World Boxing Association super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka of Shisei Boxing Gym showed a round of shadowboxing at the gym in Tokyo on July 1 in preparation for his title unification fight with International Boxing Federation super flyweight kingpin Fernando Martinez of Argentina on July 7 at Tokyo’s Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Arena.

  The 35-year-old Ioka, who returned home last week after a four-week training camp by sitting at the feet of his long-time trainer Isamel Salas of Cuba in Las Vegas, Nevada, told reporters, ‘’Unless I have to overwhelm him at close quarters, I will not be able to stop him in the fight.’’

  To this end, Ioka had mainly engaged himself in sparring with fifth-ranked World Boxing Council flyweight Angelino Cordova of Venezuela, who, according to Ioka’s Japanese trainer Shuhei Sasaki, was a kind of boxer who throws punches restlessly (like Martinez).

  It so happened that Ioka’s rival Juan Francisco Estrada of Mexico lost his WBC super flyweight title on June 30 (Japan time) as he was knocked out in the seventh round by Jesse ‘’Bam’’ Rodriguez of the United States in Phoenix, Arizona.

  Ioka said, ‘’While my immediate opponent is Martinez, I hope I can fight with ‘’Bam’’ next so that I can add my third title in the division.

  Ioka has a record of 31 wins, including 16 KOs, against two losses and a draw. For his part, the 32-year-old Martinez has 16 straight wins, nine by KO.