Yoshiki Takei retained his WBO bantamweight title via a close 12-round unanimous decision over the plucky, and perhaps unlucky, Daigo Higa.

The scores – 115-112, 114-113 and 114-113 – told the story of how close this contest was as Takei recovered from a knockdown scored against him in the 11th to repel his game challenger in a one-sided last round.

This latest victory marked the sixth time that Takei, a product of the Ohashi gym after making the switch from kickboxing in 2020, had entertained while warming a Japanese crowd for the arrival of their hero and star attraction, Naoya Inoue.

The 28 year old claimed the title in May – on the card headlined by Inoue-Luis Nery, when he outscored the more experienced Jason Moloney over 12 rounds in a minor upset. Higa, from Tokyo, represented a tricky opening defense, having reigned as WBC flyweight champion from 2017-18, beaten Juan Hernandez Navarrete for the vacant strap, and later halted Moises Fuentes in one round in his second successful defense.

But the 29-year-old challenger’s form, at least at the highest level, had been patchy since. He surrendered his belt on the scales prior to being stopped by Cristofer Rosales in 2018, and three years later was outpointed by the streaking Ryosuke Nishida. But prior to challenging Takei, Higa exhibited his power when he knocked out Navapon Khaikana in four rounds – his 19th KO in 21 victories – to cement his spot atop the WBO rankings.

The southpaw Takei, ranked fourth at 118lbs by the independent TBRB compared to eighth for his challenger, waited until 50 seconds had elapsed before launching his first punch – a right jab that scored through the guard and was followed by very little in a quiet opening session.

Higa entered the ring to the foreboding strains of Akira Ifukube’s "Godzilla’s Theme" and beforehand recognized this could be his last chance to win a second major belt – a sentiment underlined by his approach in round two. A bowling right hand seemed to stun the champion a minute into the stanza before a straight left sent Takei backwards. The champion soon found his range, however. A lead uppercut caught the onrushing challenger before a replica blow accompanied by a right hook also found the target. Takei upped his output further in the third – the uppercut-hook combination again coming out to play.

Higa reminded the champion he remained dangerous in the fourth. A right-hand nudged Takei to the ropes from where an exciting, albeit brief, exchange ensued. The underdog then employed a quick jab to expose Takei’s wide-open defense and somewhat clumsy footwork, and the round closed with the younger man taking a meaty left.

The pattern continued into the next as Higa, growing in confidence, scurried after the skedaddling favourite to close the distance and respond every time Takei hurled the increasingly predictable lead uppercut. Takei improved in the sixth and seventh – adding some variation to his output – but the threat from the willing challenger remained.

Takei planted his feet to open the eighth, yet his tendency to dangle his arms rather than lock them, and thus invite Higa to take aim at his exposed chin, was a bad habit he seemed unwilling to rectify. Takei persisted with his tactics in the ninth, generating spots of success and likely catching the judges' attention, but when Higa planted another blow on his swelling right eye, the approach was too foolhardy to be deemed calculated.

The action remained engrossing though far from technically impressive. The champion briefly jerked in shock from a right in the 10th, and when Higa again scored at the start of the 11th, ringsiders wondered if Takei – ignoring instructions from his corner to employ cuter movement – might be about to crumble. The challenger made a breakthrough moments later, scoring an official knockdown that Takei claimed was a slip. Though he had a point, it meant he’d lost the round by two – and therefore had it all to do in the last to retain his title.

To his credit, Takei duly produced his best work of the fight. Higa, after a tremendous effort through the previous 11 rounds, was hurt by uppercuts and hooks and, briefly, as he reeled back to the ropes, it looked like Takei was going to score a dramatic last-gasp triumph. In truth, his dominance in the final three minutes secured victory on the cards which, as flawed and crude as he sometimes appeared, is the mark of a champion.

Takei improved to 10-0 (8), whereas Higa dropped to 21-3-1 (19).