By Ian S Palmer
Former WBA ‘Super’ World Light Flyweight Champion and IBF Minimumweight boss Hiroto Kyoguchi of Japan fights for the second time as a flyweight this Friday, September 22nd when he takes on Jerven Mama of the Philippines. Kyoguchi lost his title in a unification bout with fellow countryman Kenshiro Teraji in November when he was halted in the seventh round for his lone defeat as a pro. He bounced back in May when he moved up to the 112 lb flyweight division and beat Roland Jay Biendima via a 10-round unanimous decision. Mama last saw action in June when he was stopped in the fourth round by unbeaten Yahir Alan Frank Verdugo of Mexico. Friday’s 10-round fight will take place at Japan’s famous Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.
The 29-year-old Kyoguchi of Osaka made his pro debut in 2016 and has boxed 125 rounds since. He stands 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 64-inch reach and enters the ring with an impressive mark of 17-1 with 11 Ko’s. He won the IBF Minimumweight Title in 2017 with a unanimous decision over Jose Argumedo and defended it against Carlos Buitrago by eighth-round stoppage and against Vince Paras by unanimous decision.
Kyoguchi then stepped up in weight and took the WBA Light Flyweight Crown with a 10th-round KO over Hekkie Budler in December, 2018. He defended it against Tanawat Nakoon and Tetsuya Hisada by unanimous decisions before stopping Axel Vega in March, 2021 and Esteban Bermudez in June, 2022. The light flyweight party then came to an end with the loss to Teraji. Kyoguchi has good power in his hands as 64.7 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage, but has stopped just five of his last 12 opponents. He’s a quick, fan-friendly boxer with fine speed and mobility to go along with his power.
The 26-year-old Mama turned pro back in 2017 following his amateur career which saw him compete at the Philippine National Games – Mindanao Qualifiers and make the quarterfinals of the Youth Boys Light Flyweight division in 2015. He’s got 92 rounds under his belt and has compiled a record of 13-3-1 with 7 Ko’s and has been stopped in two of his losses. He measures in at 5-feet-6-inches tall with a wingspan of 65 inches, which means he has a two-inch height and reach advantage on Kyoguchi.
Mama’s got decent power as 54 per cent of his wins have been by stoppage. His first loss came at the hands of Mark Vicelles by stoppage in the 10th and final round in July, 2021 and he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Berland Robles in his next outing 15 months later. He was then stopped by Verdugo in his last fight, so has lost three of his last four bouts and was halted in two of them. His draw was a six-round majority affair with Jerald Paclar in 2018.
Prediction…
It seems likely that Mama has been hand-picked for Kyoguchi to give him some experience in the flyweight division. He’s looking at a title shot in the near future to become a three-division world champ, but will need to step up his class of opposition sooner rather than later if he hopes to land one. Just eight of Mama’s 17 pro opponents have entered the ring with a winning record and he’s gone just 4-3-1 against them. Kyoguchi is a world-class boxer who should be looking to stop Mama as quickly as possible to get his name back in the headlines. I’m pretty sure he’ll do this on Friday night in Tokyo.
