It was a pulsating main event with ebbs and flows throughout, culminating in a briefly dramatic wait for the scorecards as announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr. declared a split decision outcome.

Two 117-111 Masuda cards overruled a 115-113 score in Higa's favor, confining the 12-year pro to a four-fight winless streak stretching back to December 31, 2023.

It was nonetheless an admirable effort from the veteran, who spoke well pre-fight about his journey to this point, having contemplated life away from boxing and feeling unsatisfied with untapped potential had he retired too early.

The 30-year-old was noticeably the aggressor early on, missing wildly with a looping shot as Masuda (11-1, 9 KOs) punished him with the round's best work during the final half-minute, a stinging right hand and left to the temple.

Higa (21-4-3, 19 KOs) shook his head in acknowledgement at that frustrating sequence as he headed to the corner, foreshadowing a long evening's work for the returning former flyweight champion.

He has been competitive but lacked a clinical edge against world-class bantamweight opposition over the past half-decade, with that familiar feeling appearing again here against someone promising to build on previous success and deliver an even better showing.

Higa landed a good shot in the final minute of Round 2 but was ticked off by referee Luis Pabon for rough-housing. Better suited to having his head down and keeping a low base before pouncing, Masuda couldn't predict the punches so long as he varied the timing of his entries.

Masuda countered him nicely in Round 3, then applied more forward pressure in Round 4 but Higa finished that frame strong, pinnng him against the ropes momentarily and unloading single overhand shots while they clinched.

Higa connected on some big shots, albeit intermittently, while Masuda timed his punch entries well and flashed some uppercuts to mix up the rhythm at close-range in the fifth.

The pair exchanged power shots in the pocket during a busier sixth and just when you might've thought Higa was starting to fade, he stung Masuda with a series of punishing right hands in a see-saw seventh frame.

Building on that success, he was better and hurtful in the eighth. Body punching, then multiple combinations to head and body did the trick to leave Masuda briefly unsteady, as The Ring's No. 6 bantamweight sought to gather his composure again and avoid the slugfest he had outlined would present Higa with success during the build-up.

Boxing off his back foot and jabbing with his right hand in the ninth, Masuda defended Higa's surges of pressure more intelligently. He knew when to tie up, to block and when to throw, before it was time for the roles to reverse.

Higa parried and stifled some of Masuda's combination punching in Round 10, a frenetic frame where both appeared to hurt the other man. Higa began the stanza as the aggressor, unloading on a flurry of left hands, before a counter right hand late on caught him clean, freezing him in place.

Masuda began the penultimate round on the front foot, digging shots downstairs in what quickly proved a scrappy exchange as they jostled for position.

After absorbing another rapid combo to finish the frame, it was clear he needed a strong finish. Higa duly obliged, Masuda this time holding and doing his utmost to lessen the impact of stinging forward advances, though both threw caution to the wind in the last minute of another pulsating encounter to cap an entertaining night's action.