Tomoki Kameda (31-0, 19 KOs) took on Jamie McDonnell (25-2-1, 12 KOs) for the WBA Bantamweight title on Saturday, May 9, 2015, in a 12-round bout.
The fight took place at the State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, TX, and was shown on CBS as part of the Premier Boxing Champions series.
The build up to the fight was characterized by both fighters, McDonnell especially, who was tough talking at the press conference. “El Mexicanito,” as Kameda as affectionately known, vacated his WBO Bantamweight title after intentions to unify the WBO and WBA titles were thwarted by the WBO Organization.
The consensus among boxing fans was that McDonnell had his work cut out for him, defending his title against the crowd favorite, Kameda.
Kameda took the lead in Round 1, firing searing-hot punches with the first combination of the bout. El Mexicanito’s energetic offense made McDonnell look tranquil in comparison, taking hits while few of his punches made a connection.
The crowd understandably backed their fighter early on, chanting “Tomoki! Tomoki!” from all sides of the arena.
By Round 2, McDonnell began to show signs of exertion, throwing punches while gritting his teeth. But not Kameda, settling into a rhythm underscored by his poker face. Round 3 saw an increase in power from McDonnell, but to little avail, especially when he was caught by a perfect right and knocked down by Kameda.
Kameda continued to fend off McDonnell into Round 5, dismissing his opponent’s effort to match him in vigor. McDonnell fought for an opening, making good use of his jab to land blows to the face and body through Rounds 6 and 7, but could not overcome Kameda’s combinations or tenacity.
The fight turned scrappy in Round 8 as El Mexicanito drove himself into McDonnell’s guard, attempting to tear through to the Brit’s core. Both fighters exchanged right hands and body shots, with Kameda seeing McDonnell’s uppercut and raising a right hand to the head.
After enduring a barrage of body shots, the crowd favorite Kameda showed signs of fatigue. The outcome of the fight looked ambiguous as Round 9 closed.
Round 10 started close, with both fighters tearing through each other’s defenses. Kameda’s fortunes looked dire when McDonnell landed a critical blow to the body, only to turn odds around with a volley of hits to the Brit’s head, with McDonnell frantically firing back punches as the round closed.
Kameda intensified his ring performance, but Round 11 belonged to McDonnell for landing more critical hits.
As the fight began to close, both fighters stepped it up for Round 12. Kameda delivered barrage after barrage, but was unable to stop McDonnell from landing strong blows to his head and body.
At the end of 12 rounds, the ringside buzz seemed to favor Kameda, but it was McDonnell who won by unanimous decision, as the crowd erupted in “boos” as the news broke.
All three judges scored the bout 114-113 for McDonnell.
“I felt in control all the way through,” McDonnell said after the fight. “It was a great performance. I know I should have just boxed, but I wanted to fight.”
When asked about the surprise knockdown in Round 3, McDonnell admitted Kameda’s speed surprised him.
“I knew he was going to be fast, but I didn’t expect it like that,” McDonnell said. “I didn’t see the shot and next thing I knew I was on the floor.”
McDonnell also did not expect to win by decision against Kameda, referring to him as a “great, undefeated champion.”
Kameda, on the other hand, felt the decision should have gone in his favor. “As far as the decision goes, we don’t agree with it but the people know who won,” Kameda said. When asked if McDonnell was his toughest opponent, Kameda replied “No. No, no. Absolutely not. When I won the WBO title from Paulus Ambunda, he was tougher.”
Kameda’s plans after this fight include consulting with Al Haymon on his next step, whereas McDonnell plans to go up in weight in order to “catch the big fights.”
All photos by Esther Lin
