Moments ago in Tokyo, Japan fight fans were treated to a great action fight that was unfortunately tarnished by what has to be referred to as unfathomable scoring. Argentina’s Fernando Martinez defeated Japanese hero Kazuto Ioka by 12 round UD, the scores being a simply unacceptable (on two of the three cards, anyway) 120-108, 117-111, and 116-112.
Martinez, now 17-0(9) now holds the IBF and the WBA super flyweight belts. Ioka, the older man by three years at age 35, is now 31-3-1(16) and today’s defeat was his first since back in 2018 when he was edged by Donnie Nietes.
A great action fight, and a close fight all the way through, today’s battle, as fans have pointed out, provided a much needed boost after last night’s dreary Shakur Stevenson affair. However, as was the case with the O’Shaquie Foster-Robson Conceicao decision on the Shakur card in Newark, fans are left in uproar due to another disgraceful decision. The 120-108 card that one official somehow handed in today, this after Martinez and Ioka had given their all in a tense, gruelling fight, is simply criminal.
The 117-111 card was not much better. In reality, this fight was a one or two point win for Martinez, while a draw would not have been screamed at. And as much as we’ve all seem some ‘home cooking’ decisions that favour the hometown fighter, this was not the case here. Ioka, a proud and long-serving ring warrior, may have lost today, again, by a point or two, but he was in no way dominated the way those two ghastly score cards suggest he was.
The action was great, with Martinez coming out blazing, setting a hot pace that was no doubt designed to tire the older man Ioka. Both men were hurt in a sizzling opening session and the war was on! Martinez stunned Ioka with a big right in the second, and Ioka, usually a fine defensive fighter, was way too open and easy to hit. But what a chin Ioka would show today.
It could have been scored a clean sweep for Martinez over five, although Ioka did score with some classy counters. Ioka came into things in round six, though, and in the 7th, Ioka was outworking Martinez. It was clear who the bigger puncher was though. The eighth was close, while in the ninth, Martinez was visibly tiring. Ioka was winning rounds now.
Martinez closed strong, with him arguably doing enough to win the last two. ESB had it 115-113 for Martinez, but this one was close.
So sad that such a fine fight will be spoken about primarily because of the work two of the three judges who had the privileged position of a ringside seat put in.
