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Mike CoppingerESPN
Joshua Franco and Kazuto Ioka have signed contracts for a 115-pound title rematch slated for June in Japan, sources confirmed to ESPN.
Franco’s WBA junior bantamweight title will again be on the line, but Ioka’s WBO belt won’t be. He is vacating his title ahead of a Feb. 28 purse bid for a mandatory bout vs. Junto Nakatani, sources said.
When they met on New Year’s Eve in Tokyo, Franco and Ioka settled for a draw. Franco, who fights out of San Antonio, won on one scorecard 115-113; the other two judges scored it even.
Franco, ESPN’s No. 5-ranked boxer, is set to return to his opponent’s home turf again following a career-best performance. The 27-year-old will be making the second defense of his title. Franco is the older brother of Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez.
Ioka (29-2-1, 15 KOs) made six defenses of his WBO title and is ranked No. 4 by ESPN at junior bantamweight. Ioka, who fights out of Tokyo, will be fighting in his eighth consecutive title bout.
The first meeting between Franco (18-1-3, 8 KO) and Ioka wasn’t broadcast in the United States. There is no U.S. TV deal for the rematch yet, sources said.
The rematch is planned to take place one month after another major fight in Japan. Naoya Inoue is slated to challenge Stephen Fulton for his unified 122-pound championship in May on ESPN+.
Yahoo Japan first reported news on the Franco-Ioka rematch.