Kazuto Ioka awaits word of whether he will continue with a career-long tradition later this year. For now, another has been confirmed—his status as a defending titlist.
The four-division and reigning 115-pound titlist from Japan is set for his mandatory title defense versus Puerto Rico’s Jeyvier Cintron. A date has yet to be attached to the fight, but BoxingScene.com has been informed by both parties along with the World Boxing Organization (WBO) that a deal was reached and thus avoiding the matter going to a purse bid hearing.
Ioka (24-2, 14KOs) became the first-ever male boxer from Japan and the nation’s second overall (joining Noaka Fujioka) to claim titles in four weight divisions, following a 10th round knockout of Aston Palicte this past June in Chiba, Japan. The win netted him the WBO 115-pound title, doing so on his second try following a 12-round loss to Donnie Nietes last New Year’s Even in Macao.
Philippines’ Nietes vacated the title in lieu of a mandatory title fight rematch with countryman Palicte, opting to instead pursue bigger fights although he’s yet to return to the ring. Ioka was the next highest-rated challenger in line, taking the bout with the understanding that his next fight would be a mandatory defense.
Cintron (11-0, 5KOs) surfaced to that point following a 10-round win over Japan’s Koki Eto in their rematch this past August in Kissimmee, Fla.
The two collided—literally—in the very same venue in late May, their bout ending in bizarre fashion when Eto was ruled a 1st round knockout winner before instant replay utilized at ringside revealed the fight-ending blow to be produced by a headbutt rather than a punch. Cintron—a two-time Olympian for Puerto Rico—made the most of the second change, riding an early and clean knockdown all the way to the finish line.
From there came immediate and direct negotiation between Taku Nagashima, Ioka’s manager and Cintron’s co-promoter Peter Rivera of Puerto Rico Best Boxing Promotions (with Top Rank as the other promoter). The two sides spoke daily—sometimes several times per day—in ultimately coming to an agreement ahead of the WBO-imposed deadline.
Strangely, the bout still awaits official sanctioning by the WBO before being able to move forward with a date and location.
“We’ve agreed to terms more than two weeks ago,” Nagashima confirmed to BoxingScene.com. “We are just waiting on the WBO to move forward.”
Rumors have the bout heading to Japan on New Year’s Eve, though both sides have declined comment on the event’s whereabouts.
Ioka spent seven of the past eight years fighting on New Year’s Eve, all but one taking place in Japan. The tradition began in 2011, his first year as a major titlist when he ruled the strawweight division. His reign ended on a high note, outpointing Akira Yaegashi in their June 2012 unification bout, marking the first-ever such pairing between active titlists from Japan. That year ended with the start of his second title reign, claiming a belt in the junior flyweight division and with the reign ending exactly one year later with a win.
It took two tries for Ioka to claim a flyweight belt, suffering his first career defeat in a May 2013 loss to Amnat Ruenroeng before picking up a separate flyweight strap with an April 2014 win over Juan Carlos Reveco, with two non-title wins—including New Year’s Eve 2013—wedged in between.
Five successful defenses followed before abruptly vacating and subsequently announcing his retirement in late 2017. Nagashima was instrumental in convincing him to return to the ring last September, outpointing Puerto Rico’s McWilliams Arroyo in his U.S. debut—live on HBO in one of the network’s final telecasts—before the aforementioned title fight loss to Nietes last New Year’s Eve.
Cintron will challenge for his first major title as a pro.
The 24-year old–whose team includes legendary Boricua and former two-division titlist Ivan Calderon—has fought exclusively in The Americas through his 2 ½-year pro career. The extent of his globetrotting experience comes from his rich amateur career, which includes a Silver medal in the 2012 Youth World Championships in Armenia, a stint in the World Series of Boxing which took him to Azerbaijan among other locations, along with competing in the 2012 London and 2016 Rio Olympics.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
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