Jamie McDonnell retains title with unanimous decision against Tomoki Kameda
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Jamie McDonnell promised a repeat performance of his 12-round unanimous decision win over Tomoki Kameda earlier this year, and he delivered exactly that in fine fashion behind a busy and strong jab and long, powerful right hand.
"Everything went according to plan," said McDonnell (27-2-1, 12 KOs). "The plan was to box him and catch him with some big shots."
McDonnell floored Kameda with a looping right hand midway through the final round. Kameda got to his feet quickly to finish the fight throwing punches. The crowd cheered both men for their efforts.
It was a tactical but entertaining fight. The rounds were hotly contested, and ringside observers were split on who they thought won. But the judges at ringside agreed with McDonnell's assessment, scoring the WBA "regular" bantamweight title fight 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110 for the 29-year-old from the United Kingdom.
"I felt in control all the way through," said McDonnell. "When I dropped him in the last round, I think he did slip a little bit. I tried to stay away, but I did catch him. After that, I know I sealed the victory."
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Fighting in front of a vociferous group of 2,195 Texas fight fans at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, both fighters promised before the PBC on CBS contest to win the highly anticipated rematch by knockout. It appeared each man tried.
As it was in the first fight, the bout was fought at a crescendo. McDonnell started slow and from a distance. He was content during the early rounds to box his fleet-footed opponent from afar.
Kameda started fast. He worked his way in behind an aggressive jab, throwing fiery punches in combination. He finished a three-punch barrage in the second round with a sharp left hook, then circled McDonnell to keep him from initiating a return attack.
But the taller McDonnell employed a thudding jab from a comfortable distance to make his mark. He landed a fair share of them through the first three rounds, even as Kameda, a Japanese-born boxer fighting out of Mexico, was relentless in his side-to-side movements in and around the slower McDonnell.
McDonnell's jab was the key to the fight.
"I used the jab," said McDonnell. "I think I threw the jab more than I did anything."
The pace quickened in the third round when McDonnell decided it'd be best to use his larger frame to pressure Kameda and move the smaller man backward. Both men landed heavy blows. McDonnell's were more telling but Kameda's were fast and crisp.
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McDonnell came on strong in the second half of the fight. Kameda, perhaps slowed by the fatigue of his own frenetic style, was still sharp and active. But the ever advancing McDonnell's heavy hands began to land with more regularity.
The second half of the bout was fought at a torrid pace.
McDonnell stood his ground. He worked hard behind his jab and concentrated his efforts on landing his long right hand behind it. Kameda, 24, boxed mostly moving backward. He circled McDonnell, content to use his fast hands to wreak havoc in bursts.
Thinking he had done enough to win, Kameda (31-2, 19 KOs) expressed disappointment with the ringside judges.
"I thought I won this fight a lot more clearly than the last fight," Kameda said through manager Luis DeCubas Sr. "I stuck to my plan and I did everything right."
Both men predicted before the bout a move up to junior featherweight in the near future. After securing the win, McDonnell seems ready for the jump up in weight to face proposed opponent (and countryman) Scott Quigg, but it would probably behoove Kameda to stay at bantamweight for the time being. He does not yet seem to possess enough power at bantamweight to warrant a move up to another division.