Vince Paras: Boxing Career and Notable Fights
Vince Paras is a Filipino professional boxer from General Santos City whose early run carried him to an IBF minimumweight world-title challenge in 2018.
A first world-title challenge
Paras entered the May 20, 2018 bout with Japan’s Hiroto Kyoguchi undefeated at 13–0. He knocked the champion down in the third round, but Kyoguchi recovered and controlled the later rounds. The three judges scored it 117–110, giving Kyoguchi a unanimous decision and the successful defense of his IBF minimumweight title.
Paras had previously won the WBO Asia Pacific Youth light-flyweight title. These early milestones trace his rise from regional competition to a world-title opportunity.
The Kyoguchi rivalry at flyweight
Paras later renewed his rivalry with Kyoguchi in a higher weight class. On May 11, 2024, he won their ten-round, non-title flyweight rematch in Incheon, South Korea. The unanimous decision at Paradise City reversed the outcome of their first meeting six years earlier. Boxing News’ contemporary report records that neither boxer was knocked down in the rematch.
The result also affected Paras’ standing among international contenders. The WBA’s June 2024 ratings explanation placed him fourth after the victory. That recognition reflected the significance of defeating a former champion in two weight divisions.
They met a third time in Yokohama on October 13, 2024. Kyoguchi won a ten-round majority decision, as recorded in the WBO’s subsequent ratings notes. Their three meetings therefore span a minimumweight title challenge and two flyweight contests, providing a useful thread through Paras’ development against experienced international opposition.
Selected career results
Before the 2024 rematch with Kyoguchi, Paras recorded two decision wins in Japan during 2023. The WBO’s explanatory ratings notes list an eight-round victory over Ayumu Hanada on May 13 and another eight-round win against Kai Ishizawa on October 12. These appearances supplied competitive activity between his first world-title attempt and his later return to the Kyoguchi rivalry at a higher weight.
Sources
- Philippine Daily Inquirer: Paras–Kyoguchi title fight
- BoxRec: Vince Paras profile and title record
- SPIN.ph: Kyoguchi retains against Paras
Sources: https://www.wboboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/2409-Explanations-September-2024-3.pdf
