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Fernando Martinez has added the WBA title to his IBF super flyweight crown with a huge victory in Japan over the favored veteran Kazuto Ioka.
The Argentine won a superb fight, at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo, by margins of 116-112, 117-111 and an off-base 120-108 in Tokyo.
Showing courage and using volume, Martinez was too industrious for the 35-year-old veteran, who is now 31-3-1 (16 KOs).
The 32-year-old “Puma” Martinez, the new unified champ now at 17-0 (9 KOs), seemed to carry the heavier firepower, but Ioka kept firing away and had plenty of success to the body.
The fighters embraced before the final round, and the 120-108 card of Edward Hernandez will rightly cause a stir, because four-weight champion and future Hall of Famer Ioka merited far more than that.
Post-fight, Martinez – who wept after the decision was announced and he was handed the two belts – said: “I gave him everything I had. We gave the fans what they want. A war.”
WBC champion Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez was on hand to scout his possible future opponent.
Elsewhere on the bill, Japanese bantamweight prospect Seiya Tsutsumi improved to 11-0-2 (8 KOs), with a 10th and final round stoppage of now 4-2 Thai Weerawat Noolae.