Hiroto Kyoguchi retained his junior flyweight title under unfortunate circumstances on the Juan Francisco Estrada-Roman Gonzalez card Saturday in Dallas.
Kyoguchi and 4-foot-9½ Axel Aragon Vega were engaged in a compelling, give-and-take fight when Vega evidently broke his right hand when he landed a punch to the top of Kyoguchi’s head in Round 5.
Vega, in great pain, immediately turned his back on the champion, who landed an incidental body shot before referee Raul Caiz Jr. jumped in to stop the fight. The ring doctor seemed to confirm the injury, saying he believed Vega’s four metacarpal bone – in his ring finger – had been broken.
The official time was 1:32 of Round 5.
Kyoguchi (15-0, 10 KOs) was making the third defense of his WBA 108-pound title and his U.S. debut. Vega (14-4-1, 8 KOs) was fighting for a title for the second time. He lost a seventh-round technical decision to 105-pound champ Wilfredo Mendez in 2019.
Vega gave the 5-foot-4 Japanese fighter all he could handle for four-plus rounds, forcing himself into close quarters with Kyoguchi and doing damage. Kyoguchi tried to maintain range but Vega kept working his way inside.
Boxing Junkie had the fight even after four rounds, 38-38.