The Christmas and New Year’s Eve period is a time often celebrated with differing traditions around the globe, those in the United Kingdom tend to enjoy a turkey dinner and light fireworks, in Denmark plates are often smashed, whilst in Japan some of the most intriguing boxing fights are made in the lower weight-divisions. Once again, the newfound boxing powerhouse has delivered.
Historically, the ‘golden era’ of Japanese boxing has been linked with the early 1970’s, when the proud fighting nation boasted a whopping five active world champions at one time, although the 2020’s has fast trumped those years and become the most successful period that Japanese boxing has ever seen.
At present, there are a combined 12 active male and female world champions, including the arguable pound-for-pound number one in undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue – who became Japan’s first ever undisputed champion and then repeated the feat at a second weight-class.
As such, boxing in Japan is thriving like never before and fight fans worldwide now regularly tune into to cards that take place over the Christmas period, a time which would usually be deemed a quieter one in years gone by.
This year, Naoya Inoue is scheduled to appear on Christmas Eve in a showdown against Australia’s Sam Goodman, hopeful of a third knockout win and third defence of his undisputed crown during 2024.
Meanwhile, it has now been confirmed that three-division world champion Kazuto Iona will attempt to regain the WBA super-flyweight throne against undefeated Argentine Fernando ‘Puma’ Martinez, who claimed a comfortable unanimous-decision win when the pair met in July.
✅️CONFIRMED. Kazuto Ioka will rematch Fernando ‘Puma’ Martinez for the WBA Super Flyweight Title on New Year’s Eve, live on Abema
Hot prospect Hayoto Tsutsumi will return against Rene Alvarado in the chief support pic.twitter.com/FR3iCJAupl
— Tokkerū (@ATokkers5) November 18, 2024
This will continue Ioka’s trend of fighting on New Year’s Eve, which he will have done in 12 of the last 13 years when he faces ‘Puma’ for a second time, 2017 being the only exception since defending his minimumweight title against Veerawut Yuthimitr in 2011.
The victor will eye up a lucrative meeting with WBC super-flyweight champion Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez who continued his stellar 2024 with a knockout win against Pedro Guevara earlier this month.
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