Pictured: Kazuto Ioka


Earlier today at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, Kazuto Ioka avenged his December 31, 2018 split decision loss to Donnie Nietes by unanimously outpointing Nietes over 12 rounds.


Junior Bantamweight Bout-
Kazuto Ioka (The Ring #2; TTR #3; Transnational Boxing Rankings Board #3; 29-2, 15 KOs)
Unan. Dec. 12
Donnie Nietes (The Ring #9,TTR #10, Transnational Boxing Rankings Board #10; 43-2-6, 23 KOs)
- The bout was fought for Ioka's WBO World junior bantamweight title.
- The rematch between the two four-division major organizational world titleholders (*) was described by Hall of Famer Joe Koizumi as a "tactical fight" between "a couple of Miguel Cantos" who "kept outboxing and countering each other."
- Mr. Koizumi went on to write that "Ioka, 33, displayed more aggressiveness (by) throwing combinations upstairs and downstairs all the way."
- "Nietes, 40," according to Mr. Koizumi, "showed only his cleverness (by) averting Ioka's versatile combinations...(he) failed to retaliate with more effective punches in return."
- The scores were 118-110, 117-111, and 120-108. Ioka is now 1-1 versus Nietes.

*- While neither has held a lineal world championship, both have held major organizational world titles at 105, 108, 112, and 115. Ioka has held the WBC title at 105, the WBA titles at 105, 108, and 112, and the WBO title at 115. Nietes has been the WBO champion at 105 and 108, the IBF champion at 112, and the WBO champion at 115.