A foundational agreement has been established to arrange a title unification fight in the junior bantamweight division, featuring Japan's seasoned champion Kazuto Ioka and Argentina's Fernando Martinez. This eagerly anticipated match is set to take place in Japan in the early days of July, as disclosed by a key official engaged in the discussions on Thursday.
Martinez, at the age of 32, claimed the IBF title with a victory over Jerwin Ancajas from the Philippines in 2022, followed by another win via unanimous decision eight months later. After defending his title with an 11th-round TKO against Jade Bornea in June, Martinez has now secured a unification match against the decorated Ioka, a 35-year-old WBA super-flyweight titleholder.
This unification battle is scheduled shortly after WBC junior bantamweight champion Juan Francisco Estrada is set to defend his title against flyweight champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez in Glendale, Arizona.
The bout between Ioka and Martinez will be promoted by Japan’s Shisei Promotions, with Martinez being a fighter under America’s TGB Promotions. Ioka, a victor across three divisions, is preparing for his 26th championship fight, having previously conquered the minimumweight and flyweight divisions. Since 2018, Ioka has participated in ten junior bantamweight championship fights, claiming victories over renowned fighters such as McWilliams Arroyo, Donnie Nietes, and Joshua Franco.
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