JOSHUA FRANCO has announced his retirement from boxing.
The 27-year-old super-flyweight nicknamed ‘El Profesor’ broke the news from his Instagram account today after losing to Kazuto Ioka in Japan yesterday. His points defeat came six months on from their first fight which ended in a majority draw.
Ioka-Franco 2 was soured somewhat when Franco weighed over six pounds the 115lbs super-flyweight limit on Friday. Subsequently he was stripped of his WBA belt which Ioka won with a unanimous decision.
Franco 18-2-3 (8) also shared the ring with Andrew Moloney on three occasions winning two. Battles against the Australian and Ioka have used up the last five years of Franco’s career.
Writing on Instagram Franco bravely publicised his mental health battles during his retirement post.
“I wanted to start off by saying Thank You to everyone that has supported me in my career.
“I appreciate everyone for their continued support. I was able to live my childhood dream of becoming a World Champion. I defended my title multiple times all over the world and always tried my best to represent San Antonio, TX proudly.
“For the majority of my career I have been going through a lot of mental problems that I was doing my best to control. I never talked about it publicly because I didn’t want anyone to think I ever made an excuse for anything or for anyone to look at me different. I battled through it as much as I could to still perform and give you guys some great fights. For anyone that battles through any type of mental health issues please know you are not alone. And you can’t let anything stop you from achieving your dreams.
“I want to say Thank You to my team. My mom, dad and brothers for all their help and support throughout my whole career. Everyone at RGBA for believing in me helping me achieve my dreams. You guys always believed in me and I will forever be grateful.
“Last night in Tokyo, Japan was officially my last fight. It was a tough week for me and I didn’t get the result I wanted but I leave this sport knowing I gave it everything I had.
“Again Thank You to everyone for all their support and I’ll see you guys around.”
Everyone at Boxing News wishes Franco a happy and health retirement.