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Joshua Franco, Kazuto Ioka Fight To Majority Draw In WBA/WBO Title Unification Bid

Joshua Franco, Kazuto Ioka Fight To Majority Draw In WBA/WBO Title Unification Bid

Jake Donovan

•Dec 31, 2022

Joshua Franco and Kazuto Ioka will begin 2023 the same way as this year ended—with their respective title reigns intact. The final title fight of 2022 failed to produce a winner as the pair of junior bantamweight titlists fought to a twelve-round, majority draw. Franco managed to win by score of 115-113 on the dissenting card, overruled by matching scores of 114-114 to produce a stalemate in the WBA/WBO unification bout Saturday evening at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

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Kazuto Ioka-Joshua Franco: Stats & Stakes

Kazuto Ioka-Joshua Franco: Stats & Stakes

Cliff Rold

•Dec 31, 2022

The last big fight of 2022 is here, happening in a division that has delivered the goods as often as any class in the sport over the last near decade. This year, we found out the Jr. bantamweight golden era isn’t over yet. The New Year’s Eve result from Japan will set the

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Ioka: I Want To Unify The Four Titles To Prove I Am The Best In This Weight Class

Ioka: I Want To Unify The Four Titles To Prove I Am The Best In This Weight Class

Jake Donovan

•Dec 30, 2022

A win on Saturday for Kazuto Ioka will once again see his name etched in the record books. It’s far from his end game, however. Japan’s lone-ever male four-division titlist is set for his WBO/WBA junior bantamweight unification bout versus visiting Joshua Franco. The two-belt takes place this Saturday on TBS-Japan (5:00 p.m. local time/3:00 a.m. ET). With a victory, the 33-year-old Ioka would become the only Japanese fighter to unify at least two belts in two separate weight divisions, having previously done so at strawweight.

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'Bam' Rodriguez: Never Seen My Brother Look This Good

'Bam' Rodriguez: Never Seen My Brother Look This Good

Jake Donovan

•Dec 30, 2022

Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez has emerged as a breakout star over the course of the past year. The only thing left for the San Antonio native to do in 2022 is to watch his older brother join him in the winner’s circle. Joshua Franco—Rodriguez’s older brother by two years—will have to overcome a 16-month inactive stretch and a partisan crowd ahead of his WBA/WBO junior bantamweight title unification match versus Kazuto Ioka.

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Franco: Would Be Badass For Bam And Me To Become Undisputed Together, Very Possible For Us

Franco: Would Be Badass For Bam And Me To Become Undisputed Together, Very Possible For Us

Jake Donovan

•Dec 30, 2022

Joshua Franco was thrilled to see younger brother Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez join him on the title stage earlier this year, even if it meant the two sharing the stage in a competitive junior bantamweight division.

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Ioka: Every Fight I Have On New Year's Eve Is A Special Memory

Ioka: Every Fight I Have On New Year's Eve Is A Special Memory

Jake Donovan

•Dec 30, 2022

Kazuto Ioka couldn’t be more thrilled with the circumstances under which he continues his annual boxing tradition. The four-division and reigning WBO junior bantamweight champion headlines a New Year’s Eve boxing event for the eleventh time in his storied career. This Saturday will mark his tenth such occasion to take place in Japan, with his WBO/WBA unification bout versus San Antonio’s Joshua Franco topping the year-end bill at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

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Kazuto Ioka Makes Weight On Second Attempt, Joshua Franco Hits Mark On First Try

Kazuto Ioka Makes Weight On Second Attempt, Joshua Franco Hits Mark On First Try

Jake Donovan

•Dec 29, 2022

The final title fight of 2022 is officially set. Kazuto Ioka needed two tries and had to strip down to his birthday suit to hit the 115-pound mark for his New Year’s Eve showdown with Joshua Franco. There was no such issue for the visiting Franco, who was approximately 114 ¾ pounds for their WBA/WBO junior bantamweight title unification clash Saturday at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

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Franco on Ioka Unification: I've Been Off 16 Months But Always Been Ready For A Fight Like This

Franco on Ioka Unification: I've Been Off 16 Months But Always Been Ready For A Fight Like This

Jake Donovan

•Dec 29, 2022

For all the talent in his weight division, Joshua Franco always banked on landing a significant opponent for his next fight. There was a point where he thought it would be a title consolidation clash with Juan Francisco Estrada, who instead opted to vacate his version of the WBA junior bantamweight crown. The move left Franco—previously a secondary titleholder—as the lone WBA 115-pound titlist, but also without an opponent after having already not fought since last August.

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Ioka vs. Franco: The Last Dance of 2022

Ioka vs. Franco: The Last Dance of 2022

Cliff Rold

•Dec 29, 2022

In the US, the substantive boxing year is all but done but that’s only one piece of a global sports scene. Boxing’s year is never really done until Father Time hands off the baton as the clock strikes twelve. New Year’s Eve usually means at least one big card in Japan. 2022 is no different with the last of a flurry of unification clashes set to close the door on this fistic season.

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Estrada On Ioka-Franco: Whoever Wins Is Fine; Would Love To Unify Against Ioka

Estrada On Ioka-Franco: Whoever Wins Is Fine; Would Love To Unify Against Ioka

Jake Donovan

•Dec 28, 2022

The final title fight of 2022 will include Juan Francisco Estrada among the most interested observers. Mexico’s Estrada has every intention of scouting the Kazuto Ioka-Joshua Franco WBA/WBO junior bantamweight unification bout, which takes place on December 31 on TBS-Japan from Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. The bout takes place four weeks after Estrada regained his WBC 115-pound title while successfully defending the division’s lineal championship following his repeat win over Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez on December 3 in Glendale, Arizona.

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