WBA extends Hiroto Kyoguchi v Esteban Bermudez purse bid deadline
The World Boxing Association (WBA) has decided to grant the camps of WBA ‘super’ world junior flyweight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi (15-0, 10KOs), and WBA ‘regular’ world champ Esteban Bermudez (19-1, 13KOs) some added time to negotiate their upcoming clash. The sanctioning body provided a ten-day extension for both camps to come together and hammer out a deal, per a press release.
Representatives for Kyoguchi and Bermudez could not come to terms after the initial deadline expired. On June 10, the WBA ordered that Kyoguchi’s next title defense be against Bermudez.
With rules being rules, the order for Kyoguchi v Bermudez was somewhat disappointing to fans of the smaller weight divisions, and Team Kyoguchi in particular. They hoped their next fight would be a unification showdown against WBO world 108 pound champ Elwin Soto. Kyoguchi’s co-promoter, Eddie Hearn suggested he was working on making that fight for August 28 in Los Angeles. The WBA granted Kyoguchi special exemption to make that bout happen. Unfortunately, a deal never materialized.
DON’T OVERLOOK BERMUDEZ
However, observers should not be overly disappointed. That’s because Bermudez has quietly become one of boxing’s big surprises this year. In his last outing, he destroyed the heavily-favored Carlos Canizalez via a 6th round TKO in May 2021. It was a sensational performance. If he displays the form that he showed in defeating Canizalez, a match against Kyoguchi has the chance to be a terrific battle.
Per WBA rule C.13: Bout Limitations, the champion cannot fight an opponent who is not the official challenger within 60 days after the expiration of his mandatory defense period. If they reach no agreement by the ten days, the fight will go to a purse bid.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
