Riku Masuda (boxer)

Riku Masuda
増田陸
Personal information
Born (1997-09-23) 23 September 1997
Hiroshima, Japan
Height5 ft 6+1⁄2 in (169 cm)
WeightBantamweight
Boxing career
Reach69 in (175 cm)
StanceSouthpaw
Boxing record
Total fights12
Wins11
Win by KO9
Losses1

Riku Masuda (増田陸, Masuda Riku; born 23 September 1997) is a Japanese professional boxer who has held the WBA (Regular) bantamweight title since July 2026.

Amateur career

Masuda represented and fought for Koryo High School in Hiroshima and Rikkyo University in Tokyo and is of the Teiken Boxing Gym stable. He fought a total of 66 amateur bouts, winning 54 and losing 12, on 2021 he passed the B-class test, thus, making him eligible to debut in a six-rounder bout when he turns professional.[1]

Professional career

Early career

On 2 July 2022, Masuda made his debut against Thai Worraphon Yothika in a six-rounds junior bantamweight bout in the Korakuen Hall. Masuda won via first-round KO within 1 minute and 50 seconds.[2]

On his third bout, Masuda fought 12–2 national contender Fumiya Fuse (seldom named Ikuya Tomise in a few articles) in an eight-rounds bout in Tokyo, Japan at the "Naoya Inoue 4-Belt Unification Commemorative Monster Tournament" or the "Monster Tournament" (for short) qualifiers. Masuda knocked Fuse down in the first round before Fuse would take him into a grueling seven rounds until he prevailed via seventh-round TKO, thereby advancing Masuda into the semi-finals.[3][4]

On 30 August 2023, for the "Monster Tournament" semi-finals and the Japanese Boxing Commission (JBC) bantamweight championship Masuda was scheduled against Seiya Tsutsumi in Tokyo, Japan.[3] The bout would be intense and competitive, lasting full ten rounds before Masuda would fall short, losing via UD (97–93 and 96–94 twice).[5]

In January 2024, Masuda was announced to be scheduled against former IBF world junior bantamweight world and WBO interim titles-challenger Jonas Sultan in an eight-rounds bout in Tokyo, Japan on 24 February 2024.[6] Masuda scored a shock first-round KO with a singular left body shot that Sultan was unable to recover from, this is also the first time sultan was knocked down and lost via KO or TKO.[7][8]

Japanese bantamweight champion

On 18 July 2024, Masuda rematched defending Japanese bantamweight champion Fumiya Fuse for the Japanese bantamweight championship in Tokyo, Japan. Masuda prevailed with a one-punch KO in the fourth-round, winning the Japanese bantamweight belt.[4]

He made his first defence of the Japanese strap against unorthodox veteran Yoshihiro Utsumi on 2 November 2024, Masuda struggled to halt his foe early but had a dominant performance en route to a seventh-round TKO.[9] He made his second defence against Kaisei Matsumoto on 1 March 2025. Masuda won via brutal sixth-round stoppage.[10]

Rise up the ranks

On 8 June 2025 at the undercard of Junto Nakatani vs. Ryosuke Nishida, Masuda fought former IBO world bantamweight champion Michell Banquez in a ten-rounds bout in Tokyo, Japan. Masuda was victorious with a spectacular first-round KO, finishing Banquez in less than 90 seconds.[11][12]

On 24 November 2025, Masuda faced the reigning WBC Latino bantamweight champion Jose Calderon at the "Prime Video Boxing 14" card in Tokyo, Japan. Masuda had a more difficult and contested experience with the 5'9 Calderon compared to his previous opponents, in the fifth-round, as Masuda threw a left shot, whilst Calderon threw a left uppercut at the same time, causing an accidental headbutt between the two opposite stances. The accidental headbutt, however, cut Calderon's right eye, which would prompt the ringside medical officials to halt the contest leading to a technical decision. When scorecards were tallied, one judged scored the bout 48–48 tie, but the other judges scored it 49–46 and 48–47 in favour of Masuda, result in a majority decision victory for Masuda.[13]

Masuda vs. Donaire

In January 2026, Masuda, ranked number four by the World Boxing Association (WBA), was set to face four-division world champion legend Nonito Donaire, ranked number 1 by the WBA in a title eliminator on 15 March 2026 in Yokohama, Japan.[14][15] Prior to the bout, Masuda expressed his gratitude to be able to fight the 43-years old legend Donaire, further expressing honour and respect.[16] During the bout, Donaire, the more experienced between the two, fought technically, putting Masuda in a high-level bout, however, the younger Masuda would overwhelm him and his age en route to Donaire's corner throwing the towel amidst the eighth round of their ten-rounds bout.[17][18][19]

WBA (Regular) bantamweight champion

Masuda vs. Higa

Masuda defeated Daigo Higa via split decision to win the vacant WBA (Regular) bantamweight title at Ryōgoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on 20 July 2026.[20][21]

Professional boxing record

12 fights 11 wins 1 loss
By knockout 9 0
By decision 2 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
12 Win 11–1 Daigo Higa SD 12 20 Jul 2026 Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan Won vacant WBA (Regular) bantamweight title
11 Win 10–1 Nonito Donaire TKO 8 (10), 1:12 15 Mar 2026 Yokohama Buntai, Yokohama, Japan
10 Win 9–1 José Miguel Calderón TD 5 (10), 1:27 24 Nov 2025 Toyota Arena, Tokyo, Japan Majority TD: Calderón cut due to an accidental headbutt
9 Win 8–1 Michell Banquez KO 1 (10), 1:27 8 Jun 2025 Ariake Coliseum, Tokyo, Japan
8 Win 7–1 Kaisei Matsumoto TKO 6 (10), 2:18 1 Mar 2025 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Retained Japanese bantamweight title
7 Win 6–1 Yoshihiro Utsumi TKO 7 (10), 0:26 2 Nov 2024 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Retained Japanese bantamweight title
6 Win 5–1 Fumiya Fuse KO 4 (10), 2:21 18 Jul 2024 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan Won Japanese bantamweight title
5 Win 4–1 Jonas Sultan KO 1 (8), 2:21 24 Feb 2024 Ryōgoku Kokugikan, Tokyo, Japan
4 Loss 3–1 Seiya Tsutsumi UD 10 30 Aug 2023 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan For Japanese bantamweight title;
Monster Bantamweight Tournament semifinals
3 Win 3–0 Fumiye Fuse TKO 7 (8), 3:00 20 May 2023 Sumida City Gymnasium, Tokyo, Japan Monster Bantamweight Tournament qualifiers
2 Win 2–0 An Jeong-ho KO 1 (6), 2:25 3 Dec 2022 Paradise City Plaza, Incheon, South Korea
1 Win 1–0 Worraphon Yothika KO 1 (6), 1:50 2 Jul 2022 Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan

See also

References

  1. ↑ "高校６冠の斎藤麗王ら、帝拳ジム２選手プロ合格". hochi.news (in Japanese). 5 February 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  2. ↑ "赤井英和ジュニア英五郎プロ初白星、帝拳ホープ高見亨介、増田陸、齋藤麗王そろって初回KOデビュー". boxingnews.jp (in Japanese). 2 July 2022. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  3. 1 2 "3戦目の増田陸が日本2位富施に快勝、準決勝で堤に挑戦　モンスタートーナメント予選". boxingnews.jp (in Japanese). 20 May 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  4. 1 2 Koizumi, Joe (19 July 2024). "WBA#11 Masuda dethrones Japanese 118lb champ Fuse". fightnews.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  5. ↑ "堤聖也が日本バンタム級王座V3　新鋭 増田陸との激戦制す　12.26穴口一輝とトーナメント決勝". boxingnews.jp (in Japanese). 30 August 2023. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  6. ↑ Aznar, Edri K. (8 January 2024). "Sultan faces Masuda in Japan". substar.com.ph. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  7. ↑ Ramos, Gerry (24 February 2024). "Jonas Sultan suffers first-round KO at hands of Riku Masuda". spin.ph. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  8. ↑ Luarca, Roy (24 February 2024). "Sultan suffers shock KO loss to Japanese prospect". rappler.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  9. ↑ Koizumi, Joe (3 November 2024). "WBA#9 Masuda halts Utsumi". fightnews.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  10. ↑ Koizumi, Joe (2 March 2025). "WBA#8 Masuda halts Matsumoto". fightnews.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  11. ↑ "坪井智也2戦目で初王座　増田陸ワンパンチ初回KO". boxingnews.jp (in Japanese). 8 June 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  12. ↑ Mason, Paul (8 June 2025). "Junto Nakatani vs Ryosuke Nishida – Results & Post-Fight Report". proboxing-fans.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  13. ↑ "増田陸初の判定勝ち　カルデロンと5回負傷決着". boxingnews.jp (in Japanese). 24 November 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  14. ↑ Rosal, Glendale G. (27 January 2026). "Donaire to fight in WBA world title eliminator in Yokohama this March". cebudailynews.inquirer.net. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  15. ↑ Villanueva, Ralph Edwin (28 January 2026). "'Eyes Forward': Donaire set for March return vs Japan's Masuda". philstar.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  16. ↑ Wainwright, Anson (15 March 2026). "Riku Masuda honored to face Nonito Donaire, wary of passionate vet". ringmagazine.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  17. ↑ BOXINGSCENE STAFF (15 March 2026). "Riku Masuda stops Nonito Donaire in eight rounds". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  18. ↑ Bandayrel, Rafael (15 March 2026). "Nonito Donaire falls to Riku Masuda as corner stops fight in 8th round". gmanetwork.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  19. ↑ Christ, Scott (16 March 2026). "Riku Masuda stops Nonito Donaire, Olascuaga retains, Iwata wins WBC belt". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  20. ↑ "Full Report: #1 Masuda Edges #2 Higa, Wins Vacant WBA 118lb Belt". fightnews.com. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "Masuda wins split decision after absorbing Higa bout". The Ring. Retrieved 22 July 2026.
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