This past Saturday night, Kazuto Ioka claimed the WBA super flyweight title with a unanimous decision over Joshua Franco in their rematch at Tokyo’s Ota City General Gymnasium.
Two judges scored the bout 116-112, while the other scored it 115-113.
Ioka, the only Japanese fighter to capture world titles in four weight divisions, improved his record to 30-2, including 15 wins by knockout and one draw. Franco fell to 18-2-3 with eight KOs.
On December 31 of 2022, the two boxers battled to a twelve round draw in a two-belt unification fight, with Ioka fighting as WBO super flyweight champion. Ioka would later vacate the belt to face Franco in a rematch.
On Friday, Franco was stripped of his super flyweight belt for failing to make weight. He came in at over 121-pounds – two weight divisions above the super flyweight division limit of 115.
Franco has now announced his retirement from the sport.
“I wanted to start off by saying Thank You to everyone that has supported me in my career. I appreciate everyone for their continued support. I was able to live my childhood dream of becoming a World Champion. I defended my title multiple times all over the world and always tried my best to represent San Antonio, TX proudly,” Franco stated on social media.
“For the majority of my career I have been going through a lot of mental problems that I was doing my best to control. I never talked about it publicly because I didn’t want anyone to think I ever made an excuse for anything or for anyone to look at me different. I battled through it as much as I could to still perform and give you guys some great fights. For anyone that battles through any type of mental health issues please know you are not alone. And you can’t let anything stop you from achieving your dreams
“I want to say Thank You to my team. My mom, dad and brothers for all their help and support throughout my whole career. Everyone at RGBA [Robert Garcia Boxing Academy] for believing in me helping me achieve my dreams. You guys always believed in me and I will forever be grateful.
“Last night in Tokyo, Japan was officially my last fight. It was a tough week for me and I didn’t get the result I wanted but I leave this sport knowing I gave it everything I had. Again Thank You to everyone for all their support and I’ll see you guys around.”
Franco is best known for his trilogy series with Andrew Moloney (Franco won two, with a third being a no-contest) and another trilogy series with Oscar Negrete (one win and two draws).
Credit: BoxingScene