RESULTS: KAZUTO IOKA & JOSHUA FRANCO BATTLE TO MAJORITY DRAW IN TOKYO

By: Jay Calderon

In the early morning hours of Saturday, at the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan, Jr. Bantamweight titlists Kazuto Ioka and Joshua Franco failed to unify their portions of the gold at 115 pounds.

After twelve relatively close rounds, the pair settled for a majority decision, with scores of 115-113 for Franco, with 114-114 being handed in by the other two judges.

The pair had a back and forth affair, with neither man doing enough to separate themselves in the judge's eyes overall. In the beginning, Ioka seemed to control more of the action with his movement and his accuracy. However, Franco kept it close, using pressure and volume.

Down the stretch, the pressure Franco applied earlier seemed to be paying off. While Ioka didn't get blown away, Franco did was clearly the boss in those final frames. Still, it could be argued that it was just a little bit too late in the contest to create the separation needed. Though, it should be noted, there could be a strong argument for Franco having done enough in the end.

To check out the rest of the results, you can click here.