Former strawweight and junior flyweight titleholder Hiroto Kyoguchi has today announced his retirement after a nine-year professional career.

The 31-year-old confirmed the news , addressing fans sitting in a ring wearing a suit and tie, surrounded by several pairs of gloves with a fitting backdrop.

"Thank you very much. I started boxing when I was 12-years-old, with the dream of becoming a world champion. I think I've had a professional career that went beyond what I imagined."

The decision comes three-and-a-half months after a contentious 12-round unanimous decision defeat by WBO world flyweight champion Anthony Olascuaga (9-1, 6 KOs) on March 13, though his speech gives off the impression he's long known this to be the case and was instead waiting for the right time to set the record straight.

Many felt the Osaka-born talent, who now resides in Tokyo, was unfortunate to lose on the scorecards that evening and perhaps would have been inspired to continue further if victorious in attempts to reclaim championship gold. We'll never know.

During the 10-minute video address, Kyoguchi reveals he thought about potentially retiring a year sooner after former foe Vince Paras outpointed him to avenge a world title defeat at the division below six years earlier, this time a 10-round clash in South Korea in May 2024.

Grateful that he was able to step away from the sport without injuries or physical ailments forcing his hand, the former IBF strawweight titleholder won and made four WBA/RING title defences at junior flyweight before Kenshiro Teraji dethroned him in November 2022.

A pair of victories over unheralded opposition followed in 2023, before the period of self-doubt he endured after Phillipines' Paras produced an upset in their rematch. Five months later, he erased those thoughts and settled the score with a 10-round majority decision nod before an unsuccessful attempt at climbing the mountain once more against Olascuaga.

Kyoguchi won his first world title, the IBF strap, with a 12-round unanimous decision against Mexico's surging champion Jose Argumedo just 15 months after debuting in the paid ranks.

He previously studied at Osaka University of Commerce and will reportedly pursue a career in commentary, having hinted at staying in the sport as a media talent.

With more than 200,000 YouTube subscribers and after almost exclusively posting videos, previews and post-fight breakdowns in his native Japanese over the past half-decade, he has recently added titles and dubbed videos in English to widen audience reach.