Riku Masuda
(Teiken), the No. 1-ranked contender in the bantamweight division, held an open practice on the 7th ahead of his WBA bantamweight title bout at “U-NEXT BOXING 6” (scheduled for the 20th at Ryogoku Kokugikan). Masuda, who is making his first world title challenge, will face Daigo Higa (Shisei), the No. 2-ranked contender in the division.
ミット打ちを行う増田 photo/Naoki Fukuda
With less than two weeks to go before his big fight—his 12th professional bout—Masuda says, “I’m really excited.” He calmly answered each question from the media gathered at the press conference, showing that he’s in top form. “I think it’ll be a match you can’t take your eyes off of from the very first round,” he predicted, adding, “I want to secure a KO in a natural way.” He casually let his confidence as a hard puncher shine through.
With Masuda (10 wins, 9 KOs, 1 loss) facing Higa (21 wins, 19 KOs, 3 losses, 3 draws), most observers predict this matchup will be anything but boring.
On this day, Masuda demonstrated one round each of shadow boxing, pad work with trainer Yamato Kokoro, and heavy bag work. He appeared to have built a more solid physique than before and was landing sharp, powerful punches.
