August 10, 2011
August 10, 2011
TOKYO, JAPAN
Unbeaten WBC strawweight champ Hiroki Ioka (8-0, 5 KOs), 104.5, Japan, impressively retained his 105-pound belt as he kept stalking official challenger Juan Hernandez (18-2, 13 KOs), 104.5, a hard-hitting Mexican switch-hitter, had him badly bleeding from the nostrils and pounded out a unanimous decision over twelve fast rounds on Wednesday in Tokyo, Japan.
The official tallies were as follows: Hubert Minn (US) 117-111, Glen Rick Crocker (US) 116-112 and Bernie McMahon (Australia) 118-111, all in the 22-year-old champ’s favor. The referee was Malcolm Bulner (Australia).
For Kazuto, the nephew of ex-WBC first 105-pound champ Hiroki Ioka after its establishment of the new category in 1987, it was his initial defense since he dethroned Oleydong Sithsamerchai, a previously unbeaten Thailander, with a single body shot in five quick rounds this February. The baby-faced kid also broke the record of winning a world belt in the shortest professional career in Japan. Ioka had seized six national championships as amateur high school boy, and unfortunately failed to become a Japanese representative for the Beijing Olympic Games when he was a student of Tokyo Agricultural University. Ioka, whose amateur mark was 95-10, 64 stoppages, might be called a golden boy with good blood and amateur credentials.
The Mexican challenger, two years his senior at 24, kept his NABF 105-pound belt on six occasions with five within the distance. Hernandez had been unbeaten in last five years since his first and last setback to Oscar Martinez, and predicted at the press conference, “I’ll knock him out within the first three rounds to bring the belt to Mexico.” It’s our wonder and surprise why all Mexican participants in world title bouts here look so confident and gallant without being nervous. Each looked a Julio Cesar Chavez. It might be because of our inferiority complex due to the data of Japan versus Mexico with WBC belts at stake: 31 wins against 53 defeats, two draws and one no contest.
Ioka cautiously started fighting to feel out his fast-moving and hard-punching challenger. Hernandez made a good start as he had Ioka reeling to the ropes with a solid left hook thrown just after switching to southpaw stance in the closing seconds of the opening session. But Ioka, from the second on, cleverly responded to the Mexican’s versatile strategy by maintaining the pressure and utilizing sharp jabs to the circling challenger with precision.
Hernandez seemingly attempted to finish the champ early as he had made a bold prediction. His hand-speed, power and work-rate were superb enough, but Ioka, an excellent counterpuncher coached by Cuban trainer Ismael Salas (who used to instruct his uncle Hiroki), connected with a beautiful right-left-right combination in the second and with a well-timed left hook in the fourth.
After the fourth, the official tallies were announced as follows: 39-38 and 39-37 twice, all in Ioka’s favor.
The shorter but vigorous Mexican began to bleed from the nostrils and kept streaming red ribbon under the nose with Ioka’s accelerated jabs and combos with precision as the contest progressed. His breathing might be bothered by his continual nose-bleeding from the early stage of the bout. Hernandez furiously attacked Ioka in round five, when Ioka showed his composure and coolness in defending himself with his tight guard and good body movement, and landed a very solid left-right combination to the face just before the bell. A couple of judges gave a point to the Mexican, while another had it for the Japanese champ. In the sixth through the eighth, it was all Ioka. He kept the pressure with stinging lefts and accurate combos to have Hernandez retreating and circling all the way. The young champ showed his best in the eighth, when he turned loose with a flurry of punches as if he intended to finish the affair then and there. But Hernandez displayed his great corazon (heart) to last the critical moment.
After the eighth, Ioka was still leading on points: 79-74 and 78-74 twice.
Ioka kept stalking the busy-moving and still hard-hitting Mexican and threw more punches than Hernandez occasionally responded with a few solid but less accurate shots in round nine. It was in the tenth that Hernandez amazingly displayed his desperate do-or-die attack, but Ioka weathered his furious retaliation with his tight guard and shifty mobility. One shot of Hernandez, however, opened a slight cut over the champ’s right eyebrow.
Ioka, in round eleven, had the Mexican in trouble with a barrage of punches in return. He landed effective combinations upstairs and downstairs and had him constantly back-pedaling from pillar to post. Ioka was also in command in the twelfth and final session to confirm his victory and initial defense.
The jubilant champ said, “I wish to keep myself aggressive even in the last round to entertain the crowd.”
The crestfallen loser gloomily said, “Ioka had a strong right hand and was faster than I expected. I should have gone forward more to win with my stronger heart.”
Ioka, a vastly talented youngster, is a legitimate 108-pounder, so he wishes to move up to the ligh-fly division after another successful defense. His uncle Hiroki failed to acquire his third throne in the flyweight and super-fly division on four occasions though he conquered the 105-pound and 108-pound categories. His nephew Kazuto, seemingly more talented, may have his uncle’s dream come true, if fortunate. It was our pleasure as aficionados to witness such a brilliant performance of the newly crowned world champ.
Former WBA feather champ Yuriorkis Gamboa was in attendance to watch another pupil of the same Cuban trainer Ismael Salas, and celebrated Ioka’s triumph in the ring.
Unbeaten lightweight prospect Shuhei Tsuchiya (11-0, 11 KOs), 135, extended his unblemished mark when he finally caught OPBF#12 compatriot Hiroto Fukuhara (13-5-8, 5 KOs), 135, and halted him at 2:09 of the ninth round in a scheduled ten. Tsuchiya, 24, used to be a kick-boxer, but he won the national Novice King four-round tourney to be ranked #12 by the JBC. He had a tough time with the more experienced Fukuhara in later rounds, but it was remarkable to finally finish a tough bout with a last surge. The hard-hitting prospect deck him in the first and fatal sessions.
Promoter: MG Promotions in association with Ioka Promotions.
(8-10-11)