Hiroto Kyoguchi Says Paras Loss Could be His Last Career Fight
There comes a time in a fighter’s life when they must look inward and reassess their career. That seems to be the moment for Japanese two-division world champion Hiroto Kyoguchi (21-2-1, 15 KOs).
On May 11 at Paradise City in Incheon, South Korea, Kyoguchi lost a unanimous decision (97-93, 97-93, 96-94) in a rematch with Vince Paras (18-2, 12 KOs). The former world champion was the aggressor. He was landing with combinations on the inside and the left jab from a distance.
READY TO CALL IT QUITS?
Paras had his moments. But Kyoguchi appeared to be the more accurate and effective fighter throughout. However, the judges scored the contest in favor of Paras. In the eyes of this reporter, Kyoguchi won by a comfortable margin. After the fight, a distraught and dejected Kyoguchi made the following comments on his YouTube channel.
(Translated from Japanese) “The way I feel right now, I don’t think I’ll do it again as an active player. It’s the feeling I have when I play for the first time and wonder if I should do it again as an active player.”
Kyoguchi was a unified champion at 105 and a world champion at 108. But he had his world rocked in November 2022 when he suffered a seventh-round stoppage loss to countryman Kenshiro Teraji in a junior flyweight unification showdown.
Following that defeat, Kyoguchi made the move to flyweight. In truth, at 112, he doesn’t appear to fight with the same consistency and force that was present during his championship days at minimumweight and junior flyweight.
Given that he was fresh off a fight and visibly upset, you could sum this up as Kyoguchi speaking through sheer emotions. At age 30, he’s young and talented enough to keep going and potentially capture another title. But when a boxer publicly questions whether they should continue fighting, that’s not a good sign. The future of Kyuguchi is up in the air.
