Martinez defeats Ioka to become unified champion  – World Boxing Association

Fernando “Puma” Martinez became unified super flyweight champion by dethroning Kazuto Ioka from his World Boxing Association (WBA) belt on Sunday at the Kokugijan venue in Tokyo, Japan. 

The Argentinian, who already held the IBF belt, now owns two belts after winning by scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 120-108 in a tough fight in which he had to work hard to win. 

The key for the 32-year-old Martinez was his aggressive style and ability to throw punches for most of the fight despite the physical toll it took. The South American stepped into the ring with a champion’s mentality and always carried the baton against the home fighter to go the extra rounds as the fight progressed. 

Martinez made it clear on which side was the forcefulness from the beginning and worked the Japanese with combinations to the face. However, Iokq withstood everything the visitor connected and was gaining his space with body shots despite looking at a disadvantage most of the time. 

In the end, Martinez managed to make a great fight and take most of the rounds to keep both belts. His record now stands at 17 wins, no losses and 9 knockouts, while Ioka’s record stands at 32 wins, 3 losses, 1 draw and 16 knockouts.