This time, the task of beating Japan’s Kazuto Ioka on foreign soil proved to be more difficult for Argentina’s Fernando “Pumita” Martinez than it was last year. The South American fighter once again came out victorious by unanimous decision, but he had to get up from a rather heavy knockdown to do so. Martinez retained his WBA super flyweight world title and is now in line to challenge the winner of this summer’s WBC and WBO unification bout between Jesse Rodriguez and Phumelele Cafu. The official scorecards after the rematch at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo read: 115–112, 117–110, and 114–113.
A more cautious Kazuto Ioka than usual stepped into the ring for this highly anticipated rematch. In the early rounds, the Japanese boxer kept a high guard to protect his face and picked his shots sparingly, relying on accuracy rather than power.
Just as in their first fight in July 2024, the difference in punching power between the two was striking and certainly influenced the judges’ perception. While the challenger’s punches, despite being technically sound, failed to crack the champion’s armor, Pumita’s hooks, thrown with full-body momentum and aggression, looked far more damaging.
The first big thrill of the fight came at the end of the third round. Up until then, Martinez had been clearly winning the round with his excellent counterpunching. The two men traded violently at center ring, and both briefly wobbled—first Martinez, then Ioka—right before the bell rang.
The bout became more tactical in the following rounds, with both fighters staying in front of each other, trying to lure their opponent into traps using feints and sudden bursts. During this phase, Martinez’s quicker reactions, as he managed to launch his attacks a fraction of a second before his opponent, allowed him to build a solid lead by the halfway point.
At that stage, however, Kazuto Ioka began to slowly turn the tide, capitalizing on signs of physical fatigue from his opponent. It all started in the seventh round, a brutal back-and-forth exchange in which the Japanese fighter finished stronger.
Martinez appeared worn out, slowed his work rate, and started breathing heavily, looking much less sharp in his offense. Ioka took advantage, tightening the gap by keeping him under pressure and landing sharp, accurate punches to both the head and body.
Martinez’s performance became more erratic—he alternated wild bursts of energy with moments of deep fatigue. After an all-out assault in the ninth round, he looked like a man scraping the bottom of the gas tank, desperately trying to squeeze out the last drops.
Ioka fully capitalized in round ten. Seeing a tired and unfocused opponent coming forward, he timed a spectacular counter with two consecutive left hooks, dropping Martinez hard. Only sheer willpower allowed “Pumita” to survive the follow-up assault from the Japanese veteran.
What followed, however, was a rather puzzling strategic choice by Ioka—one that may have cost him dearly. Instead of putting massive pressure on the still-shaken champion in the eleventh round and going for the finish, he chose to control the distance. While he clearly won the round, he missed his best chance and allowed Martinez to recover.
In the final round, both fighters, visibly exhausted, gave everything they had in one last attempt to sway the judges. Neither, however, managed to land clean and powerful shots capable of scoring another knockdown.
On my personal scorecard, I had Martinez ahead by just a single point after twelve rounds. I therefore find the scores issued by Raul Caiz Sr and Bence Kovacs quite reasonable, while the 117–110 card submitted by Robert Hoyle seems truly excessive based on what unfolded in the ring.
Kazuto Ioka deserves a standing ovation for delivering such a strong performance against a young, hungry champion despite being 36 years old and having gone through a grueling career. He made this second fight much closer than the first, and with a bit more athletic sharpness, he might have pulled off a masterpiece by stopping Martinez after that brilliant knockdown in round ten.
As for Martinez, his grit in surviving a critical moment and his trademark ability to unleash endless close-range combinations once again earned him admiration. However, compared to his usual standards, his physical endurance raised some concerns.
The Argentine has accustomed us to a frantic pace that he could normally sustain for the full twelve rounds. This time, though, he started to fade after the halfway point and was only able to fight in bursts. It’s possible that the sacrifices required to make the super flyweight limit are starting to take their toll.
If that’s the case, “Pumita” would do well to seriously consider whether to remain in the division, because if he faces the winner of Rodriguez vs Cafu, he cannot afford any missteps—he will need all of his physical strength.