The winner of the title unification fight between World Boxing Organization super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka of Shisei Boxing Gym and World Boxing Association super flyweight kingpin Joshua Franco of the United States on Dec. 31 in Japan will be pitted against former WBO flyweight champion Junto Nakatani of M.T Boxing Gym within 180 days, it was officially announced recently.

The 33-year-old Ioka, who retained the title for the fifth time by decisioning Donnie Nietes of the Philippines in July this year in Tokyo, has been training in Las Vegas Nevada in preparation for the title unification fight with Franco.

The 24-year-old Nakatani, who hammered out a 10-round unanimous decision over WBO’s third-ranked super flyweight Francisco Rodriguez Jr of Mexico on Nov. 1 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama Prefecture, is expected to become the WBO’s top-ranked contender in the next rankings and will, therefore, become a mandatory challenger to the title.