Takuma Inoue Retains WBC Bantamweight Title vs. Ioka

Takuma Inoue retained his WBC bantamweight title with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Kazuto Ioka on Saturday at Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan.

The 30-year-old Inoue, younger brother of main event winner Naoya Inoue, improved to 22-2 with five knockouts by dropping the 37-year-old Ioka twice early and controlling the 12-round bout with superior speed, footwork and counterpunching. Judges scored it 120-106, 119-107 and 118-108 for Inoue, who led on open scoring throughout, including 40-34 after four rounds.

The fight began cautiously in the first round, with Inoue sharper on the jab and controlling the ring's center. Action escalated in the second as Inoue landed a crisp right hand to the chin followed by a combination that floored Ioka late in the session. Ioka rose before the bell, but Inoue struck again within 30 seconds of the third round, dropping him with a thunderous right uppercut. Though Ioka beat the count and pressed forward at times, Inoue dictated the pace from the back foot, landing jabs at will and snapping Ioka's head back repeatedly. Ioka connected with occasional left hands that drew crowd cheers, but his output waned as Inoue banked rounds with precise...