Former ring and WBA junior flyweight champion Hiroto Kyoguchi returned to winning ways against Roland Biendima at the Sumida City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan on May 20.
Kyoguchi lost his undefeated record and titles to compatriot Kenshiro Teraji at the reunion last November.
The 29-year-old made his flyweight debut with an expert 10-round takedown decision over his seasoned Filipino opponent, though he feels he still has a long way to go.
“I feel like I’m not fully fit yet (to fight at 112lbs), but I can still do better by working on it,” Kyoguchi (17-1, 11 knockouts) told The Ring via Daisuke Shindo.
“After round 5 I felt a bit uncomfortable with my fists, so I was still not satisfied. This was a fight I should have won by KO.
His guardian, Mr. Watanabe, was less critical of his ward and draws positive conclusions from the fight.
“Both of his fists were slightly damaged, so he punched less,” said Watanabe. “But it was a good experience for him to fight the full 10 rounds of his first flyweight conversion fight.”
Watanabe is already thinking about Kyoguchi’s next move.
“The next fight is scheduled for the fall, but I’ll see how his fist heals before I make a decision,” said the veteran. “First of all, Kyoguchi is very motivated to conquer his third weight class.
“For a boxer, the first thing is motivation, so I want to find opportunities there. One or two more fights and I would love to see him win in a remarkable way, move up the ranks and hopefully take him to a mandatory match.
Kyoguchi, who previously held the IBF strawweight title before adding another tackle in the junior flyweight division, hopes to become world champion in three weight divisions.
“I want one more belt in this division,” he said. “I’m aiming for the WBC champion (Julio Cesar Martinez). I’m looking forward to winning the WBC belt that I’ve admired since I was a kid in boxing and to do that I’d have to beat Martinez.”
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at (email protected).
