, and boxing supporters throughout Japan, including in his native Okinawa Prefecture.
"I am grateful to Mr Nogi, the team, the fans, and everyone in Okinawa," Higa said, according to Chunichi Sports .
He added, "I never expected to receive so much support. Thanks to everyone, I have had an enjoyable boxing career."
A former WBC flyweight champion, Higa concluded his career with three straight title bouts in the bantamweight division.
In September 2024, WBO titleholder Yoshiki Takei beat Higa in a unanimous decision at Tokyo's Ariake Arena.
Then-WBA bantamweight champ Seiya Tsutsumi earned a draw against Higa in February 2025. Therefore, he walked out of the ring at Ariake Arena with his title.
Earlier in his career, Higa matched a Japanese pro boxing record with 15 consecutive knockout victories.
Author: Ed Odeven
Find Ed on JAPAN Forward' s dedicated website, SportsLook . Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven .
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