WBA Bantamweight Champion Seiya Tsutsumi to be Designated as Champion in Recess / July 26: WBO Super Welterweight Title Fight – Zayas vs. Garcia

WBA Bantamweight Champion Seiya Tsutsumi (Kadoebi Jewel Gym), who holds a record of 12 wins (8 KOs), no losses, and 3 draws, will be unable to participate in the WBA unification bout against WBA interim champion Antonio Vargas (USA, 19 wins [11 KOs], 1 loss, 1 no contest) due to an eye injury. According to Tsutsumi’s camp, “We will apply to the WBA to have him designated as a Champion in Recess. We believe a unification bout with the interim titleholder will likely take place in the fall.”

Tsutsumi captured the world title on October 13 last year by defeating Takuma Inoue (Ohashi Gym, 20 wins [5 KOs], 2 losses). On February 24, he had a fierce back-and-forth battle with Daigo Higa (Shisei Gym, 21 wins [19 KOs], 3 losses, 2 draws), resulting in a draw to retain his title. The upcoming fight was scheduled to be his second title defense and a WBA title unification match

The leading candidate to replace Tsutsumi and face Vargas is Daigo Higa (Shisei Gym), a former WBC Flyweight World Champion and currently ranked No. 3 in the division. Higa fought Tsutsumi to a draw on February 24 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. The bout is expected to be included in a multi-title fight event scheduled for late July.

It is unfortunate for Tsutsumi, but we hope he takes the time to fully recover from his injury and returns to the ring in perfect condition. Hopefully, Higa will defeat Vargas, setting the stage for a third bout between Higa and Tsutsumi — this time with the world title on the line once again.

July 26: WBO Super Welterweight World Title Bout – Zayas vs. Garcia

The WBO has officially ordered a super welterweight world title bout between No. 1 ranked Xander Zayas (Puerto Rico, 21 wins, 13 KOs, undefeated) and No. 2 ranked Jorge Garcia Perez (Mexico, 33 wins, 26 KOs, 4 losses). WBO President Gustavo Oliveira (Puerto Rico) confirmed that Top Rank, Golden Boy Promotions, and Zanfer Promotions have reached an agreement to hold the fight.

Although the venue and location are yet to be determined, the bout is scheduled to take place on July 26 (July 27 Japan time) as the final card under the current Top Rank/ESPN contract.

The WBO super welterweight title was previously held by Sebastian Fundora (USA, 22 wins, 14 KOs, 1 loss, 1 draw), who also holds the WBC belt. However, Fundora vacated the WBO title after opting for a rematch with former WBO champion Tim Tszyu (Australia, 25 wins, 18 KOs, 2 losses), instead of fulfilling a mandatory defense against Zayas as ordered by the WBO. This led to the title being declared vacant.

It will be exciting to see if former champion Daigo Higa can make the most of this fortunate opportunity!

With all four major world titles currently held by Japanese fighters, the division will become even more exciting if Ioka moves up in weight.

This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.

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