The long-running rumors are now officially true and we have a super fight in the super flyweight division. Future first-ballot hall of Famer, four-division world champion, and current WBO champ Kaz Ioka, 29-2(15) will unify with WBA "Super" Champ "El Profesor" Joshua Franco 18-1-2 (8) of San Antonio. The fight will headline the traditional New Years Eve card in Tokyo, no venue has been confirmed however Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo is the likely landing spot. Ioka has fought there the last three New Years Eves and has fought there in his last five fights overall.
Ioka won the WBO strap in June of 2019 when he blasted out hard-hitting Filipino Aston Palicte in 10 rounds. He has gone on to defend the belt five times including most recently by out-classing Donnie Nietes in a rematch of their 2018 New Years Eve scrap, a narrow decision loss, this marked the second and last defeat of Ioka's historic career.
Franco won his WBA belt back in the ESPN/Top Rank bubble at the height of the Pandemic when he outpointed Andrew Moloney in June of 2020. In his last outing last August he again outpointed Moloney this time in the Hard Rock Tulsa.
Franco has been out of the ring after dealing with a promotional issue and playing the waiting game, he was mandated by the WBA to fight Juan Francisco Estrada. Estrada decided to not fight Franco and vacated his version of the belt and fought unknown Argi Cortes. Franco was upgraded to "Super" Champ and now gets his chance at a mega fight and the opportunity to do what his brother, Bam Rodriguez, has done twice this year and defeat a legend of the smaller weight classes.