José Argumedo: Boxing Career and Notable Fights
José “Tecuala” Argumedo is a Mexican professional boxer and former IBF minimumweight world champion. His best-known result came in Japan, where he won the title from Katsunari Takayama on New Year’s Eve 2015.
IBF title reign
Argumedo defeated Takayama by split technical decision after their 12-round contest was stopped in the ninth round. The stoppage followed cuts sustained during the bout; the judges’ scores gave Argumedo the decision and the IBF title. BoxRec lists three successful defenses during his reign.
Argumedo’s championship run ended on July 23, 2017, when Japan’s Hiroto Kyoguchi defeated him by unanimous decision to win the IBF minimumweight title. The result transferred the championship to Kyoguchi after Argumedo’s three successful defenses.
The three successful defenses
Argumedo first retained the IBF belt by unanimous decision over Julio Mendoza in July 2016. He then stopped Jose Antonio Jimenez in the third round that November and Gabriel Mendoza in the eighth round in May 2017. All three defenses took place in Mexico before his return to Japan to face Kyoguchi.
The WBA’s historical bout list identifies those contests as IBF minimumweight championship fights. They show that his reign included a full-distance defense as well as two stoppage victories.
Continuing after the IBF title
Argumedo subsequently defeated Edgar Cibrian and Moises Calleros in 2018. In March 2019, he stopped Alexis Diaz in the fifth round of a WBA eliminator. The WBA’s March ratings report records that win and his move up the minimumweight rankings. Those later results show a continued pursuit of another championship opportunity after the Kyoguchi defeat.
Further career results
The Díaz eliminator also had consequences beyond the immediate stoppage victory. The WBA’s August 2019 championship report identified Argumedo as a mandatory challenger after that win and recorded an order for a thirty-day negotiation period. His pursuit of another title therefore moved into the organization’s formal championship process after his earlier IBF reign had ended.
Sources
Additional sources: https://www.wbaboxing.com/wp-content/uploads/championships-reports/2019/WBA-Championships-Report-August-2019.pdf
- BoxRec: José Argumedo profile and title defenses
- Sky Sports: Argumedo wins the IBF title from Takayama
- ESPN: Kyoguchi defeats Argumedo for the title
