Joshua Franco and Kazuto Ioka took the saying “run it back” quite seriously, selecting the same venue for the rematch of their WBA Super Flyweight championship fight from December 31, 2022, ending in a majority draw, with one judge scoring the fight 115 to 113 for Franco.
If the first fight is any indication of what’s to come, Franco and Ioka will be 12 rounds of technical, fast-paced, back-and-forth action, where the winner is hanging in the balance at the final bell.
We’ll dig into the first fight and various boxing odds for Saturday night’s Championship fight in Japan in Insidersbettingdigest’s Franco vs Ioka betting analysis.
Joshua Franco vs. Kazuto Ioka Information
Joshua “El Profesor” Franco vs Kazuto Ioka
Location of the fight: Ota City General Gymnasium, Ōta, Tokyo, Japan.
Date & Time: Saturday, June 24. 9:00 am ET.
How to watch: Japan – DAZN | Rest Of World – TBA
Recent Fight Results
Saturday’s WBA Super Flyweight Championship fight is an immediate rematch following the majority draw in the first fight.
Ioka had won his previous six matchups before the first Franco fight, finishing two fights via tko from the eighth round and beyond.
Franco’s recent fight history has been defined by rematches, as six of his previous seven fights before Ioka have been against two fighters: Andrew Moloney and Oscar Negrete. Over his last seven fights, Franco has a 4-0-2 record, with one no-contest.
Joshua Franco vs. Kazuto Ioka Betting Analysis
Before we focus on each fighter, let’s review the fight stats from the first fight. After a tentative start with 28 strikes landing in the first two rounds, things picked up in the third round, where both fighters increased their output and doubled their shots landed in a very evenly matched contest, where a majority draw was a fair outcome.
Joshua Franco
Franco landed 202 of 1412 total strikes in the first fight, landing 66 body shots. Franco landed 14.3% of his total strikes, 6% of his jabs (41/688), and 22.2% of his power shots (161/724).
Kazuto Ioka
Ioka was the more efficient fighter and out-struck Franco by every metric. Ioka landed 214 of 797 strikes (26.9%), landing 96 body shots, connecting on 12.9% (47/364) of his jabs and 38.6% (167/433) of his power punches.
Key Injuries
There are no updates as of publication. However, unlike boxing fights coming up, you’ll need to search out updates regarding when you can watch this fight outside of Japan.
Joshua Franco vs. Kazuto Ioka Betting Preview
Here are the current boxing odds we’re using in our Franco vs Ioka betting analysis:
| Fighter | Moneyline | Fight goes to Decision (Y/N) | Win via Decision | To Win by TKO/KO or DQ | Odds for a Draw |
| Joshua Franco | -110 to -125 | (Yes) -350 | +145 | +600 | +1200 to +1800 |
| Kazuto Ioka | +100 to -112 | (No) +245 | +145 | +600 | N/A |
There are no over/under rounds betting lines available. However, if you believe this will be one of those boxing matches and rematches where there is a definitive end, there are numerous prop bet lines for both fighters to end the fight in any of the 12 rounds.
For those bettors who like a long shot,13% of Franco’s professional fights and three of his last eight fights have ended in a draw, making him a prime candidate to fight to a draw.
Joshua Franco vs. Kazuto Ioka Betting Prediction
Our first prediction in our Franco vs Ioka betting analysis is regardless of which fighter you pick to win the WBA Super Flyweight Championship, you should parlay that with picks of the fight going to the distance (Yes -350) and for your fighter to win via decision (+145).
- We’re taking Kazuto Ioka to win a close decision.
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