<figure id="attachment_333827" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-333827" style="width: 1642px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="7f76cb5f"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/09/41980de6f0ba316eadfa9124ca8c9110.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-333827" class="wp-caption-text">With Mrs. Aki immediately after her KO victory. He thanked her for her support after his victory.</figcaption></figure>
 Just before the end of the third round, a left uppercut thrust from a body-dominating position caught Jaben Mama on the chin, sending the 26-year-old Filipino flyweight No. 1 crashing down to the ground. He barely got up, but the referee, weighing the damage, crossed his arms and declared the fight over.
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 The official knockout time was 3:09 of the same round. Hiroto Kyoguchi (29) won handily. The day after the fight, Kyoguchi reflected on his own KO scene.
 I ducked in the flow of the fight, created a bit of a tame position, and then came out naturally. My opponent didn&#8217;t like my body, and his legs were stopped. When he was momentarily distracted, I sank down and landed an uppercut. I was also aiming for the stomach, but he was wary, so my instinct was to hit him in the chin.&#8221;
 Kyoguchi, who won the IBF minimum weight division and the WBA light flyweight division, suffered his first black star in his professional career when he lost a unification bout against WBC champion Kenshiro Teraji on November 1, 2011. On May 20 of this year, he made a comeback at flyweight, but suffered a fist injury during the fight and won by decision. Then, on September 22, he crossed fists with his mom in his second fight at flyweight.
 Before the fight, Kyoguchi said, &#8220;I&#8217;m going to stay in the light flyweight division and fight again.
 I had the option of staying in the light flyweight division and aiming for the world title again. But light fly is a stage that I have already achieved. That didn&#8217;t motivate me. I think that aiming for the world title as a light fly fighter would have had a better chance of success than as a fly fighter. But I felt it was better for my life to take the thorny path and challenge a big goal.
<figure id="attachment_333828" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-333828" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="44fac7e9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/09/0276539278e265e318af92dd09d8730a.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-333828" class="wp-caption-text"> A series of clean hits from the beginning</figcaption></figure>
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 However, he added, &#8220;The significance is different&#8221; between himself and the multiple weight class domination achieved by Naoya Inoue in the same year.
 I had a childhood dream of becoming a world champion. I have been chasing this dream since I was a child. I won the world belt and the title in the class above it, defended it four times, and had a unification match. For me, even winning a two-weight championship is too much. Naoya Inoue naturally conquered the 3rd and 4th weight classes, but my goal of winning the 3rd weight class is not on the same level as his. It is a really difficult challenge. But I think I am qualified to aim for it.&#8221;
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Being called &quot;disappointed&quot; about the match at Korakuen Hall"></div>
In the summer of &#8217;18, Kyoguchi vacated his IBF title and moved up a weight class when it became difficult to drop down to minimumweight. After a non-title fight, he won his second belt in his second fight at light flyweight. This was his first fight at Korakuen Hall since his world preliminaries in September 2006.
<figure id="attachment_333830" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-333830" style="width: 2500px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4dad8fd3"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/09/2de4ac9352c0fd0dec388fe2346fd8ee.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-333830" class="wp-caption-text"> He landed a spectacular uppercut!</figcaption></figure>
 The atmosphere was very close to the audience, and I liked the unique atmosphere of the hall, which is known as the &#8220;sacred ground. I had recently been competing in large venues around the world, but I felt like I was back to my roots. It was very fresh. I heard some fans say, &#8220;It&#8217;s too bad it wasn&#8217;t a bigger arena,&#8221; but I know where I stand, and I felt that I should enjoy the atmosphere and win the tournament with a solid performance! I felt like I was ready to win with a solid performance.
 Kyoguchi is synonymous with the left upper body uppercut. Kyoguchi was directly coached by Takeichiro Tatsuyoshi when he was in junior high school, and he honed it. Kyoguchi landed that punch in various places and got into a rhythm.
 I think I was able to land some effective punches,&#8221; he said. I think I was able to use them effectively.
 Mama&#8217;s opponent has a record of 13 wins (7 KOs), 3 losses, and 1 draw. He is in a good position to challenge for the Philippine title, but he was unable to make the flyweight body for the Kyoguchi fight. She weighed in 800 grams over the limit on the day before the fight, and was 400 grams over the limit when she was given two hours to reweigh in, an uncharacteristic failure for a pro.
 It is natural for a fighter to adhere to a set limit, so I felt it was unfortunate. But it was 400 grams, not kilograms, so I guess it can&#8217;t be helped. I felt it was unprofessional, but I wasn&#8217;t angry.
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 On the other hand, trainer Naomutsumi Kobayashi (49), who served as Kyoguchi&#8217;s chief second, did not hide his anger.
 He said, &#8220;To be honest, I was mad at Kyoguchi because I thought he could lose more weight when I saw how he looked when he went over the weight the day before the weigh-in. But I made sure I weighed in well.
48.Kyoguchi&#8217;s move up from the light flyweight division, which has a limit of 97 kg, to the flyweight division, which requires fighters to weigh in at 50.80 kg or less, did not make his weight-loss struggles any easier. As he trains harder to adapt to the flyweight division by increasing his power, he will gain more muscle and become bigger. At the same time, he also needs to be able to withstand his opponents&#8217; punches. In addition to building power, Kyoguchi has made it a theme to fight with care.
 He said, &#8220;I kept my guard high, shook my head, and pressed hard. I was also very conscious of my positioning.
<figure id="attachment_333831" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-333831" style="width: 1821px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="e5877246"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/09/2b3374e9c2e8a1f9edcf2f410f15fe57.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-333831" class="wp-caption-text"> Many times, the fighters were seen pressing with their guards high and their heads bobbing.</figcaption></figure>
 His solid guard certainly shone through. From the first round, the pressure he applied to push his opponent into a corner showed his age.
 He had a nice uppercut at the end, but before that, he did some damage with his body but couldn&#8217;t break Mom&#8217;s clinch. I should have taken a half step back and hit a combination, and I could have done a lot more. If I had to give it a point, I would give it about a 65.&#8221;
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 Kobayashi, however, gave it a higher score.
 I would give it 80 points. We played good defense, and we were able to create a variety of attacking patterns under the pressure of winning, which is a given. But I gave him a higher grade than that.
 Kyoguchi can do well at flyweight. He must have felt a good response in terms of speed, power, and above all, mentality. We have been practicing not only the left body, but also the right body, right and left uppercuts, right punches to match, and bottom to top, inside and outside strikes. At the end of the sparring session, I had a good one-two with speed. The one shot that knocked me down was an uppercut that missed the opponent&#8217;s punch as planned, or &#8230;&#8230;. I really repeated it a lot in practice. It was a chin that made it look like I was going to hit the body. I was happy too.&#8221;
 Kyoguchi himself was full of remorse.
 My goal was to win by KO, but I think I was able to perform at a higher level when I was good. When I looked at the video after the match, I felt that I was moving well, but in the ring, I felt that I could have shown more of myself. It was over before I could get up to speed and dynamism. &#8230;&#8230;
 From the third round, I felt that I was able to make fast head movements. The fact that it ended before I could get into a higher gear is a proposition for the next round. As for my finishing left uppercut, which I was able to land at that moment, I would like to continue that in the future.&#8221;
 How did Kyoguchi feel about the 1.83 kg difference from the light flyweight division?
 I feel I have more power than I did in the May fight. When I blocked his punches, I was able to absorb the impact, so I didn&#8217;t feel threatened. I thought during the fight that I was adjusting to the flyweight division little by little. I had no fear of my opponent&#8217;s punches. There was a part of me that felt a power-up with every punch I threw. But I recognize that if I want to fight in the world, I have to raise the bar even higher.&#8221;
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" The final chapter of his boxing career"></div>
<figure id="attachment_333832" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-333832" style="width: 1718px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2a0021cd"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/09/999f4f6c7469ceadcfcdcea24b263d44.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-333832" class="wp-caption-text">I&#8217;m getting into a flyweight body.</figcaption></figure>
 He also touched on his motivation, which is a concern.
 I survived, and I&#8217;m in a position where I can aim for the third weight class. I feel I have made some progress. But I&#8217;m not in a hurry, so I&#8217;m just taking it one step at a time. Some fans say that they want me to fight a world-ranked fighter right away and challenge for the title, but it is not such an easy world.
 If Naoya Inoue were the standard, that might be true, but I am not such a special fighter. I am a person who has come this far through hard work, so I will keep my feet firmly on the ground.
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 Kyoguchi, who got married in January of this year, receives dietary support from his wife, who is a certified athlete food meister. This is truly a blessing in disguise.
 She understands what nutrients I need for bodybuilding, and she helps me plan my meals. It is natural that weight loss is hard, but this time I was able to lose weight while eating, so I am really thankful for that.
 After the match, Aki congratulated Kyoguchi with a big smile on her face, and her husband, looking embarrassed, responded to the photographer&#8217;s request.
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 Kyoguchi&#8217;s challenge continues as he says, &#8220;I have entered the final chapter of my boxing career. What will he show to those around him from his future fights as he continues on his own path?
<figure id="attachment_333833" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-333833" style="width: 1667px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4276205b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2023/09/713ec7145e0e3f82b361ea04b1d241f1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-333833" class="wp-caption-text"> In his speech in the ring, he also announced that he was leaving for his honeymoon. I&#8217;m glad I got there with no damage!&#8221;</figcaption></figure>

 Born in 1969. Passed the professional boxing test as a junior lightweight, but suffered an injury to his left elbow. After working as a reporter for a weekly magazine, he became a nonfiction writer and educator, teaching at a public high school in the U.S. In 1996, he moved to the U.S. He graduated from the University of Tokyo's Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies in 2014. He is the author of "Minority Fist," "America's Lower Level Education Site," and "America's Problem Child Regeneration Classroom" (all Kobunsha e-books), "God's Ring," "The Door to the World: Forward! Samurai Blue" and "Hohoite to Nurture Coaching" (all published by Kodansha).

 Soichi Hayashi

 Takeshi Kinugawa

 Just a little over a year after his debut, Kyoguchi became the world champion. Since then, he has won 16 straight fights to win two weight classes. After losing to Kenshiro Teraji, Kyoguchi moved up a weight class to take on the final challenge of his boxing career.

Exclusive confession of HIROTO KYOGUCHI…KO hard victory by artistic uppercut! The final chapter of his boxing life” with his new wife

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