THE final big fight of 2024 will not take place.
Fernando Martinez vs. Kazuto Ioka 2 had been scheduled for December 31 at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. However, Martinez – the WBA Super Flyweight champion – is suffering from influenza forcing his withdrawal. Promoter Kazuki Yoshino of Shisei Promotions made the announcement at a press conference in Tokyo.
The Argentine beat Ioka back in July by unanimous decision to retain his WBA and IBF titles. In November, however, Martinez, 17-0 (9 KOs), chose to vacate his IBF instead of making a mandatory defence which led many to believe he would proceed with a rematch against Ioka, 31-3-1 (16 KOs). The belt still remains vacant after the top two contenders – Willibaldo Garcia and Rene Calixto – fought to a draw during their IBF title fight on December 21 in Shizuoka, Japan.
There is no news on whether the rematch between Martinez and Ioka will be rearranged or not. In the current WBA super flyweight rankings the legendary Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Martinez sits as the number one contender with Ioka ranked sixth.
