Ioka: There was no difference in Franco’s skill and mental strength

Ioka: There was no difference in Franco’s skill and mental strength

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Japanese star Kazuto Ioka was disappointed with his performance Saturday night when he fought Joshua Franco in a 12-round majority draw in the super flyweight unification bout at the Tokyo General Gymnasium.

Two of the official judges scored 114-114, and one judge 115-113 in favor of Franco.

Franco held the World Boxing Association title, while Ioka retained the World Boxing Association title for the sixth time.

Ioke was aiming to become the first Japanese fighter to become a unified world champion in two weight classes.

In June 2012, Ioka defeated Yaegashi to unify the WBA and WBC minimumweight world titles.

Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico, the World Boxing Council super flyweight champion, was watching from ringside.

The match was certainly close, but it was Franco who picked up the momentum in the second half.

Ioka, 33 (29-2-1, 15 knockouts), is on a six-game winning streak since losing a decision to Donny Nietes in 2018. rematch.

The Japanese veteran admits Franco’s boxing style was difficult to deal with.

Ioka said, “I’m sorry that I couldn’t live up to your expectations. I thought I had the advantage in the middle of the match. Because of his technique and mental strength, I couldn’t show a clear difference.”

At this time, there is no indication if a rematch will take place in the future.

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