Two of the top fighters at super flyweight competed in a bout this past New Year’s Eve that left fans wanting more. With the fight ending in a controversial draw, there had to be a sequel with a definitive ending. Now Joshua Franco and Kazuto Ioka face off again for a world title.
Franco defends the WBA title against Ioka on June 24. The fight takes place at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
Franco won the belt in 2020 by defeating Andrew Moloney. The 2014 National Championships silver medalist has defended the belt three times. He outpointed Moloney twice and also competed in a no-contest against him.
Ioka won the WBO super flyweight championship in 2019 and defended the belt five times before facing Franco. The first male Japanese fighter to become a four-weight champion, Ioka had his six-fight win streak snapped against the latter.
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Ioka will look to stay unbeaten in the rematch and hopes to walk out with a belt after he relinquished the WBO belt.
Former champions, veterans, and prospects will also compete on the card. Here’s a breakdown of the entire undercard of Joshua Franco vs. Kazuto Ioka 2.
Joshua Franco vs. Kazuto Ioka 2 undercard
Musashi Mori vs. Takuya Watanabe
- Division/Weight: Super Featherweight
- Mori record: 13-1-1
- Watanabe record: 39-11-2
- Belts at stake: N/A
The co-main event will see Musashi Mori vs. Takuya Watanabe. The 23-year-old Mori (13-1-1) turned pro in 2016, and is 1-1-1 in his last three bouts. He drew with Watanabe in March in what was a close contest.
Watanabe (39-11-2) turned pro in 2007. A winner of multiple local titles, the 34-year-old is also 1-1-1 in his last three bouts.
Daigo Higa vs. Sirichai Thaiyen
- Division/Weight: Bantamweight
- Higa record: 19-2-1
- Thaiyen record: 65-4
- Belts at stake: N/A
Daigo Higa faces Sirichai Thaiyen in bantamweight action. Higa (19-2-1) turned pro in 2014 at 18, and posted 17 straight wins by knockout. In 2017, he beat Juan Hernandez Navarrete to win the WBC flyweight title, defending it twice before losing to Cristofer Rosales in 2018.
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The 27-year-old is on a two-fight win streak and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Songsaeng Phoyaem in November.
Thaiyen (65-4) is one of the most active fighters on the card. The 32-year-old turned pro in 2009 and won the interim WBA flyweight title in 2013. He had his 16-fight win streak snapped in 2018 by Artem Dalakian for the full WBA flyweight title. Since then, he has won 15 in a row. Also known as Yodmongkol CP Freshmart, Thaiyen last fought in March, beating Woravit Pinpradab via TKO.
Kantaro Juri vs. Wilbert Berondo
- Division/Weight: Super Flyweight
- Juri record: 4-0-1
- Berondo record: 16-6-2
- Belts at stake: N/A
Kantaro Juri faces Wilbert Berondo. The 27-year-old Juri (4-0-1) turned pro in 2019 and won four bouts in a row to begin his career. In his last bout in September, Juri fought Danrick Sumabong to a draw.
He faces a veteran in Berondo (16-6-2), who turned pro in 2014. "Armagedon" is 3-3 in his last six bouts, losing to Tsubasa Murachi via unanimous decision in October
Shinnosuke Kimoto vs. Prathip Chinram
- Division/Weight: Super Bantamweight
- Kimoto record: 6-6
- Chinram record: 3-3
- Belts at stake:
Further down the card is Shinnosuke Kimoto vs. Prathip Chinram. Kimoto (6-6) lost his first pro fight in 2017. He has since traded wins and losses and is now on a three-fight losing streak. The Japanese fighter last competed in November 2021, losing against Sora Fukunaga.
MORE: How many of the same fighters has Joshua Franco faced?
Chinram (3-3) turned pro in 2022. The 24-year-old is on a two-fight losing streak, with his most recent setback being against Tomoya Kishine in April.
Taiga Tamegai vs. Fumiaki Iwasaki
- Division/Weight: Super Bantamweight
- Tamegai record: 0-1-1
- Iwasaki record: 1-0
- Belts at stake: N/A
Starting things off will be Taiga Tamegai vs. Fumiaki Iwasaki. The 20-year-old Tamegai (0-1-1) turned pro in 2022 and has yet to win a fight. He fought to a draw against Issei Tanaka in April.
The 26-year-old Iwasaki (1-0) won his debut in April, beating Yoshihiro Inoue via TKO.
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When is Joshua Franco vs. Kazuto Ioka 2?
- Date: Saturday, June 24
- Start time: 7 a.m. ET | 4 a.m. PT | 12 p.m. BST | 9 p.m. AEST
- Main event: 9:30 a.m. ET | 6:30 a.m. PT | 2:30 p.m. BST | 11:30 p.m. AEST
Joshua Franco vs. Kazuto Ioka 2 is on June 24. The main card starts at 7 a.m. ET | 4 a.m. PT | 12 p.m. BST | 9 p.m. AEST. Both fighters should make their way to the ring around 9:30 a.m. ET | 6:30 a.m. PT | 2:30 p.m. BST | 11:30 p.m. AEST, depending on how long the undercard fights last.
How to watch Joshua Franco vs. Kazuto Ioka 2
| Region | Date | TV Channel | Streaming |
|
United States |
Sat. June 24 |
TBA |
TBA |
|
United Kingdom |
Sat. June 24 |
TBA |
TBA |
| Australia | Sat. June 24 | TBA |
TBA |