Inoue (21-2, 5 KOs) captured the WBC title in November with a victory over former kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa, who entered the bout with limited professional boxing experience. The win clinched the belt, though it left open questions about how Takuma measures up against the strongest opposition at bantamweight.
Earlier parts of his career produced mixed results against higher-level opponents. Takuma challenged for a title in 2019, losing a clear twelve-round unanimous decision to Nordine Oubaali. Several years later, he claimed the WBA bantamweight belt with a victory over Liborio Solis and defended it three times before losing the title to Seiya Tsutsumi in a wide decision in 2024.
These results explain why his position in the division still raises questions.
Across the ring will be one of Japan’s most accomplished champions of the past decade. Ioka (32-4-1, 17 KOs) won world titles in four weight classes and spent years as a leading figure at junior bantamweight before deciding to pursue another belt at 118 pounds.
Its recent results also introduce uncertainty. Ioka lost two competitive fights to Fernando Martinez during his last stretch at junior bantamweight before returning on New Year’s Eve to stop Maikel Ordosgoitti with a sustained attack to the body. After that victory, he publicly asked for the opportunity to challenge Takuma.
The bigger question for Ioka is age. At 36, he starts the fight after a long career in the lighter divisions and now moves up to bantamweight in search of another title.
So the match pits a champion still trying to prove his worth against a veteran whose best years came earlier in his career.
On a card headlined by Naoya Inoue’s fight with Junto Nakatani, Takuma Inoue now faces the type of opponent that should make his true level clear.
