Daigo Higa took a significant step on the road to bantamweight title contention.

A competitive bout versus Thailand’s Nawaphon Khaikanha took a violent turn as the former WBC flyweight titlist produced a fourth-round knockout. Higa sent Khaikhana to the canvas with a left hook body shot, which produced the full ten count at 2:29 of round four Sunday evening at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

The ABEMA TV-aired co-feature saw Khaikanha enjoy his moments through three rounds. Higa threw every punch with mean intentions but also paid little regard to defense until Khaikanha gave him a reason.

Higa and Khaikanha were trading along the ropes in round three. Higa landed several right hands upstairs but also at a left hook and was briefly staggered by a counter right. The sequence was enough for the 28-year-old to tighten up his attack and not throw with reckless abandon.

Khaikanha was in trouble midway through round four as Higa was on the prowl. The local favorite landed in combination, including the fight ending sequence which saw Higa land two shots upstairs followed by a digging left hook to the body. Khaikanha took a knee and then rolled over on his back in excruciating pain as referee Michiaki Someya reached the count of ten.

Khaikanha (58-4-1, 48KOs) has now lost three of his last five starts. He dropped a twelve-round decision last October to Australia’s Jason Moloney, who won the WBO bantamweight title in a twelve-round win over Vincent Astrolabio this past May. Astrolabio made his way to the top of the WBC queue after an eleventh-round stoppage of Khaikanha in their August 26 title eliminator in Bangkok.

Higa (21-2-1, 19KOs) has now won four straight. All have come at bantamweight where he has competed since his 2020 return following a suspension for badly missing weight ahead of an April 2018 knockout defeat to Cristofer Rosales, who claimed the WBC flyweight title Higa left at the scales.

Sunday’s win ran Higa’s post-title reign mark to 5-1-1 at bantamweight. He is in the Top 15 with the WBA, IBF and WBO, the latter currently number-five in their latest bantamweight rankings.

Hayato Tsutsumi found the perfect foe to line up his first career stoppage. The 24-year-old featherweight prospect did not waste any time in his one-sided, third-round stoppage of Dominican Republic’s Luis Moncion Ventuna. Tsutsumi scored two knockdowns, the latter which prompted an immediate stoppage at 2:41 of the third round.

Tsutsumi was in control the entire way. He took the fight directly to Ventura (11-1, 9KOs), who had his moments but never landed anything of conviction or anywhere nearly to the level suggested in his ring record. Tsutsumi connected with a left uppercut to dislodge Ventura’s mouthpiece in round two and proceeded to bloody the nose of the previously unbeaten Dominican.

Ventura was floored hard midway through round three. He beat the count but was on borrowed time as blood poured from his nose and Tsutsumi’s confidence soared. Tsutsumi (4-0, 1KO) sent Ventura to the canvas less than a minute later, violent enough to where referee Biney Martin didn’t bother to issue a count.

Kantaro Juri (6-0-1, 2KOs) soundly outboxed Thailand’s Danai ‘Laser Man’ Ngiabphukhiaw (20-5, 12KOs) in their eight-round flyweight contest. All three judges scored the contest 80-72 for Juri, a 27-year-old Tokyo-based southpaw.

Hibiki Yoshimura (0-0-1) was fortunate to avoid a defeat in his pro debut. The 22-year-old from Saitama escaped with a four-round majority draw versus Yokohama’s Toshiya Fujioka (0-1-1). Scores were 39-37 Fujioka and 38-38 twice to produce the stalemate in their bout fought just above the junior flyweight limit.

Locally based first-year pro Masayuki Urashima (2-0-1, 1KO) survived a stiff test from Kanagawa’s Kota Matsuno to prevail via majority decision. Scores were 57-57 even, 58-56 and 59-55 Urashima in an entertaining six-round welterweight bout to open the show.

Headlining the year-end event, four-division and reigning WBA junior bantamweight titlist Kazuto Ioka (30-2-1, 15KOs) defends versus Venezuela’s Josber Perez (20-3, 18KOs).

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. X (formerly Twitter): @JakeNDaBox