Martinez Vs Ioka II - Maybe not?
Back in July we had a fantastic bout at Super Flyweight as Fernando Daniel Martinez (17-0, 9) unified his IBF title with the WBA “super” title as he defeated Kazuto Ioka (31-3-1, 16) [井岡一翔 in a genuine FOTY contender.
Over the weekend it was reported that a deal was looking set for the two men to rematch on New Year’s Eve in Japan, with Martinez himself announcing the fight on Spanish Language TV and multiple sources talking about the contest. The bout would make sense given the fantastic nature of their first bout and how the other leading fighters in the division are all booked up at the end of the year, along with Ioka making December 31st date his date over the last 13 years. It’s a bout that makes a lot of sense, would be a great way to end the year and would, given the styles of the two men, make for a fan friendly finish to 2024.
Notably however there is some confusion on the situation as Yusuke Ninomiya, the Shisei Gym manager which Ioka fights under, is quoted in the Japanese press as saying "I don't know anything and nothing has been decided. Nothing has been decided yet, including his future."
The bout was announced by Martinez and "Chino Promotions," led by former fighter Marcos Maidana who has a promotional contract with Martinez, on the internet broadcast program "ESPN Knockout" broadcast in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the 23rd of August. The Ioka team however has had a representative state , "We don't know why this report came out. Once something has been decided, we would like to make a proper announcement."
It should be noted that Ioka’s future in the sport is still unknown. There was talk of retirement or a move to Bantamweight, where he would look to become the first Japanese man to win world titles over 5 weight classes. It could well be that Ioka and his team will be looking to secure a fight with IBF Bantamweight champion Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1) [西田凌佑], who has been out of the ring since winning the title in May and isn’t yet booked for a bout in the remainder of the year, and if that fails a decision will then be made regarding the Martinez rematch or retirement. Alternatively it could well be that Ioka's team are unhappy with how the news was broken, and are trying to keep the announcement a surprise to announce at a later date, rather than having it broken by Martinez in the way it was, and are suggesting nothing has been decided to try and have the announcement feel fresh and big as part of a large press conference later in the year.
Over the weekend it was reported that a deal was looking set for the two men to rematch on New Year’s Eve in Japan, with Martinez himself announcing the fight on Spanish Language TV and multiple sources talking about the contest. The bout would make sense given the fantastic nature of their first bout and how the other leading fighters in the division are all booked up at the end of the year, along with Ioka making December 31st date his date over the last 13 years. It’s a bout that makes a lot of sense, would be a great way to end the year and would, given the styles of the two men, make for a fan friendly finish to 2024.
Notably however there is some confusion on the situation as Yusuke Ninomiya, the Shisei Gym manager which Ioka fights under, is quoted in the Japanese press as saying "I don't know anything and nothing has been decided. Nothing has been decided yet, including his future."
The bout was announced by Martinez and "Chino Promotions," led by former fighter Marcos Maidana who has a promotional contract with Martinez, on the internet broadcast program "ESPN Knockout" broadcast in Buenos Aires, Argentina on the 23rd of August. The Ioka team however has had a representative state , "We don't know why this report came out. Once something has been decided, we would like to make a proper announcement."
It should be noted that Ioka’s future in the sport is still unknown. There was talk of retirement or a move to Bantamweight, where he would look to become the first Japanese man to win world titles over 5 weight classes. It could well be that Ioka and his team will be looking to secure a fight with IBF Bantamweight champion Ryosuke Nishida (9-0, 1) [西田凌佑], who has been out of the ring since winning the title in May and isn’t yet booked for a bout in the remainder of the year, and if that fails a decision will then be made regarding the Martinez rematch or retirement. Alternatively it could well be that Ioka's team are unhappy with how the news was broken, and are trying to keep the announcement a surprise to announce at a later date, rather than having it broken by Martinez in the way it was, and are suggesting nothing has been decided to try and have the announcement feel fresh and big as part of a large press conference later in the year.