Fernando 'Puma' Martinez survived a knockdown to retain his WBA junior-bantamweight title against a devastated Kazuto Ioka in their long-awaited rematch at the Ota City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.

The scores read 114-113, 115-112, 117-110, all in favour of Martinez. The fight was streamed live on Abema TV in Japan.

Last July, Martinez (18-0, 9 KOs) stunned Ioka (31-4-1, 16 KOs) at the Ryogoku Kokugikan to unify the WBA and IBF 115-pound titles by unanimous decision. In the weeks that followed, however, there was always a sense a rematch would follow, particularly as one card controversially had Martinez the winner of every single round.

By the end of October, Martinez had relinquished the IBF belt, which he'd been ordered to defend against mandatory challenger Willibaldo Garcia. A lucrative sequel with Ioka back in Tokyo, this time in Ota City, would be pursued.

Though it was originally scheduled to take place four days before Christmas, the fight was nixed at the 11th hour after Martinez, who missed all of the fight week pleasantries, pulled himself from the bout with illness.

Ten months on, though, here both men finally were ready to slug things out for a second time. Rapped out to the ring by Japanese hip-hop artist AK-69, Ioka, flanked by his legendary trainer Ismael Salas, bobbed and weaved his way to, what some observers surmised, could be the final fight of his career. Martinez, draped in a poncho emblazoned with the colours of Argentina, strolled down safe in the knowledge that he'd done this before and left victorious.

Just like he did in their first encounter, Martinez would be the one to push the pace, landing power shots to both the head and body as he took purposeful forward steps. Ioka worked his way back into things by the end of the opening round, landing a crafty counter left-hook over his opponent's right cross.

Ioka's success with the left hook continued in the second round, landing one as Martinez came forward with his guard down. The visitor, however, would land with a big overhand right and an uppercut on the inside which the home fighter felt every Newton of.

Martinez's frenetic pace was something Ioka had become accustomed to by the third round. The Osaka man, perhaps looking to be more surgical in his work, would go to the body when his counters to the head weren't landing. Towards the end of the round, Ioka had his biggest moment of the fight yet, stunning his opponent with a massive right hand which sent the 33-year-old into a spin. Martinez wouldn't be deterred, coming back with a huge hook of his own.

The fourth round was action-packed as both men landed with venom, Martinez from the front-foot, Ioka countering from the back. But the fifth saw Martinez enjoy his best sequence yet, as he connected with numerous cuffing blows around the side of Ioka's head while the 36-year-old looked to shell up on the ropes. As the round reached its end, Martinez managed to connect with a big right to the head once again.

In the sixth, Martinez found an opening and went for the kill after seemingly hurting his man with a flurry against the ropes. As he looked to close the show, however, Ioka landed something himself, causing Martinez to take a step back and regroup. As the pair met in the middle of the ring, with a minute left in the round, Ioka would land a crisp counter one-two before more back-and-forth action followed.

Though only three years his opponent's junior, Martinez's fresher legs would allow him to start rounds the faster of the two men. But by the end of the seventh, the Argentine had begun to tire and Ioka's work to the body looked like it was taking its toll. Deep, open-mouthed breaths could be seen from Martinez's corner before the eighth.

The eighth was a stronger one for Martinez, arguably winning it on sheer volume-punching alone. But he was slow to come out for the ninth, accepting water from his trainer as Ioka stood ready and waiting for seconds before. None of that mattered, though, as Martinez would bite down on his gum shield and push forward to land a variety of massive power shots on an equally-game Ioka.

The deep breaths for Martinez were back before the 10th, but once again he got off his stool to start the round exactly like his world championship fate depended on it. Then, out of nowhere, things switched as the away fighter's exhaustion finally paid its dues. In the middle of a wild exchange between the two, Ioka would connect with a thunderous pair of left hooks which sent a dazed Martinez to the canvas for the first time in 22 rounds of action between the duo.

Time for the Championship Rounds.

Ioka got his jab popping to begin the 11th, aware that two rounds of clean boxing may get him the decision he craved, or, better yet, set something up which would end things before the 36 minutes were up. Martinez would try everything to get back the knockdown he suffered, but his legs looked slow and Ioka's confidence had grown tenfold.

Both men would leave it all put there in the 12th and final round. Martinez had begun to connect with the kind of shots he was having success with in the early and middle rounds, while Ioka would land counter left and rights. With 40 seconds left, the two warriors looked each other dead in the eye, Martinez nodded and an all-out slug-fest ensued to end what would surely go down as another 2025 Fight of the Year candidate.

The wait for the scorecards was a tense one, but it was Martinez who left the ring the victor. Ioka, though distraught, shedding tears once he left the ring, would raise the hand of his opponent, congratulating him on the effort he'd put in over 24 rounds of brutal, unforgiving action.