The Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo will again host a world title fight between home favourite Kazuto Ioka and American Joshua Franco in June, with the duo stepping through the ropes for a rematch of their bout in December 2022.

The judges failed to split the duo in their unification clash in the super flyweight division, which resulted in a draw meaning Ioka kept his WBO title and Franco kept the WBA belt. 

After 12 rounds, two judges scored the fight a draw while one official scored 115-113 in favour of Franco. 

This time around, only the WBA title at junior bantamweight is on the line after Ioka vacated his belt after the governing body ordered a mandatory defence against Junto Nakatani.

When is Joshua Franco v Kazuto Ioka 2?

The fight is scheduled to take place on Saturday 24th June 2023

What time is Joshua Franco v Kazuto Ioka 2?

No details of the event have been released yet.

Where is Joshua Franco v Kazuto Ioka 2?

The fight is set to take place at the Ota-City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan.

Built in 2009, the venue can hold just over 4,000 people. 

This will be Kazuto Ioka's seventh-straight professional bout in this venue, including the first fight between these two boxers on New Years' Eve in 2022.

Can I watch Joshua Franco v Kazuto Ioka 2?

No details of the event have been released yet.

Related Boxing News

Liam Smith v Chris Eubank Jr II: Date, ring walk time, betting odds & more

Mauricio Lara v Leigh Wood II: Fight date, ring walk time, undercard & betting odds

Are there any belts on the line for Joshua Franco v Kazuto Ioka 2?

The first bout between Franco and Ioka was a unification clash, with Franco defending his WBA world super flyweight title and Ioka putting his WBO belt on the line. 

After the draw, the WBO ordered Ioka to defend his belt against fellow countryman Nakatani. 

But such was the desire to match this rematch, Ioka vacated the belt in order to fight Franco immediately again - resulting in just the WBA world super flyweight title being on the line this time around.

What is Joshua Franco's record?

Franco has a record of 18 wins, one loss and three draws after 22 professional bouts. 

The American has knocked out eight of his opponents, including two first-round stoppages. 

The 27-year-old made his professional debut in 2015 after a quiet amateur career - he won the silver medal in the light flyweight division at the National Championships. 

The San Antonio-born orthodox fighter has competed in two trilogies already during his pro career - against Oscar Negrete and Andrew Moloney - and this will be the third rematch on his record. 

This is largely down to the small pool of high level fighters in this weight class.

What is Kazuto Ioka's record?

Japan's Ioka steps through the ropes to rematch America's Franco in his 33rd professional bout, he carries a record of 29 wins, two defeats and one draw. 

The 34-year-old has 15 knockout wins to his name, while both of his defeats were on the judges' scorecards. 

Prior to his first fight with Franco, Osaka-born Kazuto had been a winner on the cards over 12 rounds in his three previous bouts. 

He represented Japan at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games but fell short in the qualifiers. 

He turned professional in 2009 and has only once fought outside of Japan.

Who else is on the card for Joshua Franco v Kazuto Ioka 2?

The undercard is low-key and predominantly features Japanese fighters with a mixture of records.

Chief support to the main event is a clash for the vacant Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation Super Feather Title between Musashi Mori and Takuya Watanabe.

bet365 News Team

• • 
  •