Kazuto Ioka vs. Ryoji Fukunaga - December 31, 2021

[Ruthless-RKO]

Kazuto Ioka Salvages New Year's Eve Show In Tokyo, Will Now Face Ryoji Fukunaga

Kazuto Ioka has made the best out of an undesirable situation to salvage a decade-long tradition.

The four-division and reigning WBO junior bantamweight titlist will move forward with a New Year’s Eve headliner, though no longer in a title unification bout. Ioka will now face countryman Ryoji Fukunaga, with the event taking place December 31 at Ota-City Gymnasium in Toyko. The fight will air live on TBS-Japan, who formally announced the event Thursday morning.

Fukunaga (15-4, 14KOs) enters his first career title fight while riding a current five-fight win streak. The 35-year-old southpaw from Tokyo was already training for a regional title fight on January 15 when he got the call to face Ioka as event handlers were determined to move forward with the show. Fukunaga replaces IBF junior bantamweight titlist Jerwin Ancajas (33-1-2, 22KOs), who was unable to go through with the fight due to Japan closing its borders to foreign travelers since November 30.

The nationwide travel restriction was enforced to prevent the spread of coronavirus variant Omicron, resulting in two significant year-end boxing events taking a hit. It hasn’t stopped Ioka from moving forward with his tenth career New Year’s Eve fight, nine of which have taken place in Japan.

The nation’s only male boxer to win titles in four weight divisions, Ioka began the tradition in 2011—his first year as a major titlist when he won the WBC strawweight belt earlier that February. The 32-year-old from Osaka—who is now based out of Tokyo—is 8-1 on the date, his lone loss coming in a split decision defeat to Donnie Nietes in their December 2018 vacant WBO junior bantamweight title fight in Macau, the only New Year’s Eve fight for Ioka to not take place in his home country.

Ioka claimed the belt in his next fight, stopping Philippines’ Aston Palicte in the tenth round of their June 2019 clash in Chiba, Japan. Ioka made history for Japan, becoming the nation’s first and only male boxer to win titles in four or more weight divisions and just the second Japanese boxer overall to do so, joining female boxing legend and five-division titlist Naojo Fujioka.

This upcoming bout marks Ioka’s fourth in a row at Ota-City Gymnasium and third straight New Year’s Eve headliner at the famed venue. Ioka secured probably his best career win at this location one year ago, a one-sided eighth-round knockout of countryman Kosei Tanaka, an unbeaten three-division titlist who aimed to join Ioka in Japan’s record books.

In his most recent start, Ioka outpointed former strawweight titlist Francisco ‘Chihuas’ Rodriguez in a mandatory title defense this past September 1 at the same location that will house his fourth attempted title defense.

[margaret thatcher]

man, so many good fights cancelled lately

[Cutman Scabbers]

Looking forward to this one

[Ruthless-RKO]

This Friday

[Cutman Scabbers]

Upset of the year on the last night of the year... ?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Stats & Stakes

Kazuto Ioka

Age: 32
Current Titles: WBO Jr. Bantamweight (2019-Present, 3 Defenses)
Previous Titles: WBC Minimumweight (2011-12, 3 Defenses); WBA Minimumweight (2012); WBA Light Flyweight (2014*); WBA Flyweight (2016-17, 2 Defenses)
Height: 5’4 ½
Weight: 114 3/4 lbs.
Stance: Orthodox
Hails from: Tokyo, Japan
Record: 27-2, 15 KO
Press Rankings: #3 (TBRB, Ring), #4 (ESPN, BoxRec)
Record in Major Title Fights: 10-2, 5 KO (18-2, 11 KO including WBA sub-title fights)
Last Five Opponents: 126-7-7 (.925)
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; Aston Palicte TKO10; Jeyvier Cintron UD12; Kosei Tanaka TKO8; Francisco Rodriguez Jr. UD12
Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: Juan Hernandez UD 12; Amnat Ruenroeng L12

vs.

Ryoji Fukunaga

Age: 35
Title/Previous Titles:
Height: 5’6
Weight: 114 3/4 lbs.
Stance: Southpaw
Hails from: Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
Record: 15-4, 14 KO, 1 KOBY
Press Rankings: Unranked
Record in Major Title Fights: 1st Title Opportunity
Last Five Opponents: 80-15-3 (.831)
Notable Outcomes, TBRB and/or Ring Rated Foes: None
Additional Current/Former Titlists Faced: None

[Lightsoot]

According to Boxing Scene, this will be streamed live on TBS Japan’s You Tube channel. Don’t know if you can find a link, Ruthless?

Starts at 6.30pm local time.

[Ruthless-RKO]

According to Boxing Scene, this will be streamed live on TBS Japan’s You Tube channel. Don’t know if you can find a link, Ruthless?

Starts at 6.30pm local time.

I'm not usually good at finding foreign streams via YouTube. Will have a look tomorrow morning.

Maybe Boxing Prospect can help us out.

6pm Local in Japan will be 9am UK time which is me, and 4am ET in US.

I will look tonight before I sleep.

[Lightsoot]

According to Boxing Scene, this will be streamed live on TBS Japan’s You Tube channel. Don’t know if you can find a link, Ruthless?

Starts at 6.30pm local time.

I'm not usually good at finding foreign streams via YouTube. Will have a look tomorrow morning.

Maybe Boxing Prospect can help us out.

6pm Local in Japan will be 9am UK time which is me, and 4am ET in US.

I will look tonight before I sleep.

No worries, thanks pal.

[Boxing Prospect]

TBS is available via YoiTV, which is currently doing 30 day free trials internationally (just google YoiTV, grab a code and download, and viola, easy as pie)

The app also has Fuji for RIZIN fans today
And lets you have a few days of TV on Demand... SASUKE was on December 28th, enjoy that!

[Ruthless-RKO]

Someone has done this via their TV.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Someone wrote Ioka is losing

[margaret thatcher]

Someone wrote Ioka is losing

they were wrong, maybe they only started watching late and thought the whole fight went like that

[Ruthless-RKO]

Ioka won

[Autobarn]

Good fight?

[margaret thatcher]

ioka won like 7 of the first 8 rounds probably. but then gassed a bit and fuku came on and gave him a real good fight down the stretch and was bullying him around at times. not one of iokas better showings tbh

[Finkel]

ioka won like 7 of the first 8 rounds probably. but then gassed a bit and fuku came on and gave him a real good fight down the stretch and was bullying him around at times. not one of iokas better showings tbh

Not sure about that. Ioka was getting tagged more heavily in the opening rounds by combinations and generally just touching Fukunaga one shot at a time in the opening two. Ioka was generally the far more accurate throughout but was retreating a lot due to the power difference especially in the championship rounds.

I thought it was a very close fight that a narrow SD win for either fighter wouldn't have been unwarranted. Personally I scored it a draw. That 118-110 card was terrible, though. But it was expected given the whole televised promotion was geared in support of Ioka.

Happy New Year, btw