Former World Boxing Council flyweight champion Daigo Higa of Ambition GYM will take on 13^th-ranked Japanese bantamweight Seiya Tsutsumi in a 10-round nontitle fight on Oct. 26 at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall, Higa and his chief trainer said on Sept. 10 in an online press conference.

The 25-year-old Okinawa-born Higa, who moved to Yokohama from Tokyo last April, has been training hard since then under a watchful eye of Joji Nogi as he said, ‘’I have been practicing better ever since I came to Yokohama. I want to knock out my opponent so that I can continue fighting.’’ Higa is hoping to take a crack at a world bantamweight title in 2021.

Higa moved up to the 118-pound division after having failed to make the 112-pound flyweight weight limit in his third title defense against Cristofer Rosales of Nicaragua in April 2018.

Although Higa, who shares the Japanese record of 15 straight-knockout wins with two others, returned to the ring last February by stopping a Philippine boxer, he did not appear to be in good condition both physically and mentally.

Nogi said, ‘’Higa has been doing excellent training ever since he came to Yokohama as if he were a different boxer from the Higa we saw in the February fight. His punching power has even improved compared with when he was a flyweight champion.’’ Higa is currently ranked eighth by the WBC and ninth by the World Boxing Association

As for his opponent Tsutsumi, Higa lost twice to him during they were amateur high-school boxers. Higa has a record of 16 wins, including 15 KOs, against a loss, while Tsutsumi, who turned pro in 2018, has five wins, including four KOs, and a draw.