Kameda-Wonjongkam; Moreno-Cermeno: Report Cards

By Cliff Rold

There were many a week ago lamenting a Heavyweight championship fight being left off of U.S. airwaves.  It wasn’t a one-time occurrence; Heavyweight titlists like Nicolay Valuev and Ruslan Chagaev had title fights in recent years no American network picked up and it was hardly mentioned. 

The world’s best Heavyweight long been tied to the U.S fight scene.  That slot no longer is anywhere near an American fighter; it belongs to one Klitschko or another, but because of what the mantle means, it somehow felt wrong.

It’s how the hardcore faithful feel about much of the rest of the sport.

Just try following the little guys with enthusiasm; finding most of them on the air would hardly feel right.  If last week one could lament the lack of access to Wladimir Klitschko-Eddie Chambers, imagine how it feels for those who enjoy it when fights break out during boxing matches, those who look at this weekend’s scheduled main events in Japan and Venezuela and can only cross their fingers for YouTube later.

In one of the most stacked weekends in recent memory, a weekend with fights of significance from 105 to 175 lbs., the likely two best viewing experiences will take place at 112 and 118 lbs. 

In the former, one of the biggest stars in the entire boxing world makes his first defense of the lineal crown against a former champion who holds the record for most consecutive title defenses all-time in the class.  

In the latter, the WBA’s highly questionable practice of naming multiple titlists per weight class actually pays off in a high quality showdown between Central and South American forces at the heart of a Bantamweight resurgence.

Both fights deserve special attention and get it beginning with the Flyweight report card.

The Ledgers

Koki Kameda

Age: 23

Current Title: Lineal/WBC World Flyweight (2009-Present, 1st Defense)

Previous Titles: WBA Jr. Flyweight (2006, 1 Defense) 

Height: 5’5

Weight: TBD

Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 112.75 lbs.

Hails from: Tokyo, Japan (Born in Osaka)

Record: 22-0, 14 KO

Record in Major Title Fights: 3-0

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 3 (Saman Sorjaturong, Noel Arambulet, Daisuke Naito)

Vs.

Pongsaklek Wonjongkam

Age: 32

Title: WBC Interim

Previous Titles: Lineal/WBC World Flyweight (2001-07, 17 Defenses)

Height: 5’4

Weight: TBD

Average Weight - Five Most Recent Fights:   112.4 lbs.

Hails from: Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand

Record: 74-3-1, 39 KO

Record in Major Title Fights: 18-1-1, 8 KO

BoxingScene Rank: #3

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 2 (Malcolm Tunacao, Daisuke Naito)

Grades

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Kameda B+; Wonjongkam A-

While Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao define superstardom with income potential the envy of anyone, arguably the next biggest stars in the game hardly make a dent in the American consciousness.  The Heavyweight Klitschko brothers pack stadiums in Germany; Flyweight Koki Kameda redefines television ratings in Japan, regularly gluing half the nation to their seats.  With some appearances in Mexico, and a growing presence across Asia, Kameda’s star could be ready to go nova.

His opponent on Saturday in a battle of southpaws is the perfect man to foil the budding megastar.  At 32, Wonjongkam may also be in his last serious chance.  The best Flyweight of the previous decade, Wonjongkam will get his long awaited second chance to resume a record setting title reign.  Following the startling upset loss to a Naito, whom he’d defeated twice before, in July 2007, Wonjongkam quickly secured a rematch.  He appeared to do enough to eek it out but left just short with a draw in March 2008.  It’s taken seven wins to return to opportunity.

What he arrives with is diluted from his best days.  Wonjongkam, in his last significant contest against Julio Cesar Miranda, showed off what was already becoming a lost step during the third and fourth Naito fights.  In his prime, he possessed remarkably quick hands and while still not slow the advantage will go to Kameda.

Kameda isn’t inherently a volume puncher, preferring to counter and doing so with accuracy and vision.  Kameda employs a high and tight defense but is smart about it, letting opponents get close and tagging them with long lefts after a step back or short, chopping lead right hooks.  He can also back off and box, using his legs to change up tempo and keep opponents off balance. 

Wonjongkam’s offense and defense are also well integrated though the Thai is more about a rhythm.  His head movement is good and he slips shots well, looking to explode and land when his foes miss.  His jab is okay, but if it allows him to get home the long left to the body, okay works.  He also uses a quick lead right hook to set up a charging left cross behind it.

In terms of intangibles, the whiskers are solid on both sides.  Kameda has come off the floor and won (notably against Juan Landaeta in winning the WBA 108 lb. belt); Wonjongkam has been stopped only once and very early in his career against a more experienced professional.  Kameda has shown adaptability, solving and dominating Landaeta in a rematch after their close first contest.  He has also shown a star’s calm, defeating Naito in his last fight with precision and cool. 

Wonjongkam?  While his foes weren’t always the best, the consistency of his lengthy title reign and the numerous non-title wins around it speak to his character and professionalism.  It’s not easy to get up and stay the best every day for some six years.

A young Bantamweight will attempt to make it to two years as a champ this weekend, moving into the next report card.

Anselmo Moreno

Age: 24

Current Titles: WBA Bantamweight (2008-Present, 5 Defenses)

Previous Titles: None

Height: 5’8

Weight: 118 lbs.

Average Weight – Last Five Fights: 118.95 lbs.

Hails from: San Miguelito, Panama

Record: 28-1-1, 10 KO

Record in Major Title Fights: 6-0

BoxingScene Rank: #2

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 3 (Felix Machado, Wladimir Sidorenko, Mahyar Monshipour)

Vs.

Nehomar Cermeno

Age: 27

Title: WBA Interim (1st Genuine Title contest)

Height: 5’6

Weight: 118 lbs.

Average Weight - Five Most Recent Fights:   118.35 lbs.

Hails from: Panama City, Panama (Born in Venezuela)

Record: 19-0, 11 KO

BoxingScene Rank: #5

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Defeated: 1 (Cristian Mijares)

Grades

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – Moreno A; Cermeno A

Cermeno sort of blew up out of nowhere last year, upsetting former unified 115 lb. titlist Mijares twice and then knocking out former title challenger Alejandro Valdez to finish his year.  2010 could be even bigger but the road doesn’t get easier.  A 2000 Olympian for Venezuela, Cermeno now challenges one of the most unrecognized slicksters in the game.

Moreno is good; Cermeno should tell more about just how good.  In a division whose presumed leader, WBC titlist Hozumi Hasegawa, is getting some pound for pound buzz, Moreno is not far behind.  Tall for the division with educated feet and quick hands, Moreno is one of the toughest men to hit in boxing right now.  A southpaw whose style (aesthetically…no other comparison being made) is similar to the great Pernell Whitaker, Moreno jabs straight and over the top and supplies a sharp right uppercut to the heart.  His head movement is excellent and he makes fighters miss from inches away with it and educated arms, shoulders and elbows which pick off shots. 

Cermeno, who has already seen the defensive skills of Mijares, will have some remedies.  While not a huge puncher, Cermeno is a physical fighter and he’s got his own pair of fast hands.  His jab is thrown with more authority than Moreno’s and he’s got a lead right from his orthodox stance to try and disrupt his southpaw foe.  He’s not as defensively skilled as Moreno but he’s fundamentally sound enough, and aggressive enough, that he can steal rounds.

What Cermeno can’t do, and did against Valdez, is sort of go to sleep.  It looked for many rounds like Cermeno could have ended that fight and just didn’t get around to it until round eleven.  If he hurts Moreno, he has to take advantage because, if he does not, Moreno can recover and the chance might not come again.

Moreno isn’t likely to be overly stressed by aggression alone.  Against Monshipour last year, even accepting that Monshipour was faded, Moreno thrived with an opponent who wanted to bring a long, hard fight to him.  He’s not shy about being in a fight.

The chances of a long night are there for both men.  Neither has ever been stopped and, against the better foes each have faced, neither has ever looked really hurt.  Granting that part of that comes from never having seen a major league puncher, it’s enough to see they can take the average professional punch and that neither brings much more than that.

One intangible attribute that has to be loved about each man as they head in Saturday night in Venezuela is that they’ve had the stones to win on the road.  Cermeno beat Mijares in Mexico twice; Moreno beat Sidorenko in Germany both times and Monshipour on his adopted turf in France.  Such exploits are what used to put the capital “W” in world champion.

The Picks

With two such intriguing fights on the slate, cases for all participants can be made.  The tougher pick is at Bantamweight.  Moreno is younger on the calendar but Cermeno hasn’t had many professional fights.  At 30, his chances aren’t likely to run as long as Moreno’s should he falter so he will bring his best.  It’s just likely won’t be enough.  Moreno is a little too slick and possesses more dimensions than Cermeno and should apply that for a close, competitive decision win.

In the Flyweight contest, Kameda has such a powerful star glow building that even if he lost this weekend he still could leave with the title.  The first Landaeta fight was plenty debated afterwards, meaning Kameda getting benefit of the doubt isn’t a stretch as a presumption.  He’s still got to be good enough to get those benefits. 

Wonjongkam might be aged, but he’s not old yet and he’ll know this is the biggest stage he’s ever had.  A win over Kameda here would be the sort that stamped some shine on the already gaudy stats the Thai warrior put together.  He’s got enough tricks, and showed against Miranda that he retains enough timing and skill, to belong with the world’s best Flyweights.

This corner goes with the former champ to become the new champ on Saturday, doing enough to win over the judges with clean punching to shade a close decision.  Kameda can beat Wonjongkam but it probably will take a rematch to do it.

The results will be in long before most in the U.S. get a chance to even hope to see the action.  Let’s hope the reports out of Japan and Venezuela are as good as these two battles look on paper.     

Report Card Picks 2010: 6-1

Cliff Rold is a member of the Ring Magazine Ratings Advisory Panel and the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com