JUNE 24
TOKYO, JAPAN
IN a fight that almost didn’t happen, Kazuto Ioka, 30-2-1 (15), won the WBA super-flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Joshua Franco, 18-2-3 (8).
Ioka had relinquished the WBO belt before the fight and Franco lost his WBA version when he came in 6.7lbs over the 115lbs limit. He was given two hours to lose as much weight as possible, but was still 121¼lbs, so therefore lost the title. Ioka accepted the fight despite the weight difference and now only he could win the title.
This was a fast-paced, wide-open fight contrasting the clever boxing, hand speed and mobility of Franco with the heavier punching and stronger work of Ioka. Franco poured out a stream of punches in every round. He