By Joe Koizumi
Photos by Boxing Beat
WBA super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka (30-2-1, 15 KOs) will defend his newly acquired belt against WBA#8 Venezuelan Josber Perez (20-3, 18 KOs) in Tokyo, Japan, on New Year’s Eve. His first defense will take place at Ota-city General Gymnasium. It was publicly announced by Shisei Promotions on Monday with an on-line appearance of the challenger Perez. Originally expected to make a long-awaited unification bout with WBC counterpart Juan Francisco Estrada on the year-end card, but the negotiation finally fell through and then Ioka’s initial defense since his acquisition of the WBA belt from Joshua Franco this June–against Perez–became an alternative card.
Ioka said at the press conference, “I had been highly motivated to fight Estrada, but I wish to fight on the customary New Year’s Eve and win over Perez very convincingly.” Perez, who once had an ambitious crack at WBA flyweight kingpin Artem Dalakian only to lose on points in February 2020, confidently said, “I’ve been always training to welcome any sudden offer to come, and wish to bring the world belt back to Venezuela.” It will be our pleasure that we can watch Ioka fight before the prosperous 2024 comes, wishing a good entertaining fight.
I was really looking forward to Ioka – Estrada, but at least Ioka is getting out again. I’m presuming Estrada is taking the entire year off, however, which is awful.