By Joe Koizumi

WBA super flyweight kingpin, unbeaten Argentine Fernando Martinez (17-0, 9 KOs) arrived in Tokyo, Japan on Friday for his revancha (rematch) with ex-IBF champ Kazuto Ioka (31-3-1, 16 KOs) on New Year’s Eve.

The confident-looking Martinez, two years his junior at 33, said, “I have been training in my country two months and in the US a month before coming here. This time the fight will end two rounds earlier than our first encounter (a unanimous decision victory for Fernando this July).” Does it mean he’ll finish Ioka in ten rounds or less?

Martinez is a prohibitive favorite even in Japan due to his impressive performance last time.