After unifying the WBC and WBA minimumweight titles, undefeated 23-year-old Japanese boxing star Kazuto Ioka has decided to vacate his WBC title, avoiding a mandatory clash with WBC Silver minimumweight champion and mandatory challenger Denver “The Excitement” Cuello (aka Denver Cuello-Singwangcha). Ioka defeated former WBA champ Akira Yaegashi in his backyard in Osaka last June 20 by a close unanimous decision verdict. But after being asked to vacate either belt by the WBC to answer to their waiting mandatory fights, Ioka chose to forego the challenge of facing Cuello by opting to vacate his WBC crown.
Cuello has been calling out Ioka for more than a year, promising to hand the Japanese his first ever loss and knockout. “If he fights me, he won’t finish a round against me. If he feels my punches, he’s not going to want to continue,” Cuello told this scribe and Philboxing.com writer Chito Katangkatang.
Cuello took on all challengers emerging as the Interim champ, and even took on a title eliminator bout in Mexico and dispatched Mexican Ganigan Lopez by TKO in 2 rounds. But instead of stepping up to the challenge, Ioka has decided to walk away from his mandatory bout, and relinquish his title whatsoever. “He shouldn’t be able to run away from me now, since I am the mandatory challenger for his WBC belt,” Cuello said and added, “I don’t care where we fight. I want it to be in Las Vegas, but if he wants to embarrass himself in front of his countrymen, I will fight him in Japan.”
Cuello is waiting for the WBC’s decision on the matter, and is open to challenge and fight anyone, and even expressed his desire to move up to 108 to fight WBA jr. flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez, while Team Ioka themselves has stated that they will be moving up to 108.
