Kazuto Ioka and Daigo Higa end 2023 with knockouts

First issues first: completely satisfied new 12 months! Hope your holidays had been nice and that your loved ones threw a minimal of projectiles at each other.

Again to folks punching one another for enjoyable and revenue.

As is normal, the final noteworthy boxing occasion of 2023 occurred in Japan over the weekend. Whereas pickings had been comparatively slim this 12 months with Naoya Inoue stealing the highlight on Boxing Day and many of the country’s biggest stars booked for the next couple of months, followers nonetheless received their cash’s value.

The co-feature noticed Flyweight blue-chipper turned struggling bantamweight Daigo Higa (21-2-1, 19 KO) rating his largest win in years by stopping Nawaphon Kaikanha (58-4-1, 48 KO). His energy has been considerably much less of an element for the reason that JBC compelled him to leap two weight lessons after shedding his title on the size, however it confirmed itself right here with a gnarly fourth-round physique shot that put Kaikanha down for the depend.

Shortly thereafter, WBA tremendous flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka (30-2-1, 16 KO) predictably dismantled former flyweight title challenger Josber Perez (20-4, 18 KO). Perez, who received this chance when Ioka failed to come back to phrases with Juan Francisco Estrada for a protracted overdue unification, suffered three knockdowns within the climactic seventh spherical earlier than staying down for the depend.