Elwin Soto: WBO Junior Flyweight Title and Three Defenses
Mexican boxer Elwin Soto won the WBO junior-flyweight world title in June 2019 with a 12th-round stoppage of Ángel Acosta. He held the belt until October 2021, when Jonathan González defeated him by split decision.
The breakthrough against Angel Acosta
Soto’s title-winning performance took place at Fantasy Springs Resort and Casino in Indio, California. The stoppage came 23 seconds into the final round, giving the Mexicali boxer the championship and improving his record at the time to 15 wins and one loss. Known as “La Pulga,” Soto had reached the world title stage with ten knockout victories following that result.
Three successful defenses
His first defense came against Edward Heno in October 2019. Soto then retained the title against Nicaragua’s Carlos Buitrago by unanimous decision over twelve rounds in October 2020. The third successful defense was the Katsunari Takayama contest featured in the accompanying video.
That bout took place on May 8, 2021, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the card headed by Canelo Alvarez and Billy Joe Saunders. Soto stopped the experienced Japanese challenger in the ninth round, extending his championship reign into its second year.
The end of the reign
Jonathan “Bomba” Gonzalez took the belt in October 2021. All three judges returned 116–112 totals, but two favored Gonzalez and one favored Soto, producing a split decision. The result closed a reign built on a dramatic title-winning finish followed by three successful defenses against challengers from three different countries.
Sources
- WBO: Soto’s defense against Takayama
- WBO title win report
- WBO report on the 2021 title fight
Sources: wboboxing.com
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
