By Joe Koizumi
WBC strawweight champ Kazuto Ioka (10-0, 6 KOs), 105, unified the 105-pound belts as he pounded out a close but unanimous verdict (115-114 and 115-113 twice) over WBA titlist Akira Yaegashi (15-3, 8 KOs), 105, over twelve hard-fought rounds on Wednesday in Osaka, Japan. Ioka’s opening attack had Yaegashi’s left optic swollen from the first round, which kept the loser from showing his usual combinations against the sharpshooter. (More to come)
