Brutal Stoppage Caps off Another New Year’s Eve Main Event in Japan

Kazuto Ioka (31-2-1, 16 KOs) capped off another New Year’s Eve boxing event with a stoppage victory over Josber Perez (20-4, 18 KOs) at the 2:44 mark of round seven.

The fight was the main event of a card at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. Ioka has regularly headlined shows on New Year’s Eve in the country. Last year, he fought Joshua Franco in a bout that ended in a majority draw. With this win over Perez, Ioka successfully defended his WBA super flyweight title.

Kazuto Ioka Retains Belt With Brutal KO

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Ioka Dominates Perez in Impressive Style

Ioka seemed intent on getting the stoppage against Perez from the opening round. The reigning super flyweight champion consistently worked the body of his opponent in a bid to wear him down.

Ioka’s right hand also found a home, but he struggled to land combinations in the first half of the fight due to the Venezuelan’s infighting. However, Perez was not able to resist for long.

In round five, a series of punches to the body sent Perez to the canvas for the first time. He got up, but a straight right hand from Ioka sent his opponent back to the ropes and down again shortly before the end of the round. In the sixth, the Japanese fighter continued to pursue the stoppage.

An overhand right from Ioka signalled the end of the fight in round seven. The sickening shot hit Perez clean on the face and left him unable to beat the count from referee Janny Guzman, giving Ioka the win.

Ioka vs. Perez Undercard Results

Just before the main event, Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19 KOs) stopped Navapon Khaikanha (58-4-1, 48 KOs) in a 10-round bantamweight contest. Khaikanha went down in the fourth and failed to beat the count of referee Michiaki Someya. The time of stoppage was 2:29.

In a 10-round featherweight clash, Hayato Tsutsumi (4-0, 1 KO) stopped Luis Ventura (11-1, 9 KOs) in round three. The Dominican went to the canvas twice in the third before referee Biney Martin waved the fight off at the 2:14 mark.

Hibiki Yoshimura (0-0-1, 0 KOs) and Toshiya Fujioka (0-1-1, 0 KOs) fought to a majority draw in their four-round flyweight clash. One judge had it 39-37 for Fujioka, while the other two had it even.

Kantaro Juri (6-0-1, 2 KOs) won an eight-round unanimous decision over Danai Ngiabphukhiaw (20-5, 12 KOs). Scores for this super flyweight bout were 80-72 across the board.

In a six-round welterweight clash, Masayuki Urashima (2-0-1, 1 KO) won a majority decision over Kota Matsuno (3-2, 2 KOs). Although one judge had it 57-57, the other two saw it 59-55 and 58-56 for Urashima.

Take a trip down memory lane with us to when Ioka dominated Donnie Nietes in a rematch unanimous decision victory.