Kazuto Ioka vs. Maikel Juvéncio Ordosgoitti Berenguel & Daiya Kira vs. Iván García Balderas RBR

Ioka moves to now 32-4-1 (17) and, I believe, a top 5 ranking at 118lbs by the WBA.

His primary target is WBA titlist Seiya Tsutsumi, and failing that (or next up after it) WBC belt holder Takuma Inoue - both countrymen, and both of which probably would make for huge domestic events in the new year.

 

I like that in Japan they don't call them eliminators but (lit. trans.) "Determination Matches".

It's just so very Japanese.

 

Guess they're down to just Carlos Cañizales and Albert Ramírez again... and oh yeah, didn't Ooze Cat recently start a comeback?

 

Looks like Saavedra righted the ship by stopping Mikkel Nielsen this year. Take it the robbery was the draw with Tapia in 2024?

 

Half an hour on, and not so much as even a short clip of the KO anywhere. (searching under Ioka's name in both Latin and kanji on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google...)

That feels wrong somehow.

 

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Beautiful kayo by Daiya Kira, btw.

The biggest shame in this event being so restricted globally is that Ioka's final NYE show ought to have been a major platform to showcase a young prospect in the co-main. Daiya Kira wasn't even on my radar before. More people should have been able to see this.

 

This has as many views already in an hour as my Riyadh Season WBC Boxing Grand Prix finals preview vid from two weeks ago.

 

In his victory interview, Kazuto Ioka said he wants his next bout (with Tsutsumi or Inoue) to be on the same card as Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani should that still be taking place in May.

The hell with #5, homeboy is eyeing #6!!!

 

Ioka's career NYE record: 11-1-1 (8).

Both the Nietes I loss and Franco I draw were controversial, and later avenged.

 

Credit where due, Ordosgoitti gave it a go midway into R3 (a round after being dropped) and got Ioka on the ropes, landing a fair amount of hard body punches. Ioka, though, slipped & parried just about every head shot and scored a bunch of terrific counter uppercuts - and finished the round driving Ordosgoitti to a corner with repeat 1-2s before finishing him off in the next frame with a gorgeous left hook on the liver.