Preview: Takuma Inoue Vs. Kazuto Ioka For WBC 118lb Belt

By Joe Koizumi

All Photos by Naoki Fukuda

Supporting the sensational encounter of Inoue and Nakatani is a mouth-watering confrontation of WBC bantamweight ruler Takuma Inoue (21-2, 5 KOs; amateur 52-5, 14 KO/RSCs) and formerly four-division champ, legendary Kazuto Ioka (32-4-1, 17 KOs; amateur 95-10, 64 KO/RSCs) at the Tokyo Dome on Saturday. Some hardcore fans say, “Takuma-Ioka card is more attractive and unpredictable for fight fans than the main event.”

As this matchup of Takuma and Ioka was announced by Ohashi Promotions months ago, we realized Ioka, 37, was greatly loved by long-time aficionados who had been watching since Ioka dethroned WBC minimum titlist Oleydong Sithsamerchai via fifth round stoppage in 2011. Fifteen years have passed since his first coronation, and it is amazing Ioka still fights in quest of a world championship. He has had sentimental supports by our aficionados.

Takuma, 30, is the younger brother of the headliner “Monster” Inoue, and is a highly evaluated speedster with fast hands and swift feet. He once acquired he WBA bantam belt by defeating Liborio Solis on points in 2023, and kept it twice by outspeeding ex-champ Jerwin Ancajas and WBA#1 compatriot Sho Ishida before he dropped an upset decision to a Gene Fullmer stylist named Seiya Tsutsumi in October 2024.

Utilizing his smashing speed, Takuma recently gained the vacant WBC bantam belt by beating previously unbeaten prodigy Tenshin Nasukawa on points last November. Takuma greatly raised his stock with this impressive victory among our fight fans. It’s true.

Called Japan’s Miguel Canto thanks to his high defensive skills and remarkable reflexes in the close quarter, Ioka had seldom suffered any facial damage except in his encounters with Fernando Martinez, an Argentine fireball, who defeated Ioka twice by close but unanimous decisions in 2024 and 2025. Kazuto was rumored to hang up gloves for good then and there, but he made a fine comeback as he knocked out world rated Venezuelan Maikel Ordosgoitti last December.

Takuma is, of course, a prefight favorite thanks to his advantageous hand and foot speed, plus a youth by seven years. But Ioka is a well-reputed counterpuncher who previously displayed a beautiful stoppage of three-division champ Kosei Tanaka in 2020. It must be Kazuto’s best performance in his career.

It will be a highly technical contest since both are skillful speedsters. We may watch Ioka’s swan song, whoever may be victorious.

The officials of this WBC title go: referee Hector Afu, judges Alejandro Rochin, Yoshikazu Furuta, Koji Tanaka.

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