Gone the days, perhaps, when Fighting Harada stood alone atop the center pedestal in the pantheon of great Japanese fighters?
Kazuto Ioka will defend his WBA World flyweight title against Roberto Domingo Sosa over a scheduled 12 rounds at the Prefectural Gymnasium in Osaka, Japan, on September 27.
A resident of Osaka, 26-year-old Ioka is a six-year pro (17-1, 10 KOs) who won the title in his most recent fight, decisioning Juan Carlos Reveco in April of this year. In addition, Ioka won the vacant Japanese light flyweight title in October 2010 by stopping Masayoshi Segawa via 10th-round TKO, the WBC World mimimumweight title in February 2011 by stopping Oleydong Sithsamerchai via fifth-round TKO, the WBA World minimumweight title in June 2012 by decisioning Akira Yaegashi, and that sanctioning body?s vacant World light flyweight title in December 2012 by stopping Jose Alfredo Rodriguez via sixth-round TKO. Ioka?s only loss came in May 2014, decisioned by Amnat Ruenroeng in his unsuccessful bid for the IBF World flyweight title.
An Argentine, 30-year-old Sosa turned pro nine years ago (26-2-1, 14 KOs), winning the vacant WBA Fedelatin super flyweight title in November 2007 by retiring Ariel Humberto Alassia in the third and again in June 2009 by stopping Elvis Garcia via eighth-round TKO. In addition, he scored both Argentina?s and South America?s super flyweight championships by decisioning Santiago Ivan Acosta in November 2009, the vacant WBC Latino flyweight title by decisioning Carlos Ariel Farias in February 2014, and the interim WBO Latino super flyweight title this March by decisioning Carlos Ruben Dario Ruiz. ?Incho? came up short in his try for the vacant IBF World super flyweight title, losing to Juan Carlos Sanchez Jr. by unanimous decision in June 2013. His second loss came by way of Diego Luis Pichardo Liriano, who won by split decision in November 2014. Sosa most recently fought in July, drawing against Javier Nicolas Chacon.
If the Japanese is victorious next month (a pretty safe bet), there?ll be a rematch between him and Reveco on New Year?s Eve.
Kazuto is the nephew of former WBC minimumweight and WBA light flyweight champ, Hiroki Ioka, who fought from 1986 to 1998 (33-8-1, 17 KOs). But Kazuto is a hero of Japanese boxing in his own right. And he?s not alone. Others include super flyweights Naoya Inoue (8-0, 7 KOs), younger brother Takuma Inoue (5-0, 1 KO), and Sho Ishida (19-0, 10 KOs); bantamweights Ryo Matsumoto (14-0, 12 KOs) and Shinsuke Yamanaka (23-0-2, 17 KOs); super featherweights Rikki Naito (13-0, 5 KOs) and the phenomenal Takashi Uchiyama (23-0-1, 19 KOs); and minimumweight Kosei Tanaka (5-0, 2 KOs).
Gone the days, perhaps, when Hall of Famer Fighting Harada stood alone atop the center pedestal in the pantheon of great Japanese fighters.
