Fernando Martinez hopes to conjure up the spirits of past champs in Japan vs Kazuto Ioka

A quick review of the historic rivalry between Argentine and Japanese fighters can be quite revealing for those who haven’t followed it through the years.

Japan’s first world champion Yoshio Shirai lost his belt to Argentina’s first-ever champ, the legendary Pascual Perez, in 1955. A little over a decade later, Horacio Accavallo challenged Katsuyoshi Takayama for the vacant version of the same flyweight belt that Perez had won, and brought it back to Argentina after a great performance.