A referee (R) stops the fight between Kazuto Ioka of Japan (C) and Aston Palicte of Philippines (R) during their WBO super flyweight boxing title bout at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba on June 19, 2019. (Photo by TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA / AFP)
MANILA, Philippines—Filipino boxer Aston Palicte failed in his retry for a World title and lost to Japan’s Kazuto Ioka via 10th round technical knockout in their WBO World super flyweight bout Wednesday at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City, Japan.
This was Palicte’s (25-3-1) second attempt at WBO’s 115-lb belt after he settled for a draw with fellow Filipino Donnie Nietes in September 2018 in California.
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Ioka (24-2), who lost to Nietes on New Year’s Eve right before 2019, became Japan’s first four-division champion after previously holding the WBC and WBA World minimumweight, WBA World light flyweight, IBF World flyweight, and WBA World flyweight titles.
The Japanese took a methodical approach to the fight and despite what could be described as a slow pace of attack eventually paid off for him in the 10th round.
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Ioka connected with a counter that opened up his attack and Palicte, who’s two years younger than the Japanese, found no answer to the ensuing barrage.
“I’ve dedicated everything I’ve got into getting this belt, “said Ioka, who last fought in Japan 2017, as per Japan Times. “It’s been a while for me to fight in Japan, but I’m thrilled that I’ve been able to accomplish the four division titles on Japanese soil.”