The first Japanese man to become a four-weight world champion has poured some water on the talk of retirement and has stated that he plans to make history ahead of challenging Takuma Inoue for the WBC bantamweight title this Saturday in Tokyo.
Kazuto Ioka has the opportunity of claiming world championship status in a fifth division when he collides with Inoue on the undercard of Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani in front of a reported 55,000 crowd at Tokyo Dome.
Ioka (32-4-1, 17 KOs) was feared to have left his best work in the past following consecutive losses to Fernando Martinez in an initial IBF and WBA unification at super flyweight. Ioka lost both bouts to the Argentine champion by unanimous decision in his homeland in July 2024 and May 2025. Ioka would make the move north to 118 pounds after recording his first career back-to-back defeats, knocking out the little-known 15-1 (14 KOs) Venezuelan Maikel Ordosgoitti inside four rounds at his trusted Ota-City General Gymnasium on December 31.
“I approach every fight as if it could be my last, and I want to continue for as long as possible.” Ioka told Ring Magazine, adding that he believes his fight “will mark an important page in history, both in my own life and for Japanese boxing.”
The 37-year-old continued: “I believe that life is about continuing to challenge myself in the things I am truly committed to. To keep going, you need goals and once you achieve them, you set new ones and continue to challenge yourself again. It’s not easy, but by staying committed to this path, I’ve been able to reach where I am today.”
Inoue (21-2, 5 KOs), the younger brother of headliner Naoya, will make the first defence of his green and gold belt after claiming the vacant title with a unanimous decision victory over Tenshin Nasukawa last November in Tokyo. The 30-year-old had previously relinquished his WBA world title to Seiya Tsutsumi.