Ioka’s left hook to the physique discovered the mark a number of occasions. (Picture by Naoki Fukuda)
Fernando ‘Puma’ Martinez and Kazuto Ioka are able to run it again.
A rematch to one of many 12 months’s greatest fights is absolutely in play, as confirmed by Martinez’s group. The defending WBA/IBF junior bantamweight titlist is as soon as once more set to hit the street, as their bout will happen on Dec. 31 in Tokyo, Japan.
Argentina’s Martinez claimed a twelve-round, unanimous resolution over Ioka of their terrific July 7 unification bout at Kokugikan Enviornment in Tokyo. The ultimate scores—116-112, 117-111 and a horrific 120-108 card (Edward Hernandez Sr.)—did by no means mirror the continuous motion that befell.
Nonetheless, Martinez (17-0, 9 knockouts) retained the IBF 115-pound title and received the WBA belt. He additionally surged to the No. 1 slot within the Ring’s junior bantamweight rankings.
Ioka (31-3-1, 16 KOs) is presently No. 3 at 115, whereas Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez (20-0, 13 KOs) is The Ring and WBC champ.
Information of the rematch was confirmed Martinez and Chino Promotions—headed and based by Marcos Maidana—throughout Friday’s ESPN Knockout telecast in Buenos Aires.
The date continues a year-end custom for Ioka, who usually headlines a New 12 months’s Eve card. The four-division titlist first appeared on the date in 2011, when he was an unbeaten strawweight titlist.
Ioka will now enter his thirteenth bout on the festive vacation. All however one have taken place in Japan, with this bout marking his sixth straight year-end look in Tokyo. Ioka is 10-1-1 (7 KOs) in Dec. 31 fights. All have include a serious title at stake.
His loss to Martinez snapped a nine-fight unbeaten streak since his 2018 New 12 months’s Eve defeat to Donnie Nietes in Macau, China. That loss prevented his bid to change into Japan’s first four-division titlist, which he achieved one combat later. Ioka knocked out Aston Palicte within the tenth spherical of their June 2019 WBO 115-pound title combat. He later lifted the WBA title from Joshua Franco of their June 2023 rematch.
Ioka has received titles at 105, 108, 112 and 115. His father, Kazunori Ioka was a professional boxer, as nicely his uncle Hiroki, a former two-division titilist.
Of his preventing household, Kazuto is by far probably the most established. The 35-year-old Osaka-born, Tokyo-based boxer goals so as to add to his unimaginable legacy.
That stated, Martinez nonetheless has loads of targets of his personal to perform.
The unbeaten Argentinean traveled to Japan for the primary time in his win over Ioka. He’d beforehand fought at residence, in Dubai and the U.S., the latter which housed his earlier three bouts.
All got here in title fights, together with his pair of victories over Jerwin Ancajas to win and defend the IBF 115-pound belt. He added an eleventh-round knockout of unbeaten Jade Bornea final June previous to his career-best win over Ioka.
Martinez-Ioka I used to be months within the making. Martinez was in talks with each Ioka and then-Ring/lineal/WBC champ Juan Francisco Estrada (44-4, 28KOs).
Ioka got here up brief in his second bid to change into a two-division unified titlist on the time. He was already Japan’s first ever boxer to win belts in 4 divisions however was denied additional historical past in a Dec. 2022 twelve-round draw versus Joshua Franco. A win would’ve seen Ioka unify the WBA and WBO belts, ten years after his unified WBA/WBC strawweight title reign.
The stalemate carried further repercussions. Ioka was ordered to face countryman Junto Nakatani, however opted to vacate his WBO belt to pursue a Franco rematch. He defeated the San Antonio native final June in Tokyo to win the WBA belt.
Franco is the older brother Rodriguez, The Ring’s No. 5 pound-for-pound fighter. There have been talks of Rodriguez dealing with the Martinez-Ioka winner on the time, as he was ringside for the combat.
Rodriguez will as a substitute enter a sequel of his personal, as Mexico’s Estrada (44-4, 28 KOs), No. 2 at 115, exercised a rematch clause.
Fittingly, Rodriguez-Estrada and Martinez-Ioka befell simply eight days aside. Their respective sequels later this 12 months make for as strong a Closing 4 as you’ll be able to ask for within the sport in the present day.
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