On New Year’s Eve, they gave us a hell of a show. (photo by Naoki Fukuda)

There was no official winner. 

There was ample debate with some feeling strongly Joshua Franco had done enough with his higher output. Others liked the precision work of Kazuto Ioka. On Saturday in Japan, they will do it again.

That should be enough to stand out as the fight of the week, even without a formal US outlet available for the fight. It’s not. The latest chapter in a magnificent era at Jr. bantamweight is weighed down by the scale. 

Franco was unable to make weight for the contest, reportedly informing the Ioka camp earlier in the week and making plans to go ahead with the bout anyways. For this 115-pound title fight, a fight where Ioka can win the WBA belt but Franco has already lost it on the scale, Franco came in just shy of the Jr. featherweight limit of 122 lbs. 

A rehydration agreement has already kept Franco below 130 lbs. Is that even enough? Should the fight go forward? Ioka thinks so and can be rewarded for his willingness.   

Let’s get into it. 

Stats and Stakes

Kazuto Ioka

Age: 34

Current Titles: None

Previous Titles: WBC Minimumweight (2011-12, 3 Defenses); WBA Minimumweight (2012); WBA Light Flyweight (2014*); WBA Flyweight (2016-17, 2 Defenses; WBO Jr. Bantamweight (2019-23, 6 Defenses)

Height: 5’4 ½    

Weight: 114 ¾  lbs.

Stance: Orthodox

Hails from: Tokyo, Japan

Record: 29-2-1, 15 KO

Press Rankings: #2 (TBRB, Ring), #3 (ESPN, BoxRec)

Record in Major Title Fights: 12-2-1, 5 KO (20-2-1, 11 KO including WBA sub-title fights)

Last Five Opponents: 125-10-9 (.899)

Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Oleydong Sithsamerchai TKO5; Akira Yaegashi UD12; Felix Alvarado UD12; Juan Carlos Reveco MD12, TKO11; McWilliams Arroyo UD10; Donnie Nietes L12, UD12; Aston Palicte TKO10; Jeyvier Cintron UD12; Kosei Tanaka TKO8; Francisco Rodriguez Jr. UD12; Joshua Franco D12

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: Juan Hernandez UD 12; Amnat Ruenroeng L12

*Ioka won sub-versions of the WBA belts at Jr. flyweight and flyweight only to be elevated when primary titlists Roman Gonzalez and Juan Francisco Estrada vacated those belts, respectively. Title reign dates reflect those moves.

Vs.

Joshua Franco

Age: 27

Title: WBA Super Flyweight (2022-Present, 1 Defense*)

Previous Titles: None

Height: 5’4   

Weight: 121 ¼ lbs.

Stance: Orthodox

Hails from: San Antonio, Texas

Record: 18-1-3, 8 KO, 1 KOBY

Press Rankings: #3 (TBRB), #4 (ESPN, Ring), #7 (BoxRec)

Record in Major Title Fights: 0-0-1 (2-0-1, 1 No Contest including sub-title fights) 

Last Five Opponents: 109-6 (.948)

Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: Andrew Moloney UD12, NC2, UD12; Kazuto Ioka D12

Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: N/A  

*Joshua won the WBA sub-title in the division in 2020 from Andrew Moloney in 2020 and has defended it twice. He was elevated to primary WBA titlist when Juan Fracisco Estrada’s claim to the title was vacated in 2022.

The Pick: The first fight was an excellent clash of styles the first time and might be again but one has to question just what kind of shape Franco is in. If he’s in otherwise good condition but couldn’t get to weight, he will present a high volume attack with a massive weight advantage. If he was physically limited from being able to make weight, and isn’t at peak performance, the extra weight could be an albatross against an Ioka trained to his normal sharpness. If Franco were a bigger puncher, the size might feel like a more substantial factor. He’s not and that makes speed and accuracy the more important factors. Ioka was able to pick off and slip a lot of shots while replying with smart counters in the first fight. The thinking is he does the same here and with more rounds in the bank as he goes. The pick is Ioka by decision. 

Additional Weekend Picks

Julian Williams Dec. Carlos Adames

Fernando Martinez Dec. Jade Bornea

Rold Picks 2023: 20-6

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, a member of the International Boxing Research Organization, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com