Fernando Martinez once again traveled overseas to defeat Kazuto Ioka.

The two-time titlist had to climb off the canvas this time around, however, to preserve his reign and unbeaten record.

Scores were 114-113, 115-112 (though announced in the ring as 114-112) and 117-110 for Argentina’s Martinez, who retained his WBA junior bantamweight title in Sunday’s terrific ABEMA-TV/ESPN Knockout headliner.

The sequel took place at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo. The venue is a favorite of Ioka’s, as he fought here for the ninth time in his past 10 starts. It’s also located less than 30 minutes from their thrilling first meeting, won by Martinez, 18-0 (9 KOs), via unanimous decision last July 7 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. 

Sunday’s second act was originally scheduled to take place last New Year’s Eve, but Martinez fell ill and was forced to withdraw just hours before the weigh-in. Neither boxer has fought since their first encounter, though the five-month delay in getting to this point proved well worth the wait from an action perspective. 

Martinez relied on pure volume and violence to outpoint Ioka, 36-4-1 (16 KOs) – an Osaka native now based in Tokyo – that evening, and he took a similar approach during the first half of their rematch. Ioka relied on body punching and pinpoint accuracy, though that same approach cost him the WBA title in their first bout. 

Still, it’s the signature style of the former four-division titlist, who found success in the opening round and throughout the contest. The preserved approach made sense for Ioka, a 36-year-old future Hall of Famer who is three years Martinez’s senior. 

Martinez outworked Ioka for much of the second round and ended the frame with lateral movement to disrupt his opponent’s rhythm.

Both fighters had their say in a competitive and furiously paced third round. Ioka continued to target Martinez’s body and looked for openings up top to land his left hook. Martinez continued to charge forward but was stopped in his tracks by a right hand late. Ioka closed the round strong, save for a right from Martinez just before the bell. 

There was little separation in the middle rounds, leaving judges to choose between Martinez’s high-octane output and Ioka’s economic offense. 

That changed in a big way in the sixth, which featured furious two-way action. Ioka found repeated success with his right hand-left hook combination, which proved to turn the tide in a fight that threatened early to slip away.

Martinez continued to throw left hooks and right hands with reckless abandon but began to show signs of fatigue. It was evident in the seventh and eighth – clear-cut rounds for Ioka, who outworked his younger rival for the first time.

Two-way action resumed in the ninth, which suggested that Martinez chose to preserve his energy for a big finish. The defending titlist charged off his stool and went straight at Ioka, who was prepared for the tactic.

A massive shift in momentum came midway through the 10th. Ioka slammed home a left hook on the exposed chin of Martinez, who never had a chance to recover. A right hand and another left hook forced Martinez to pitch forward and fall to the canvas for the lone knockdown in 24 terrific rounds of action between the two.

Martinez recovered and was able to rediscover his furious offense at the right time. Ioka was confident down the stretch but once again outworked in the eyes of the judges, as not even a knockdown and greater accuracy was enough to close out his bid for a seventh major title across four weight divisions.

Martinez made the first defense of the WBA title he lifted from Ioka in their unification match last summer. The decision to once again face Ioka cost him the IBF belt he held from February 2022 through last October, when he vacated in lieu of an ordered mandatory title defense. 

The IBF belt remains vacant, though Martinez’s clearer target is the winner of the July 19 unification bout between lineal, RING and WBC champ Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, 21-0 (14 KOs), and WBO titleholder Phumelela Cafu, 11-0-3 (8 KOs).

Ioka was dejected in the ring when the scores were read but jovial as he made his way to his dressing room. The legendary fight fixture saluted his adoring fans in attendance and wore a big smile as he exited the arena floor.

The question is whether it was for the last time.

Ioka was Japan’s first-ever male boxer to win major titles in four weight divisions and has fought at this level since his seventh pro bout. However, his two defeats to Martinez, and even a December 2022 draw with Joshua Franco in their first meeting, are a harsh industry reminder that volume is more favorable than precision punching with the judges.

Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on X and Instagram.