The 37-year-old isn't done yet and will look to add a the WBC bantamweight title to his long list of accolades when taking on Takuma Inoue at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday.

"I am grateful for the opportunity to face him at this point in my boxing career," Ioka (32-4-1, 17 KOs) told The Ring.

"I believe he is an excellent boxer with very high boxing skills."

The fight, an excellent one in its own right, will serve as chief support to Ring and undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue vs. Junto Nakatani in a much-anticipated battle of two pound-for-pound stars.

"I feel honored to be able to fight on such a big stage with this level of attention," he said. "I approach every fight as if it could be my last, and I want to continue for as long as possible."

Ioka snapped a two-fight losing streak to then-WBA titlist Fernando Martinez when stepping up to bantamweight, fighting on his customary December 31 date, which he has done on 14 occasions during his career to date.

Ioka, who walks around at 132-pounds, was able to comfortably stop Maikel Ordosgoitti in four rounds and felt invigorated at the new weight.

"I felt very good both in my preparation and in the fight itself," he said. "Rather than feeling that it has become easier, I believe it has allowed me to improve the quality of my training."

Having won world titles at strawweight, junior flyweight, flyweight and junior bantamweight he hopes to become the first male Japanese fighter to do so in a fifth weight class.

"I believe this will mark an important page in history, both in my own life and for Japanese boxing," he said. "I believe that life is about continuing to challenge myself in the things I am truly committed to.

"To keep going, you need goals and once you achieve them, you set new ones and continue to challenge yourself again. It's not easy, but by staying committed to this path, I've been able to reach where I am today."

Usually before a fight, Ioka heads to Las Vegas and works with Ismael Salas. However, this time he has remained at home.

"I have been training seriously for about two months," he explained. "Trainer [Shuhei] Sasaki is working with me directly, and Trainer Salas is also guiding me online and through regular communication.

"Since my last fight, I have continued building on my training and working to improve my quality even further."

Inoue (21-2, 5 KOs), The Ring's No. 3-rated bantamweight, worked his way up before Nordine Oubaali outpointed him over 12 rounds to lose his unbeaten record in November 2019.

The 30-year-old picked up the vacant WBA title with a 12-round points win over Liborio Solis and made two defenses, including a career-best scalp when halting former junior bantamweight titlist Jerwin Ancajas (KO 9).

Seiya Tsutsumi outpointed him to snatch the title away in October 2024, though he claimed the vacant WBC strap on November 24 when outsmarting Tenshin Nasukawa to the tune of a 12-round decision.