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Philippines, 17 Feb 2026 |
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Ioka vs. Martinez, Stevenson, Zepeda, & Under The Radar Bouts By Chris Carlson PhilBoxing.com Sat, 06 Jul 2024  On paper it appears that 2 of the 3 main events this weekend feature long odds in favor of the ‘A’ side. The one standout as a headliner is a unification bout between Kazuto Ioka and Fernando Martinez. Although this boxing podcaster appreciates Shakur Stevenson and William Zepeda, there are few close-odds bouts flying under the radar. Let’s start with the bigger names than work our way to so some bouts we may be talking about more post fight. The styles should matchup nicely when the first bell rings for Ioka vs. Martinez. Ioka is a solid all-around boxer who can fight at range, bring pressure, and operate at the edge of the pocket. Kazuto has good hand speed and is very crafty with his combinations and footwork. He is both accurate & fluid on offense but can also defend fairly well using a high guard. Fernando Martinez has an exciting brand of boxing that brings aggression and an awkward attack. Martinez is capable of moving his head on the way inside, and then throws short punches up close. Age especially at the smaller weights can play a part so Fernando has that in his favor. Martinez is sitting around a +120 to +135 as a slight underdog. Look for Ioka to attack the body and as he begins to time Martinez offense. If Ioka is able to push Martinez back at times it would be a major boost. Martinez has a habit of pulling straight back and is not all that effective on the move. Another item that stands out is Martinez’s tendency to load up on his punches resulting in wide missed punches. If Ioka can withstand an early onslaught he will be the one landing the cleaner punches as the rounds add up. This one should be nip and tuck until say the 8th or 9th round when Kazuto finds separation. The more experienced well-rounded boxer is Ioka which swings the pendulum towards Kazuto for the win. My Official Prediction is Kazuto Ioka by Majority-Decision. Will Shakur Stevenson make a statement versus Artem Harutyunyan? Artem showed his worth in his last outing against Frank Martin. He did ultimately take a knee costing him the fight. This boxing junkie believes will see a more assertive Shakur looking to land combinations once he becomes comfortable. If victories the big question is where will Stevenson end up as a free agent? My Official Prediction is Shakur Stevenson by Unanimous Decision. William Zepeda is facing an outside boxer in Giovanni Cabrera, who swore up and down that he’ll bring the heat directly to him. Beyond multiple rounds of Zepeda trying to catch up to Cabrera on the outside this one should eventually go William’s way. Cutting off the ring and unloading big punches will eventually take a toll. May be I’ll be wrong but this appears to be a way more one-sided bout then for example Cabrera vs. Pitbull Cruz. One could make the counter point of Cabrera not wanting to engage instead riding his bike all around the ring for 12-rounds, thus not getting stopped. My Official Prediction is William Zepeda by late stoppage. PODCAST LINK: http://tobtr.com/12351302 Side Note: Keep an eye out for multiple bouts many folks in the boxing world aren’t really talking about. O’Shaquie Foster vs. Robson Conceicao, William Foster III vs. Eridson Garcia, Alex Martin vs. Pedro Campa, and Angel Acosta vs. Ricardo Sandoval. My Picks: Foster MD, Foster III SD, Campa MD, Sandoval UD. Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Available at www.blogtalkradio.com/ropeadoperadio Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio Click here to view a list of other articles written by Chris Carlson.  |
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