Masuda-Higa tops stacked tripleheader in Japan on July 20
Riku Masuda and Daigo Higa will headline a busy but intriguing tripleheader at Kokuguikan in Tokyo on July 20.
Their main event bout for bantamweight bragging rights will be supported by a pair of Japan-Mexico matchups when Shokichi Iwata (16-2, 13 KOs) defends his WBC junior flyweight title for the first time against mandatory challenger Erik Badillo (19-0, 8 KOs).
Elsewhere, Kenshiro Teraji (25-2, 16 KOs) makes his return against perennial world title challenger Israel Gonzalez (32-5-2, 12 KOs) as both vie for the WBO 115-pound title laid vacant by Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez earlier this month.
The show will be streamed on U-NEXT in Japan, while an American broadcaster and others worldwide have not been confirmed at publication.
Higa (21-3-3, 19 KOs), The Ring's No. 5 bantamweight, had flirted with retiring but found himself lured back into another marquee matchup after consecutive draws at championship level against Seiya Tsutsumi and Antonio Vargas left him feeling like there was more in the tank. The passion still burns from within to achieve loftier heights, increasingly now the divisional king has ventured away to seek other challenges.
Masuda (10-1, 9 KOs), rated one spot lower in The Ring's rankings, has moved quickly since his 2022 debut. He fell narrowly short in a 10-round bout against future WBA boss Tsutsumi (UD 10) when challenging for Japanese honors in August 2023, though the setback merely spurred him forward.
He enjoyed a breakthrough fight stopping four-weight champion Nonito Donaire after eight rounds, which were entertaining early and increasingly dominant in the 28-year-old southpaw's favor on March 15.
Keeping with the theme, Iwata has similarly responded well to adversity. The Ring's No. 5 strawweight contender returned with four consecutive stoppage victories to earn a second title opportunity after Jonathan Gonzalez outsmarted him for the WBC 108-pound belt in November 2022.
Unified champion Rene Santiago ensured success was short-lived, winning wide on points in March 2025 to extinguish his first title defense having beaten Jairo Noriega five months earlier, though he became a two-time beltholder when notching a sixth-round stoppage of Thammanoon Niyomtrong on March 13.
Badillo, The Ring's No. 8 junior flyweight contender, has been a professional since 2018 and fought most of his career in his native Mexico.
The 30-year-old southpaw has since beaten Neider Valdez (TKO5), Luis Rodriguez (TKO10), veteran Miguel Angel Herrera (UD8), outpointed Gerardo Zapata over 10 rounds in a WBC eliminator and arrives after dominating former beltholder Elwin Soto over 10 rounds on November 29.
Teraji (25-2, 16 KOs) clinched regional titles early before stepping up to the world scene, where he won the WBC 108-pound strap with a majority decision past Ganigan Lopez. A whopping eight successful defenses later, Masamichi Yabuki scored a 10th-round stoppage at his expense, one he would avenge in an immediate rematch.
He delivered a seventh-round stoppage of Hiroto Kyoguchi to win The Ring and WBA belts, while the ninth-round finish of Anthony Olascuaga ages well with time, as does resume-enhancing scalps of Hekkie Budler (TKO9) and Carlos Canizales (MD12).
He moved up to 112 pounds last year, stopping Cristofer Rosales for the vacant WBC title before adding the WBA strap by scoring a come-from-behind finish against Seigo Yuri Akui.
Gonzalez, The Ring's No. 7 junior bantamweight contender, is similarly a 12-year professional.
The tough Mexican is on a four-fight win streak and has come up short in four world title shots, losing to then-IBF titlist Jerwin Ancajas (TKO 10) in February 2018 and WBA ruler Kal Yafai (UD 12) nine months later.
The 29-year-old dropped a decision to Yafai's conqueror Roman Gonzalez (UD 12) in October 2020 and then to Rodriguez (UD 12), who held the WBC belt, in September 2022.
Announced: Riku Masuda will face Daigo Higa for the vacant WBA 'regular' bantamweight belt on July 20th in Tokyo, Japan.
