Latigo Rosales TKOs Higa in Ninth, Wins WBC Flyweight Title, Japan Gets Burned in Japan Again

By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent

 Yokohama, Japan (April 15th, 2018)–  Cristofer ‘El Latigo’ Rosales finally won on the road on his third try. Rosales, 27-3, with 13 knockouts, Managua, Nicaragua, won the vacant World Boxing Council World Flyweight title at the Arena in Yokohama, Japan on April 15th, with a ninth round stoppage of 15-0 with 15 knockouts Daigo Higa of Tokyo, Japan. Higo weighed in at 114 pounds, a full two pounds overweight, unprofessional for a vacant world title bout in your own country, thus the title was at stake for Rosales only who weighed 111.5 pounds. Higa had won the three previous WBC World Flyweight title bouts, but his title immediately became vacant and got stripped from him when he weighed in overweight. He then lost in the ring outright.

A visit for a world title bout in your opponent’s country by a Latino is not a social call, as Rosales demonstrated, making the most of his world title opportunity. Rosales used a superior jab and combinations in fierce inside fighting to thoroughly outbox a world champion who had knocked out every opponent he ever fought. In fact, Higa’s 15 consecutive knockouts tied the all-time Japanese record coming into this bout. Against a Nicaraguan fighter with twice as much solid experience in the ring, in the tradition of the late great Nicaraguan legend Alexis Arguello, Rosales put it all of the table. Arguello lost his first world title bout by 15 round decision, a 15 round world championship bout against then WBA World Featherweight champion Ernesto Marcel, in the great Marcel’s final bout. Rosales, in his first world title opportunity, fared better than Arguello.

Result: Cristofer Rosales TKO 9 Daigo Higa (1:42)
Rosales Wins Vacant World Boxing Council World Flyweight Title
WBC World Boxing Council Bout Supervisor: Bob Logist
Referee: Thomas Taylor

Higa weighed 114 pounds, two pounds overweight, and was stripped of his WBC World Flyweight title at the scales. Rosales weighed 111 ½ pounds. Higa, behind on two scorecards and drawn on a third 76-76, could not have won the bout as he was losing the ninth round.

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Robert Brizel - Head Boxing Correspondent
Robert Brizel - Head Boxing Correspondent
Robert is the Head Boxing Correspondent for Real Combat Media Boxing since 2013. Robert is also a photographer and ringside reporter for the RCM Tri State region which includes NJ, NY and PA. Robert conducts exclusive interviews, provides historical boxing articles and provides editorial ringside coverage of major boxing events. You can contact or follow Robert on Facebook and by email at [email protected].