San Antonio native "El Profesor" Joshua Franco is no stranger to being a victim of poor decisions. Perhaps, none were worse than the decision he received on December 31st in Tokyo, Japan. Franco, the WBA champ, dominated Kaz Ioka, then WBO champ, in their 12-round unification bout. Nearly all observers including Ioka himself thought Franco earned the points victory. He clearly did, however, two of the judges did the unthinkable and scored the fight a draw. Franco, the clear winner, was in talks for many other big-money fights in the star-studded 115-pound division. However, he wanted to set the record straight with Ioka. The biggest win of his career was stolen from him and he is focused on righting that wrong. He is going back to the scene of the crime and will take Ioka on again at the same venue where the robbery took place, the Ota-City General Gymnasium, and will square off with Ioka for a second time. This time the WBO belt will not be on the line, so it is not a unification bout. Ioka was forced to vacate his version of the Super Flyweight title to make the rematch with the Alamo City native. Franco will look to take the decision out of the judges' hands and remove all doubts. He told the DAZN boxing show, “We don’t want it to go to the judges this time. We want to make it so everyone is able to see that I’m the clear winner.” Franco clearly outworked Ioka, a four-division former world champion, and appeared to dominate the fight after the first three or four rounds. “I was the busier fighter, but my punches weren’t as clear as I wanted." The Texan will get a second chance to beat a future first-ballot Hall of Famer Saturday night (Saturday morning in the US).
"I tried my best but I feel that I lost" Ioka says; Josh Franco Settles for Disputed Draw
"El Professor" Josh Franco traveled 6500 miles from his home city of San Antonio to Tokyo, Japan. To take on home countryman and future Hall of Famer Kaz Ioka to unify the WBA and WBO Super Flyweight titles in the biggest fight of his young and promising career.
Franco delivered perhaps the best performance of his young and promising career. However, the entertaining 12-round affair failed to produce a winner as the pair of 115-pounders titlists fought to a twelve-round, majority draw. Franco managed to win by a score of 115-113 on a single card but that verdict was overruled by a pair of 114-114making the WBA/WBO unification bout Saturday evening a Draw at Ota-City General Gymnasium.
Franco seemed to control the early rounds and built up a lead in the early going of constant pressure and excellent combination punching. Franco was able to force Ioka backward and into the ropes. Franco was able to keep his man backed up and made him pay while on the ropes. Franco served as the aggressor who seemed to land the cleaner shots. The judges largely agreed, scoring the first seven rounds in favor of Franco by a wide margin. Ioka rallied in the middle rounds and was able to score with right hands and got in a rhythm against the ropes. Ioka was able to move closer on the scorecards. However, the final three rounds specifically the last two, seemed to be Franco rounds. The Texan bounced back and rallied with right hands and precision combination punching to close out the 10th and seemed to remain in control for the final six minutes. Hurting and wobbling the hometown legend in the 11th. He mixed up a body shot and straight right to the head that momentarily stumbled his opponent. Like a true champion. Ioka still in trouble started the 12th and final round in retreat, perhaps in survival mode. Franco pressed the action and again was able to affect the Japanese warrior. As the bell rang to conclude the 12th and final round it seemed academic Franco had done more than enough in a competitive fight. However, the judges did the unthinkable and scored the bout a majority decision draw. With one judge somehow giving Ioka the final five rounds.
Ioka was just as confused saying "I tried my best but I feel that I lost" That was the impression the audience had as well. Franco will retain his WBA belt, and his hard luck record moves to 18-1-3 (8). Ioka receives the benefit of the doubt and moves to 29-2-1 (15). Franco has already had rematches and then trilogies with two other fighters, Andrew Moloney and Oscar Negrete. Given the controversial decision, another rematch may be in store for the Alamo City native.
Josh Franco Arrives in Japan for Unification Bout on New Year's Eve
WBA Super Flyweight Champion " El Profesor" Joshua Franco of San Antonio won't be spending Christmas in Texas this year. The 27-year-old WBA world champ arrived in Japan on Christmas Eve for his unification bout with Japanese legend and four-division world champion Kaz Ioka, originally of Osaka, Japan but now resides in Tokyo and currently holds the WBO version of the super flyweight title.
Franco arrived in Tokyo with his brother, Bam Rodriguez, as he prepares for fight week in what is a career-defining fight for Franco. The Alamo City native has been awaiting a mega fight for well over a year. He was in line to fight now WBC champ and future first-ballot hall of Famer Juan Francisco Estrada. The bout went to purse bids and was won by Frano's then promoter Golden Boy Promotions. Estrada opted not to fight Franco and took on unknown challenger Argi Cortes instead. Franco then split with his promoter and finally landed the mega fight that has long evaded him. The New Year's Eve card is a long-running running tradition in Tokyo and Ioka has taken part in it nearly every year since 2011.
Franco last fought in August of 2021 at the Hard Rock Casino in Tulsa and scored a 12-round UD victory over Andrew Moloney, a fight that Franco looked highly impressive in and both he and his trainer called the best performance of his career. Franco currently sports an 18-1-2 (8) record. Ioka last fought in July and took a wide decision over fellow future Hall of Famer Donnie Nietes and sports a 29-2 (15) and has held his version of the belt since June of 2019 when he rallied to stop Aston Palicte. Franco captured his WBA belt in June of 2020 in the Top Rank bubble in Las Vegas. The other two belts in the super flyweight division, which is considered the most loaded division in the sport, are held by Estrada who won the WBC belt vacated by Bam Rodriguez, and the IBF belt is currently held by Fernando Martinez.
Texas Pound for Pound List
1.Errol Spence -DeSoto
2.Jermell Charlo-Houston
3.Bam Rodriguez- San Antonio
4.Jermall Charlo-Houston
5.Brandon Figueroa- Weslaco
6.Vergil Ortiz -Grand Prairie
7.Josh Franco-San Antonio
8.O'shaquie Foster- Orange
9. Mario Barrios -San Antonio
10.Adrian Taylor-Dallas
Honorable Mention
Maurice Hooker-Dallas
Hector Tanajara- San Antonio
Omar Juarez- Brownsville
Rick Medina- San Antonio
Jorge Castaneda -Laredo
Edward Vazquez- Fort Worth
Alex Rincon- Carrollton
Josh Franco Awaits Career Defining Fight With a Legend
San Antonio's "El Profesor" Josh Franco did more than just defend his WBA super flyweight title back in August when he dominated former champ, Andrew Moloney, over 12 dominant rounds In Tulsa Oklahoma. He secured himself a shot at history and to possibly enter the pound-for-pound rankings. Franco secured himself a shot at a future hall of fame, "Choclatito" Ramon Gonzalez who is perhaps the greatest little man the sport has ever seen, and Juan Francisco Estrada will do battle for the third time in March. The winner will hold the other version of the WBA and is mandated to fight Franco as the organization looks to consolidate its world champions.
Gonzalez and Estrada fought for a second time back in March at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, in what was the 2021 fight of the year. It was an incredibly high pace all-action war that most thought Chocolatito of Nicaragua eeked out. Two of the three judges surprisingly went the other way and awarded a split decision to Estrada of Mexico. Chocolatito has held world titles at four different weight classes (105,108,112,115) and has accumulated a record of 50-3 (41) and outpointed Estrada in their first fight back in 2012, that fight was for the WBA light fly (108-pound) world title. Estrada has amassed a record of 42-3 (28) and has captured world titles at 112 by outpointing Brian Viloria and then captured a world title at 115 by outpointing Srisaket Sor Rungvisai in 2019. Rungvisai has handed Chocolatito both of his losses.
Franco won the WBA belt back in 2020 when he outpointed Moloney in June of 2020 and scored a massive upset. The two battled five months later but the bout was ended prematurely after an accidental head butt caused a gruesome amount of swelling as well as broke his right orbital bone. The trilogy was back in August and Franco set the record straight in a performance that both El Professore and his trained the famed Robert Garcia described as "the best performance of his career". Franco's manager Rick Mirigian confirmed via Twitter when he was asked if it was finalized that Josh [Franco] gets the winner. Mirigian replied "He will get the Winner"