Fernando Martinez became the unified super flyweight champion today in Japan after defeating Kazuto Ioka by decision in a 12-round bout.
The judges scored the fight 116-112, 117-111, and 120-108 in favor of Argentina’s Martinez, although Eddie Hernandez’s shutout card faced criticism.
Martinez added the IBF title to his collection, combining it with the WBA belt he already held.
Martinez (17-0, 9 KO) started strongly, hurting Ioka (31-3-1, 16 KO) in the first round and dominating the early rounds. However, Ioka fought back valiantly and made the fight competitive.
Despite a strong finish in the final two rounds, Martinez managed to secure the win. The controversial judging, especially the lopsided scorecard, may prompt Ioka to seek a rematch. However, at 35, the Japanese boxer has already achieved significant success as a four-division world champion.
Martinez, aged 32, may now target unification bouts with either Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, the current WBC champion, or Kosei Tanaka, the WBO titleholder scheduled for a defense on July 20. This could potentially align all division titleholders on a similar competition schedule.
