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Kazuto Ioka Victorious, World Champion Again
By Carlos Costa
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 24 Jun 2023
In an exciting 12-round battle, Japanese 4-division champion Kazuto Ioka 井岡一翔 (30-2-1, 15 KO's) defeated American Joshua Franco (18-2-3, 8 KO's) to conquer the WBA Super Flyweight World Title Saturday, June 24, in Tokyo.
Official scores for the hard-fought war were 115-113 and 116-112 (twice).
With superior boxing, stamina and heart, the 34-year-old Kazuto Ioka from Tokyo dominated the overweight Joshua Franco to claim a clear, well-deserved victory at home.
Joshua, who at times bled during the war, displayed bravery and willingness to triumph, winning some rounds, but his charges were dominated by the left uppercuts, skills and fighting spirit of the popular Japanese star.
Guided by famed Cuban coach Ismael Salas, Kazuto Ioka displayed fantastic boxing, fully enjoyed by fans at the Ota-City General Gym in Tokyo, live on ABEMA TV PPV.
It has been written that "Kazuto Ioka is the Rolls Royce of Boxing," and today is showed.
And now that Kazuto Ioka is the Super Flyweight world champion again, who would you like to see him against with next?
Would you like to see Ioka unifying belts with Japanese WBO 115 champ Junto Nakatani (25-0, 19 KO's, the KO artist who stopped Andrew Moloney in the last round in dramatic fashion?
Or Ioka against Juan Francisco "Gallo" Estrada, if the Mexican is available, or against veteran Nicaraguan star "Chocolatito" Gonzalez, or against the winner of "Puma" Martinez vs Jade "Hurricane" Bornea?
And finally, what Pinoy Super Flyweight Warrior would have more chances against Kazuto Ioka: Jay-R Raquinel, KJ Cataraja, or Adrian Lerasan? Who would you pick?
The author Carlos Costa from Panama is a veteran boxing reporter. Carlos can be reached at carlos@philboxing.com
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Carlos Costa.
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