Battle-hardened Japanese warrior Kazuto Ioka is already a four-weight world champion and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. However, the WBA super flyweight champ is poised to enter the most exciting period of his 15-year professional career.
If Ioka can overcome undefeated IBF counterpart Fernando Martinez on Sunday, July 7 in Tokyo, he could move on to a money-spinning showdown with one of the most exciting young fighters in the world today: Jesse "Bam" Rodriguez.
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On Saturday, Bam (20-0, 13 KOs) wrenched the WBC and Ring Magazine super flyweight titles from Mexican legend Juan Francisco Estrada in Phoenix, Arizona. The pair traded knockdowns in their eagerly anticipated showdown before Bam closed the show with a spine-snapping left hand to the body in round seven.
Before the fight, the Texas-born southpaw spoke to The Sporting News about his future, and he also predicted the winner of the Ioka-Martinez unification clash.
"That's a great fight," Bam acknowledged. "Martinez is a pressure fighter and Ioka is a smart boxer. I would have to give the edge to Ioka because he boxes very well.
"That's a fight that does interest me, but I have a rematch clause with Estrada. If that goes through, fight Estrada again and after that, I'd love to fight the winner. [If Ioka wins], I'd love to fight in Japan. I'm open to fighting anywhere."
Aside from three of his first four fights taking place in Mexico, Bam has never fought outside of the United States. His biggest wins — Carlos Cuadras, Srisaket Sor Rungvisai, Sunny Edwards and Estrada — have either been staged in Arizona or Texas.
The good news is that Bam is one of the most ambitious and hungry fighters at the elite level. If the young champion says he's willing to travel to Japan to fight Ioka, you can take him at his word.
Already a two-weight world titleholder, Bam wants to keep up the momentum.
"I just want the best fights at this point in my career," he told The Sporting News. "I'm young, so I have a full tank. I just want to fight the best and give the fans the best fights possible and retire after that."
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Can Kazuto Ioka beat Bam Rodriguez?
It's almost certain that Bam would open as favorite against Ioka. Boxing is all about timing, inside and outside the ring, and the odds would be stacked in the American's favor.
At 24 years of age, "Bam" is in his fighting prime and he's getting better with each fight. As great as Ioka still is, he'd struggle to match the younger man for energy and aggression over a fast-paced 12-rounder.
The pick would be Bam but with trepidation. You don't write off a fighter of Ioka's calibre easily and he's upset the odds before. I just think we've entered the Bam era, and the Japanese fighter would be trespassing at this point.
However, before Ioka can look ahead to a Bam superfight, he has serious business to take care of against Argentinian brawler Martinez, who is determined to test him to the full. And if Estrada takes the Bam rematch, as he stated he would on Saturday, then he should not be discounted either.
At least for now, the Bam vs. Ioka bout remains in the fantasy section.