Peter Rivera, promoter for Puerto Rico's Jeyvier Cintrón, says his boxer should not be disappointed by the setback he suffered in Japan on Tuesday against WBO 115-pound champion Kazuto Ioka.

Rivera expects the Bayamon fighter to return to action in March.

Cintron, who had his first world title opportunity, faced a 30-year-old veteran fighter in Ioka, who is a four division champion with world titles at 105, 108, 112 and 115 pounds. He is the only Japanese fighter in history to have won titles in four different divisions.

Ioka won by unanimous decision with scores of 116-112, 116-112 and 115-113, improving his mark to 25-2 with 14 knockouts . The fight was staged at the Ota-City General Gymnasyum in Tokyo, Japan.

“Overall it was a competitive fight. The early rounds Jeyvier won them slightly comfortable. But you have to give credit to Ioka, who is a solid champion and knew how to impose his fight plan,” said Peter Rivera, vice president of Puerto Rico Best Boxing Promotions, to Antolin Maldonado Rios.

"He worked a lot on the body and neutralized Jeyvier a bit. We have to see now when the new rankings come out and in what position Jeyvier will have in the rankings. He was number one (in the WBO) and it is normal that after losing he goes down.

"But he did not receive a lot of punches. It was a job that Ioka did to the body. And when a fighter doesn't take many hits, he tends to recover faster from a fight. I think it should reappear at the end of March. ”

Cintron's record is now 11-1 with five knockouts and a 'no contest'.

“I have faith that he will become champion at the time. The important thing is that he made a great demonstration and this serves as an experience,” added Rivera. “Jeyvier is in good health. Of course, he would have liked to win. But we hope to resume plans at the end of March and if possible we will return to action. And in the summer we will look for another important fight. I will do my best to get him another opportunity (at a title).”