Former two-division world champion Hiroto Kyoguchi of Watanabe Boxing Gym knocked out second-ranked Philippine flyweight Jerven Mama in the third round of a scheduled 10-round flyweight nontitle bout on Sept. 22 at Tokyo’s Korakuen Hall.

  It was the 29-year-old Kyoguchi’s second straight victory since losing his World Boxing Association light flyweight title to World Boxing Council light flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji of B.M.B. Boxing Gym in a title unification fight last November.

  Kyoguchi got off to an active start by throwing left jabs and straight rights to the head and body and dropped Mama near the end of the third round with a left uppercut for the count. The KO came 3 minutes and 9 seconds into the round.

  After the fight, Kyoguchi, a former International Boxing Federation minimumweight and WBA light flyweight champion, said, ‘’Since my previous fight was a decision win, I really wanted to earn a KO victory this time around. I am happy that I was able to achieve that. I will do my best to win a world title in my third weight division.

  With the victory, Kyoguchi, currently ranked fourth in the flyweight division by the WBA, seventh by the IBF and eighth by the WBC, improved his record to 18 KOs, including 12 KOs, against a loss. The 26-year-old Mama fell to a 13-4-1 win-loss-draw tally with seven KOs.