Kazuto Ioka and Joshua Franco had nothing to do with New Year’s Eve.
The 115-pound belt holders fought a majority draw at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, meaning both kept their belts.
A referee gave Franco a 115-113 win, seven rounds to five. The other two scored 114-114.
Ioka (29-2-1, 15 KOs) is one of the most respected title holders in the world, having won major belts in two divisions and climbed several weight lists (Mentioned honor on the list of Boxing Junkie).
And the 33-year-old tennis player has the advantage of fighting at home.
However, Joshua (18-1-3, 8 KOs) was clearly undeterred. The sleek 27-year-old San Antonio probably performed better than Ioka, though no one could dispute the outcome after a legal close-quarters fight.
The draw broke Ioka’s winning streak in sixth place. He holds the WBO version of the base bantamweight title.
Franco, the WBA champion, has now put on a strong showing in three straight top-flight games, not counting the non-fight against Andrew Moloney.
Franco ended the non-confrontational bout with a decisive victory over the capable Australian boxer.
