Hiroto Kyoguchi, a former strawweight and junior flyweight titleholder from Osaka, Japan, has announced his retirement after a nine-year professional career.
The 31-year-old Kyoguchi made the announcement Wednesday on his YouTube channel, addressing his fans in a suit and tie.
"I have decided to retire. Thank you very much,” said Kyoguchi, 19-3 (12 KOs) in transcriptions posted on sanspo.com.
"I have had a professional career that went beyond what I had imagined. I am very happy to be hanging up my gloves here. It has been a wonderful boxing life. Boxing is the best."
Kyoguchi, who trained out of the Watanabe Gym in Tokyo, covered a lot of ground in just 22 pro fights, winning his first world title, the IBF 105lbs belt, with a unanimous decision over Jose Argumedo just 15 months after his pro debut. Kyoguchi made two successful defenses before moving up to 108lbs, where he dispatched Hekkie Budler in 10 rounds on New Year’s Eve in 2018 to win the WBA title in Macau. After four successful defenses, including stops in Dallas (a fifth-round stoppage of Axel Aragon) and Guadalajara, Mexico (an eighth-round stoppage of Esteban Bermudez), he ran into his first defeat, a seventh-round stoppage against domestic rival Kenshiro Teraji in a 108lbs unification bout in November 2022.
Kyoguchi’s career never fully recovered after the loss to Teraji, though he beat a pair of Filipino journeymen in 2023 before losing a decision and winning another back against Vince Paras, whom he had previously defeated in a 105lbs title defense.
Kyoguchi made one last attempt to capture a third world title, but he lost a unanimous decision to Anthony Olascuaga in March for the WBO flyweight title.
Kyoguchi, who studied at Osaka University of Commerce, will reportedly pursue a career in commentary.
Ryan Songalia is a reporter and editor for jeetwin68.com and has written for ESPN, the New York Daily News, Rappler, The Guardian, Vice and The Ring magazine. He holds a Master’s degree in Journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism and is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at .
