The Argentine boxer was able to defend the crown against a rival who had already taken the WBA category title from him
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Fernando Puma Martínez (18-0, 19 KO) won by unanimous decision and successfully defended the WBA super flyweight title (World Boxing Association) against the Japanese Kazuto Ioka (31-3, 16 KO), from whom he had taken the crown just ten months ago. The judges' scorecards read: 115-112, 117-110, and 114-113.
After 131 days of waiting, the Argentine fighter put the belt, which previously belonged to the Japanese boxer, on the line for the first time. The fight, which served as a rematch, was held on Japanese soil.
El Puma se impusó ante el japonés
Originally, the fight was scheduled for December 31, but it had to be canceled at the last moment because Martínez contracted influenza A, amid a severe outbreak affecting Japan at that time, which prevented him from getting into the ring.
Puma Martínez's statements after the victory
After his victory, Puma Martínez did not hide his joy over the outcome and highlighted the intensity of the training process that preceded the fight and his Japanese opponent.
"Good evening, I hope you liked it. I gave my best. I think Ioka is a great former champion, he gave it his all. I really wanted to be here in December and fight, but I caught that flu just in time. We were here and showed people what boxing is, the true war," he stated.
El Puma felicitó a su contrincante
"I felt that he studied me a lot, he trained quite well. I prepared with everything. I knew we were both very strong and that in this fight we had to give it our all," the Argentine champion noted. "I'm very happy for him. Thanks to the people, the truth is that this goes down in history," he added.
Finally, he expressed his desire to face Bam Bam Rodríguez, the current champion of the WBC and WBO, in his next commitment. "I hope Bam Bam can win (he fights Phumelela Cafu in July) and people can see that fight. I need a unification with him. He has a great challenge, a great responsibility. I hope it can happen with him or any other champion. I want to be a unified champion."
