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Hiroto Kyoguchi and Esteban Bermudez have finally come to an agreement.
A negotiation period that has extended more than five months has produced a deal in place for the World Boxing Association (WBA)-ordered junior flyweight title consolidation clash. The Panama City-headquartered sanctioning body confirmed the news Friday, hours ahead of a previously scheduled purse bid hearing.
“The purse bid to grant the promotional rights for the WBA Light Flyweight title fight between Hiroto Kyoguchi and Esteban Bermúdez was canceled after both teams reported that they had reached an agreement,” Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, longtime president of the WBA said of the ordered title fight. “The details of the fight will be reported in the coming days.
Japan’s Kyoguchi (15-0, 10KOs) holds the WBA “Super” junior flyweight title, while Mexico’s Bermudez (14-3-2, 10KOs) currently serves as the WBA “World” junior flyweight titlist. The two were first instructed to work out terms on June 10 and again on August 18. A final extension was granted October 21, coming with a ten-day deadline to produce a deal before heading to a purse bid hearing. The deadline came and went without terms being reached, though both sides took advantage of the additional time preceding the ordered purse bid.
Kyoguchi was represented in such talks by promoter Eddie Hearn, signing with his Matchroom Boxing company last December 2020 along with Eddy Reynoso’s No Boxing, No Life management. Bermudez was represented in talks by Greg Cohen Promotions (GCP), the partnership formed shortly after Bermudez’s stunning upset knockout win over the-unbeaten Carlos Canizales to win the secondary WBA title this past May 29 in Mexico City.
The forthcoming fight will mark the fourth attempted title defense for Kyoguchi, a two-division titlist who has held the WBA belt since dethroning Hekkie Budler via tenth-round stoppage on New Year’s Eve 2018. In his most recent start, Kyoguchi enjoyed a successful U.S.—and Matchroom—debut in a fifth-round injury stoppage of Axel Aragon Vega this past March 13 at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Bermudez was immediately recognized as the mandatory to the WBA “Super” title following his stunning win over Canizales. Hearn sought separate bouts for both, including a hoped-for unification bout between Kyoguchi and then-WBO titlist Elwin Soto. Mandatory title defense obligations got in the way on both ends; Soto was already ordered to next face Puerto Rico’s Jonathan ‘Bomba’ Gonzalez prior to seeking permission from the WBO to move forward with the unification bout. The WBA was prepared to grant such a courtesy to Kyoguchi until learning of the WBO ruling.
Soto-Gonzalez was placed on an October 16 Matchroom show in Fresno, California that was to feature Bermudez in a secondary title defense versus rising contender Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez. The announced fight came without the blessing of the WBA, forcing Matchroom to remove it from the show.
Soto went on to lose his WBO title to Gonzalez, ultimately ruining any plans for a Matchroom-controlled unification bout. With all other options exhausted, Kyoguchi and Bermudez were left to renew talks for a fight literally months in the making and which now appears to be on the horizon.
Strangely, the ordered title consolidation bout was ordered well in advance of the WBA’s continued efforts to reduce its number of recognized titlists. The sanctioning body went full force with the movement in August, partly due to public pressure but having remained committed to cleaning up its act.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox