Following a banner year for boxing, Kazuto Ioka and Josber Perez look to end 2023 on a high note. Ioka defends the WBA super flyweight title against Perez in the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo on December 31.
Born in Sakai, Ioka turned pro in 2009. He won the WBC minimumweight title in 2011 and the WBA title in 2012. Moving in weight, Ioka beat Jose Alfredo Rodriguez on New Year's Eve 2012 to win the WBA light flyweight belt. He lost his first contest in 2014, facing Amnat Ruenroeng for the IBF flyweight title. A few fights later, he rebounded by beating Juan Carlos Reveco in 2015 for the WBA flyweight title. The 34-year-old had a nine-fight win streak end in 2018 against Donnie Nietes, this time for the WBO super flyweight title.
Like his fight against Ruenroeng, Ioka quickly recovered by winning the WBO title in 2019 against Aston Palicte. Facing Joshua Franco for the WBA and WBO belts on New Year's Eve 2022, their fight ended in a majority decision draw. Ioka vacated the WBO title to fight Franco again instead of facing mandatory challenger Junto Nakatani, beating Franco in June via unanimous decision.
"As the defending champion, I have to show that I'm on a different level and win by a landslide,” Ioka said via The Japan Times. "I have a fight that I want to make happen (vs. Juan Francisco Estrada), but I need to win this one first. It goes without saying that I have to remain champion."
MORE: Who is the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world?
Perez turned pro in 2016. The Venezuelan lost a fight in 2016 and went on a thirteen-fight win streak. He is 4-2 in his last six fights and is on a three-fight win streak after failing to capture the WBA flyweight title in 2020 against Artem Dalakian. "Avalancha" last fought in September, beating Jose Farfan for his third straight win via knockout.
Here's all you need to know about the fight, from time, channel, odds, card, and more.
When is Kazuto Ioka vs. Josber Perez?
| Region | Date | Main Card Start Time | Main Event Ring Walks (approx.) |
| USA and Canada (ET) | Sunday, December 31 | 3 a.m. ET | 6:30 a.m. ET |
| USA and Canada (PT) | Sunday, December 31 | 12 a.m. PT | 3:30 a.m. PT |
| UK and Ireland | Sunday, December 31 | 8 a.m. GMT | 11:30 a.m. GMT |
| Australia | Sunday, December 31 | 7 p.m. AEDT | 10:30 p.m. AEDT |
How to watch Kazuto Ioka vs. Josber Perez: TV channel, live stream
The Sporting News will provide more information on streaming for this fight when available.
| Region | TV channel | Live streaming |
| USA | TBC | TBC |
| Canada | TBC | TBC |
| UK and Ireland | TBC | TBC |
| Australia | TBC | TBC |
| Japan | TBC | ABEMA |
MORE: The top 5 greatest fights from Showtime Boxing
Where is Kazuto Ioka vs. Josber Perez?
The fight is at Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan. It can hold up to 4,000 people.
Kazuto Ioka vs. Josber Perez betting odds
Per the FanDuel Sportsbook, Kazuto Ioka is the -2400 favorite, while Josber Perez is the +1220 underdog.
Here's a look into the latest prop bets for method of victory, courtesy of the FanDuel Sportsbook.
- Ioka via KO/TKO: -330
- Ioka via decision: +370
- Perez via KO/TKO: +1280
- Perez via decision: +2500
- Draw: +2000
Kazuto Ioka record, bio
- Nationality: Japanese
- Born: March 24, 1989
- Height: 5-4 1/2
- Reach: 64.5 inches
- Total fights: 33
- Record: 30-2-1 with 15 wins via knockout
MORE: How to bet on combat sports
Josber Perez record, bio
- Nationality: Venezuelan
- Born: February 6, 1995
- Height: 5-5
- Reach: N/A
- Total fights: 23
- Record: 20-3 with 18 wins via knockout
Kazuto Ioka vs. Josber Perez fight card
- Kazuto Ioka (c) vs. Josber Perez for the WBA super flyweight title
- Yoshimitsu Kimura vs. Kosuke Saka; Super Featherweights
- Daigo Higa vs. Navapon Khaikanha; Bantamweights
- Hayato Tsutsumi vs. Luis Moncion Ventura; Featherweights
- Kantaro Juri vs. Danai Ngiabphukhiaw; Super Flyweights
- Masayuki Urashima vs. Kota Matsuno; Welterweights
- Hibiki Yoshimura vs. Toshiya Fujioka; Flyweights