Hiroto Kyoguchi vs Vince Paras Preview May 11th, 2024
Former IBF Minimumweight and WBA ‘Super’ World Light Flyweight Champion Hiroto Kyoguchi of Japan fights for the third time as a flyweight this Saturday, May 11th when he takes on Vince Paras of the Philippines over in Incheon, South Korea. Kyoguchi lost his flyweight title in a unification bout with fellow countryman Kenshiro Teraji in November November, 2022 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 and then stopped Jerven Mama in three rounds last September. Paras last saw action in October when he edged Kai Ishizawa over eight rounds via a split decision. This is a rematch of Kyoguchi and Para’s 2018 bout which Kyoguchi won by a 12-round unanimous decision to retain his Minimumweight Belt.
Kyoguchi vs Paras Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Vince Paras +700
- Hiroto Kyoguchi -1250
My Pick
The 29-year-old Kyoguchi of Osaka made his pro debut in 2016 and has boxed 128 rounds since. He stands 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 64-inch reach and enters the ring with an impressive mark of 18-1 with 12 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 66.7 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage, but has stopped just six of his last 13 opponents. He’s a quick, fan-friendly boxer with fine speed and mobility to go along with his power.
The 25-year-old Paras turned pro back in 2015 as a teenager and carries around a record of 20-2-1 with 118 rounds of pro experience to his name. He stands just over 5-feet-2-inches tall with a 64.5-inch reach which puts him 1.5-inches shorter than Kyoguchi with a minimal half-inch edge in reach. As far as power is concerned, Paras has pretty heavy hands as 75 per cent of his victories have been by stoppage but he’s gone the distance in his last three outings and in four of the past five.
The first defeat for Paras came at the hands of Kyoguchi in their 2018 meeting via a unanimous decision in a shot at the IBF Minimumweight Title. He also lost his next bout when Jonathan Taconing beat him by a 12-round unanimous nod in a shot at the WBC International Light Flyweight Belt. The lone draw on his record was a 10-round affair with Robert Paradero in 2022. Paras beat Jimboy Haya by 10-round unanimous decision in 2017 for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific Youth Light Flyweight Belt.
Prediction…
Paras will be out to avenge his earlier loss to Kyoguchi while Kyoguchi is hoping to get a title shot in the near future to become a three-division world champion. Kyoguchi is a world-class boxer who needs an impressive showing against his old foe to get his name back in the headlines. I’m pretty he’ll be able to achieve this on Saturday.
Kyoguchi has more upper-level experience and is a class above Paras at this stage of their careers.
Play: Kyoguchi -1250 @ BetOnline.ag
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Hiroto Kyoguchi betting • Vince Paras betting