The Kazuto Ioka vs. Joshua Franco live boxing match will take place on Saturday, May 8th at 10:00 PM ET. The bout will be contested for the WBO junior bantamweight title. This will be a 12-round fight.
Kazuto Ioka (23-1, 13 KOs) of Osaka, Japan will be back in the ring on December 30 when he takes on Joshua Franco (13-1-2, 7 KOs) of San Antonio, Texas for the vacant WBO junior flyweight title. The fight will take place at the Osceola Heritage Park Events Center in Kissimmee, Florida. This will be Ioka’s second attempt at winning a world title in the junior flyweight division.
In his first try, he lost a close twelve-round unanimous decision to Thailand’s Amnat Ruenroeng in 2015. Since that loss, Ioka has won four fights in a row. In his last bout, he stopped Filipino veteran Jonathan Taconing in ten rounds last May to capture the OPBF and WBO Asia Pacific junior flyweight titles.
Meanwhile, Franco is coming off an eight-round split decision victory over Oscar Negrete last November. That win helped him bounce back from his first professional loss which came at the hands of Andrew Moloney last June. Moloney would go on to win the WBA “regular” junior bantamweight title after that fight while Franco moved down to the 108-pound weight class.
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When And Where Will the Kazuto Ioka Vs Joshua Franco Fight Take Place
The Kazuto Ioka vs Joshua Franco fight will take place on Saturday, May 8th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. This will be a 12-round bout for the WBO junior bantamweight title.
Who is Scheduled to Fight in the Main Event
In the main event of UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Harris, scheduled for Saturday, May 16th at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem will take on Walt Harris. The bout will headline a card that will also feature a number of other notable fights. Overeem (45-18-0) is a veteran of the sport with over sixty professional MMA bouts to his credit.
The Dutch fighter made his UFC debut in 2011 and has since gone on to fight some of the biggest names in the promotion, including Brock Lesnar, Fabricio Werdum, Stipe Miocic, and Francis Ngannou. In December 2018, he challenged then-champion Miocic for the title but was unsuccessful in his bid to regain the gold, losing via first-round knockout. Since that defeat, Overeem has gone on to pick up wins over Aleksei Oleinik and Alexey Oleynik.
He now looks to get back into title contention with a win over Harris (13-7-0). Harris burst onto the UFC scene in August 2018 with an impressive first-round knockout victory over Sergey Spivak. He followed that up with another KO win – this time over Andrei Arlovski – before suffering setbacks against Curtis Blaydes and Alistair Overeem respectively.
Most recently, he got back on track with a dominant performance against Alexander Volkov en route to a unanimous decision victory. A win over Overeem would put Harris right back into heavyweight title contention. The winner of this heavyweight clash will certainly be one step closer to getting another shot at UFC gold.
How Can I Watch the Kazuto Ioka Vs Joshua Franco Live Stream
The Kazuto Ioka vs Joshua Franco live stream can be watched on the Watch ESPN app.
What are the Odds of the Fight
The fight between Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin will be one of the most highly anticipated boxing matches in recent memory. Both men are considered to be among the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, and they will be facing off for Canelo’s middleweight title. The oddsmakers have made Golovkin a slight favorite heading into the fight, as he is currently listed at -160 on most sportsbooks.
This means that you would need to bet $160 on Golovkin to win $100, while a bet on Canelo would net you $100 for every $140 wagered. While Golovkin is the favorite, it is not by much. This is shaping up to be a very evenly-matched fight, and it could easily go either way.
The main reason that Golovkin is favored at all is because of his superior knockout power. He has stopped 32 of his 38 opponents, while Canelo has only stopped 24 of his 49 opponents. If you’re looking to bet on this fight, there is value on both sides.
However, if you think that Golovkin’s power will ultimately be the difference maker then betting on him at -160 may be your best option.
Who Do You Think Will Win
The answer to this question depends on a number of factors. First, it depends on who the participants are in the race. If there is a clear favorite with a significant lead, then that participant is more likely to win.
Second, it depends on the conditions of the race. If the conditions are favorable for the favorite, then they are more likely to win. Finally, it depends on luck.
Even if all other factors favor one participant over another, luck can always play a role in who ends up winning the race.
KAZUTO IOKA VS JOSHUA FRANCO FULL FIGHT CARD
Conclusion
Kazuto Ioka will be facing Joshua Franco in a live boxing match on May 22. This will be Ioka’s first defense of his WBO junior bantamweight title, which he won by defeating Akira Yaegashi last December. Meanwhile, Franco is coming off of a split decision loss to Andrew Moloney in their rematch last November. Both Ioka and Franco are looking to get back on track with a win in this fight.
Ioka is the more experienced fighter, having fought in 52 professional bouts compared to Franco’s 23. However, both men are skilled boxers and it should make for an exciting match. The winner of this bout could potentially face WBC champion, Juan Francisco Estrada, later this year.
