By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Previously four-division champ Kazuto Ioka (30-2-1, 15 KOs), 114.75, Japan, acquired the WBA super flyweight belt when he defeated former titlist Joshua Franco (18-2-3-1NC, 8 KOs), 121.5, by a unanimous decision over twelve fast rounds on Saturday in Tokyo, Japan. Franco had been stripped of his belt because of his failure to make weight, and Ioka thus won the belt despite a big weight difference by 6.75 pounds. The official tallies were as follows: Guillermo Perez Pineda (Panama) and Giuseppe Quartarone (Italy) both 116-112, and Pawel Kardyni (Poland) 115-113, all for the 34-year-old Japanese challenger. Referee was Luis Pabon (Puerto Rico).

Despite Ioka’s victory our impression on this title bout was in fact so complex and complicated that we couldn’t burst into pleasure or joy. We had a couple of very serious reasons. The Japan Boxing Commission (JBC), just four days before the fight (June 21), abruptly announced that Ioka had tested positive for marijuana, not performance enhancer, for his first Franco bout last December, but the quantity was so small under the WADA standard level that it would go on as scheduled. What a mental shock Ioka took then and there!

Another shock wave came from the defending champ Franco’s unexpectedly big overweight by 6.75 pounds—Franco 121.5 and Ioka 114.75 prior to the 115-pound title go. Why on earth could Franco come into the weigh-in with such a heavy weight? Boxing is a game under the weight categories that professional boxers should respect each other with their pride and professionalism.

Just before the main event a rumor was heard at the press box that Franco might quit during a fight. But it didn’t happen but the dethroned ex-champ Joshua fought much better than we expected after his overweight fiasco. It might be because Franco actually didn’t pay any effort to reduce the weight from 121.8 and his official weight was no less than 121.5 pounds. This isn’t a super bantam bout but a super fly fight.

The first round saw Franco moving well and peppering fast jabs to the peek-a-boo stylist Ioka, who blocked almost all and sometimes connected with short combinations. Joshua’s fight plan might be to throw many light punches without putting the weight behind his punches—to save his energy throughout the contest. It was Ioka that landed short combos upstairs and downstairs more accurately than Franco in rounds two and three.

Franco, in the fifth, sustained a cut over the right eyebrow caused by Ioka’s legal shots as Kazuto turned more aggressive and traded punches with him toe-to-toe with a little more precision. Ioka was also in command in the sixth as he turned loose with hot combinations in the last minute of the round.

Ioka’s policy was not to retreat but to go forward thanks to his previous lesson given by his first encounter. It was true that Franco sometimes threw many punches in combination but he failed to catch the target with precision because of Ioka’s excellent defense and reflexes.

It was Ioka that swept the last three rounds—as scored by a majority of the judges in each round. Simply Ioka was more accurate, while Franco often missed the target throughout the fast-moving contest.

Unbruised as usual, the triumphant Ioka jubilantly said, “Various things happened before the fight, but it’s good that I could regain the super fly belt, beating Franco in a rematch. I’m definitely clear, fair and square in the doping accusation. I just wonder why the JBC made such an announcement just some days before the bout. I didn’t care about the weight difference because I mentally concentrate on winning the belt back. I concentrate on it. I wish to exchange punches with the WBC champion Juan Estrada next.”

Crestfallen and dejected, the loser Franco briefly said, “I don’t like to make any excuse on my failure to make weight, but I only say Ioka was better tonight. He was mentally tough. I don’t like to say my overweight was caused by Ioka’s doping problem.”

Reviewing Ioka’s standing position, the super flyweight category is dominated by other champions such as WBO ruler Junto Nakatani, IBF titlist Fernando Martinez and WBC kingpin Estrada. Ioka, 34, is an excellent tactician and technician, but the other aforementioned champions are all strong and younger than him. We would like to watch Ioka’s blue print since he strongly says he will go on fighting.

Promoter: Shisei Promotions.

WBA supervisor: Carlos Chavez (Venezuela).