August 8, 2015
TOKYO, JAPAN
Newly crowned WBA flyweight champ Kazuto Ioka (17-1, 10 KOs) will defend his belt against Roberto Domingo Sosa (26-2-1, 14 KOs) of Argentina in his initial defense in Osaka, Japan, on September 27. Ioka, 26, dethroned long reigning titlist Juan Carlos Reveco by a majority decision this April. It was once reported that the WBA ordered a direct rematch due to a protest on the verdict by Reveco’s hander Osvaldo Rivero, but Ioka will participate in a voluntary defense with another Argentine handled by Rivero. Ioka, three-class world champ, said, “September 27 is my grandmother Mitsuko’s seventy-first birthday, and I wish to dedicate my fine victory to her.” If victorious, Ioka will face the ex-champ Reveco on New Year’s Eve. Ioka, the nephew of formerly two-time world titlist Hiroki, is managed and coached by his father Kazunori, Hiroki’s elder brother.
(8-8-2015)