{"id":36490,"date":"2025-07-31T09:04:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T09:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/36490\/"},"modified":"2025-07-31T09:04:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T09:04:10","slug":"antonio-vargas-reveals-how-he-fought-back-against-daigo-higa-on-enemy-turf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/36490\/","title":{"rendered":"Antonio Vargas reveals how he fought back against Daigo Higa on enemy turf"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an unforgettable night of championship boxing at the BUNTAI Arena, Japan, on July 30, WBA Bantamweight World Champion Antonio Vargas (19-1-1, 11 KOs) had to battle back from an early knockdown to retain his title with a dramatic draw against hometown favourite Daigo Higa (23-3-3, 19 KOs), in a fight broadcast live on DAZN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Vargas, co-promoted by Boxlab Promotions and Matchroom Boxing, faced adversity in the fourth round after hitting the canvas following\u00a0a sharp, heavy left hook counter from Higa.<\/p>\n

But the champ didn\u2019t break\u2014he showed incredible resilience and continued to fight with fire with fire.<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting dropped lit a fire in me,\u201d Vargas reflected. \u201cI knew I had to shake it off and do my best to win the rest of that round\u2014and every round after that. Champions don\u2019t fold\u2026 we fight back.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the fifth to the 10th, Florida’s Vargas pushed forward with a steady, calculated pace, refusing to let the pressure rattle him in front of the partisan Japanese crowd.<\/p>\n

\u201cI stayed locked in,\u201d the 28-year-old American reviewed. \u201cThis wasn\u2019t about flash\u2014it was about focus. I kept my head down, worked my jab, fought on the inside, and stayed disciplined. That\u2019s how you survive on enemy turf.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then came the final round\u2014a defining moment. With just over a minute left, Vargas unleashed a vicious combination, dropping Higa to the canvas with a right uppercut, turning the tide of the title test.<\/p>\n

\u201cI dug deep and left it all out there,\u201d said the proud champion. \u201cThat knockdown wasn\u2019t just a punch\u2014it was a statement moment. It\u2019s what kept my belt around my waist. All glory to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though the fight was ruled a draw, the knockdown in the 12th secured Vargas the edge he needed to retain his world title\u2014and win the respect of fans worldwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cAntonio showed the world what it means to be a true champion,\u201d said Boxlab Promotions President Amaury Piedra. \u201cTo go into hostile territory, get knocked down, and come back to finish strong\u2014that takes courage, discipline, and heart. We\u2019re unbelievably proud of him. He went to Japan with a mission and proved he\u2019s one of the best bantamweights on the planet. The belt stays with Team Vargas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Vargas hasn’t immediately confirmed a rematch, waiting to see what options are available first, \u201cI\u2019ll let my team work on that and then we\u2019ll decide. Whether it be a defense or unification bout, I\u2019ll be ready!\u201d<\/p>\n

American challenger\u00a0Ricardo Sandoval shocked Kenshiro Teraji<\/a> in the main event with a split decision win over the champion to be crowned WBC and WBA world flyweight champion.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In an unforgettable night of championship boxing at the BUNTAI Arena, Japan, on July 30, WBA Bantamweight World…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":36491,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-36490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}