A rematch of a late 2022 thriller takes place at Ota-City Central Gymnasium in Japan this Saturday, as hometown hero Kazuto Ioka looks to secure the vacant WBA super flyweight world title against Joshua Franco.
The WBA super flyweight title will be on the line for Ioka only, as the holder Franco weighed in over six pounds over the 115 pound limit, and he has been stripped of his belt as a result.
The two fought to an absorbing majority draw back in December 2022, and a rematch was a natural, but this time the WBO belt will not be on the line, as Ioka chose to vacate the title to secure the Franco sequel.
Franco (18-1-3, 8 KOs) took the WBA belt left behind by Juan Estrada in June 2020, when he dropped and narrowly outscored Andrew Moloney in the Las Vegas bubble, and, after a rematch proved unsatisfactory due to a clash of heads, the pair met for a third time in August 2021.
The 27-year-old would again reign supreme, this time taking a more handsome points win in Tulsa, before fighting to a majority draw with Ioka (29-2-1, 15 KOs).
The 34-year-old is a four-weight world champion, having won straps in divisions from minimumweight up to super flyweight in a stellar career.
The Japan native moved up to super flyweight in 2018, and after losing a WBO title fight on the cards to Donnie Nietes, he won the vacant crown in June 2019 with a tenth round stoppage of Aston Palicte.
Five defences followed, including a revenge win over Nietes, before the stalemate with Franco.
Mori rematches Watanabe
Another rematch heads the undercard. Musashi Mori (13-1-1, 7 KOs) fought to a 114-114 draw across all three scorecards against Takuya Watanabe (39-11-2, 22 KOs), and the pair face off again, with the vacant OPBF super featherweight title the prize for the victor.
Prediction: I think Mori can shade a points win this time around.
Remaining Undercard
Former flyweight world champion, Daigo Higa (19-2-1, 17 KOs) is also in action, and he can take a ten round points win at bantamweight against the experienced Yodmongkol CP Freshmart (65-4, 43 KOs).
In eight rounders, Kantaro Juri (4-0-1, 2 KOs) can see off Wilbert Berondo (16-6-2, 6 KO) on the cards at super flyweight, and Shinnosuke Kimono (6-6, 2 kOs) can stop Prathip Chinram (3-3, 1 KO) at super bantamweight.
The sole four rounder also comes at super bantamweight, where Fumiaki Iwasaki (1-0, 1 KO) can outscore Taiga Tamegai (0-1-1).
