Former 3-weight World Champion Kazuto Ioka (22-1, 13KO) has announced he will retire.
Ioka last fought in April and vacated his WBA Flyweight title in November after a disagreement with his father stemming from his marriage to Japanese singer Nana Tanimura. There had been rumors about his retirement since he vacated the title.
Ioka had claimed world titles at Minimumweight, where he unified the WBA and WBC titles, and both Light Flyweight and Flyweight.
During his short career he scored notable victories over the likes of Oleydong Sithsamerchai, Juan Hernandez Navarette, Akira Yaegashi, Wisanu Kokietgym, Kwanthai Sithmorseng, Felix Alvarado, Juan Carlos Reveco and Stamp Kiatniwat.
It is always admirable when a fighter is able to walk away from the sport while on top of his game but, one can only wonder if Ioka is actually stepping out of the ring for the right reasons.
By: Chris Henderson
