SEIYA Tsutsumi has retained his WBA world bantamweight title, climbing off the canvas to floor Daigo Higa in the same round before coming away with a controversial draw.
The pair squared off at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, with their enthralling all-Japanese rematch featuring on the undercard of Junto Nakatani vs David Cuellar.
Despite suffering a cut above his right eye, and also being dropped for the first time in his career, Tsutsumi, 12-0-3 (8 KOs), showcased a tremendous degree of resolve to extend his unblemished record.
But while a comprehensive points victory for the champion seemed the obvious outcome, all three judges instead scored the bout 114-114.
To his credit, Higa, 21-3-2 (19 KOs), got off to a strong start, firing an explosive jab out from his crouching stance.
The second round told a similar story, with the challenger enjoying several spells of success to the body as Tsutsumi was seemingly yet to find his range.
That was until the champion came out firing in the next three minutes, no longer boxing tentatively on the outside but instead trading with Higa at close quarters.
This injection of pace proved both risky and effective for Tsutsumi, who was swiftly beginning to create openings for his stabbing body shots.
An accidental head clash in the fourth round, however, opened a nasty cut above the 29-year-old’s right eye, inspiring Higa to respond with a fierce burst of energy.
With blood relentlessly streaming down his face, the next six minutes proved torrid for Tsutsumi, whose accuracy appeared to have been slung out the window.
But then, the seventh round saw him put his feet to good use, stepping around his opponent to land several uppercuts on the inside.
It was, in fact, a titanic effort from Tsutsumi to maintain his activity, but after waiting patiently for his next opening, Higa landed a crushing left hook to drop the champion in the ninth round.
In a stunning turn of events, though, Tsutsumi came on strong and found a sharp right hand to floor his opponent in the same round.
From that point onwards, the champion had firmly cemented his dominance, but despite finishing the 12th round with a ferocious onslaught, he was ultimately forced to suffer another draw to Higa.
