Kazuto Ioka crowned himself a champion once more after vacating his WBO title so he could focus on pursuing a rematch with Joshua Franco. The two had been locked into a split-decision draw on December 31st, and a match was soon arranged for June 24th in Ioka’s home country of Japan at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo. Ioka won the match by unanimous decision with scorecards of 116-112 (twice) and 115-113.
The WBA Super Flyweight title that had previously been held by Joshua Franco (18-2-3, 8 KO’s) had been relinquished after Franco missed weight for his fight with Kazuto Ioka (30-2-1, 15 KO’s). Nevertheless, it was Ioka who would end up with the title in his hands after defeating American Joshua Franco after 12 rounds.
The match showed a different fight that had occurred last time on December 31st. With Joshua Franco apparently dealing with some weight issues due to him missing weight, this became more apparent throughout the fight as Franco threw an almost record number of missed punches.
Like his previous fight, Kazuto Ioka made sure the fight was up close and worked his way onto the body as much as he could. Joshua Franco, who himself has been no stranger to fights close up, looked out of form as his punches failed to either have the desired impact as they landed, or failed to reach Ioka due to the Japanese fighter’s head movement and footwork.
Franco’s stamina and work rate seemed to trickle off in the later rounds though there was no lack of effort on his part throughout the bout. But it was apparent that the fight would end in a certain win for Ioka by the 8th round as the Japanese fighter maintained keen focus against a lagging and slower Franco. At the end of the 12th round, Kazuto Ioka was announced the winner by unanimous decision.
Though he produced a confident and efficient performance, there was a clear case of Kazuto Ioka fighting a somewhat diminished opponent this time around. However, the Japanese fighter showed his experience and skillset and may have been disappointed not to be able to finish off Joshua Franco given the opportunities that presented itself throughout the fight.
Joshua Franco, being the bigger man on the night, had attempted to pressure and essentially ‘bully’ Kazuto Ioka but seemed to lack the condition to equal his work rate and Ioka edged most of the rounds due to his effectiveness.
