Seiya Tsutsumi will return to the ring on February 24 for the first defense of his World Boxing Association (WBA) bantamweight belt against Daigo Higa at the Ariake Arena in Koto Ku, Japan. 

The 118-pound champion intends to win this first defense  against an experienced fighter. 

Tsutsumi comes from defeating Takuma Inoue last October 13 in one of the most entertaining fights of 2024 in which he won a unanimous decision to become the champion of the category. The 29-year-old fighter knows the responsibility he has in his hands and wants to deliver in his first fight as monarch. 

Higa already has experience in world title fights and although he has failed to win in this type of bout, he intends to reverse the situation. He has won four of his last five fights and his most recent was a close decision loss to Yoshiki Takei. 

Tsutsumi has 12 wins, no losses and 2 draws, with 8 knockouts, while Higa has 21 wins, 3 losses, 1 draw and 19 knockouts.