IT has been “so far, so good” for Conor Baker in his fledgling professional career. The 27-year-old from Tipton will be looking to make it a fantastic four wins from four when he steps through the ropes at Dudley Town Hall during the BCB Promotions ‘Summer Showdown’ on July 19.

“I’m really pleased with the venue and that I’ll be getting out again so soon. The town hall is ten minutes away and most of my fans are local so it’ll be easier for them to get there and have a good time,” Baker said.

The super lightweight prospect last fought in April against veteran boxer Naeem Ali, who, despite being only a year older, has 130 fights and counting. Baker boxed well, winning 39-37, and showed the improvement he and trainer Mark Richards have been working on.

“It was tough out there. He would throw a lot of feints at times and try to snail-paced you down and get you out of rhythm. I could have sped it up and taken it to the next level, but it was another good experience and I think we put into the fights what we work on in the gym.

“I’m starting to focus more on my strokes and work on my feints and angles, working on my interior. It’s been about getting used to the routine and I feel like we’re adding something modern in every session,” he added.

Baker trains at the Anchor Gym in West Bromwich as part of his full-time role as a waterman. His trainer, ‘Maca’, is also his partner’s father, and the pair have a great working relationship alongside their family bond.

“I really couldn’t ask for better training; of course, if I didn’t work it would be easier, but I still do two sessions a day.

“We had some great sparring with Danny Skidmore and modern BCB signing Blaine Williams and I can feel the progress we’re making. If there’s a break, there’s a break, but I promise I’ll give it my all.”

The BCB show, headlined by Ben Collins, will also feature unbeaten prospects Jamie Edwards and Jasmin Harmitt, as well as the professional debut of outstanding amateur Callum Latimer.

Four-division world champion Kazuto Ioka had long sought a junior bantamweight unification, thinking he could do it with a fight against then-Ring champion and WBC titleholder Juan Francisco Estrada behind schedule last year, but that all fell apart during negotiations.

However, Ioka, ranked No. 2 in the junior bantamweight division by The Ring, and his team were able to negotiate a deal with undefeated IBF world champion Fernando Martinez, the two of whom will face off Sunday at the Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo.

“I’m cheerful to have the unification fight,” Ioka (32-2-1, 16 knockouts) told The Ring via Yusuke Ninomiya. “I think it’s a challenge to move on, and fighting the IBF champion is a gigantic challenge. I’ve never won the IBF title before, so I want to win it!”

He failed to secure the aforementioned fight with Estrada, who ultimately opted to fight rising star Jesse Rodriguez last weekend. Ioka had that in mind.

“Because of the nature of the program, the negotiations didn’t go well and the event didn’t happen at the end of last year,” he said, without elaborating. Estrada’s financial demands are believed to have been too much trouble.

“I want to fight the winner of Estrada vs. Jesse Rodriguez,” he said.

As usual, Ioka headed to Las Vegas for four weeks to train under the watchful eye of longtime trainer Ismael Salas, where he also sparred with former world title challenger Angelino Cordova (18-1-1, 12 KOs), who was chosen to emulate his fellow South American’s aggressive fighting style.

The 35-year-old, who will be fighting for a 26th world title, remains as motivated as ever since he turned professional 15 years ago.

Since then he has won the WBA and WBC strawweight titles before moving up to junior flyweight and then flyweight, where he annexed the WBA belts. At junior bantamweight he won the WBO and WBA titles, although he had to relinquish the WBA title to face Joshua Franco in a rematch after initially being held to a draw rather than face the mandatory. That’s how badly he wanted to face Joshua again.

“I’ve come this far, but I’m not cheerful with where I am now, I want to see how far I can go and prove it,” he explained. “I want to encourage the people who are watching me. Of course, I will fight for my family and the people who support me.”

This looks like an intriguing style matchup, Ioka’s skill versus Martinez’s relentless aggression. However, I think Ioka having home court advantage and being more lively tips the scales in his favor.

It should be noted that Martinez has fought five of his last six fights outside of Argentina and has won, although this is a fight he hasn’t fought in over a year. My prediction is that Ioka uses his impressive skill and movement to constantly force Martinez into changing directions and wins a hard-fought but unanimous decision in just 12 rounds.

Martinez (16-0, 9 KOs), ranked No. 3 by The Ring as a junior bantamweight, was a standout amateur and represented his home country of Argentina around the world, appearing in the World Series of Boxing and at the 2016 Olympics before turning pro in 2017.

“Pumita” won his first nine fights, all in Argentina, before traveling to South Africa to stop Athenkosi Dumezweni (TKO 11). The 32-year-old was largely unknown until he defeated Jerwin Ancajas (UD 12) to win the IBF title and repeated the feat in his first defense. He then scored a behind schedule knockout over fellow Filipino Jade Bornea (TKO 11).

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It has been announced that undefeated heavyweight Johnny Fisher will face “The Savage,” former bridge title challenger and heavyweight great Alen Babic on July 6th, with the fight taking place at The Copper Box in London. And this fight has fireworks written all over it. But the flashes, sparks and explosions may not last very long.

Fisher, just 25 years aged and currently 11-0(10), has gained a real following since turning pro in February 2021, and ‘The Romford Bull’ has some people thinking he could be the next large heavyweight star. Maybe.

Croatian “Savage” Babic, 12-1(11), has been sending fans home elated for some time now, the 33-year-old gaining a cult following with his reckless, devilishly entertaining style and approach. But the wheels came off last April when Babic was dropped in a round in his biggest fight to date, a challenge for the vacant WBC bridgeweight title; Babic was defeated in a round by Łukasz Różański. Babic bounced back to stop Steve Robinson in another profitable fight in March.

So in the July fight, Fisher, a much bigger and younger man, will face a smaller but more experienced slugger. Both men are sluggers. So who wins?

Fisher, who came off a quick win over Dmytro Bezus, whom he defeated in January, could finish Babič in double quick time. Or maybe Babič can survive the expected early onslaught and drag the bigger man into deeper waters. Babič has only made it past the sixth round once, though, and his plan for the fight is to get the job done as quickly as possible.

Fisher, who has only been extended to the seventh round once, also wants a quick win. It looks like these two will come out throwing bombs at each other from the get-go. This could end quickly – with Fisher expected to blow Babic away here – but things could get very compelling, and perhaps even very exhilarating, if the fight goes longer than three or four rounds.

This is a step up for Fisher, in a fight that Babic says he’ll enjoy taking Fisher down. Rest assured, this fight will be fun while it lasts. But it may not last very long.

Fisher vs. Babic fight start date and time

• Date: Saturday, July 6
• Time: 7pm UK / 2pm ET

Fisher vs. Babic Fight Card

• Johnny Fisher vs. Alen Babic; heavyweight
• Reece Bellotti vs Levi Giles for British Super Featherweight Title
• John Hedges vs. Lewis Oakford; cruiserweight
• Maisey Rose Courtney vs. Jasmina Zapotoczna; Flyweight
• Giorgio Visioli vs. Tampela Maharusi; Super Featherweight