By Jake Donovan
The plan was to add yet another story line to the forthcoming lineal flyweight title fight between incumbent champion Daisuke Naito and undefeated challenger Koki Kameda.
All younger brother Daiki Kameda had to do was get past 13-year veteran Denkaosan Kaovichit last month, and Sunday’s main event at the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan would’ve determined whether or not Koki could join his brother in simultaneous flyweight title reigns.
As luck would have it, the opportunity still exists. It’s now just in a different order.
Daiki’s narrow points loss has him for the moment on the outside looking in at the flyweight title picture. He’ll undoubtedly serve as an interested observer on Sunday, when older brother Koki attempts to put an end to Naito’s title reign, now 28 months and seven fights deep.
Come 2010, the middle Kameda brother will have another crack at entering the flyweight fray, thanks to an ordered rematch by the sanctioning body that claims Kaovichit as its champ.
News came down from last week’s convention in Colombia that a proposed title defense against ex-champion Takefumi Sakata would have to wait. Kaovichit beat Sakata last December to claim championship status after having held him to a draw a year prior, and was angling for a third fight sometime in 2010.
The Thai veteran instead gets a rematch of a different kind, after it was decided that Sakata’s subsequent fights beyond the flyweight division didn’t qualify him to jump the line, allowing Daiki Kameda a third opportunity to realize his dream of becoming a champion.
Sunday will determine if even more will be at stake for his proposed rematch with Kaovichit.
Koki Kameda (21-0, 14KO) is a slight favorite to leave the Super Arena a two-time champion, though this weekend is about far more than winning a title.
Four months after Naito (35-2-3, 22KO) bumped off longtime flyweight king Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, came a first defense against Daiki Kameda. The bout would go down as one of the dirtiest in flyweight title history, with Naito doing everything in his power to defend the crown, while Daiki was urged by his father and then-trainer Shiro to win at all costs.
Naito would of course emerge victorious, while Daiki would not only suffer his first defeat, but also receive a one-year suspension for his blatant unsportsmanlike conduct. Several apologies were issued by the Kameda family to Naito, including a visit to his home by Daiki himself.
All appears to be forgiven since then, although the 35-year old world champion is celebrated now more than at any other point in his career. Four more successful defenses have followed, including a split decision draw in a fourth fight with Wonjongkam in 2008.
His most recent title defense, an off-the-canvas decision win over Xiong Zhao Zhang, further fueled speculation that Naito’s best days are behind him and that he could be ripe for the picking should the right contender come along.
From a ratings standpoint, there’s certainly no better choice than Koki, who once boasted the largest singular audience of any active prize fighter, though no longer the gargantuan draw he was when first making headlines throughout the sport.
An estimated audience of 50 million tuned in for his junior flyweight alphabet title split decision win over Juan Jose Landaeta in August 2006, though there was major dispute over whether or not Kameda deserved to win. He was a much clearer victor in their rematch four months later, which drew another 30 million viewers.
The pair of wins over Landaeta serves as Kameda’s lone title fights to date, having vacated his belt following the aforementioned rematch. Eight wins at or near the flyweight limit have followed, though mostly against the Willy Standup variety.
If Naito is ripe for the picking, Kameda hasn’t done much to prepare for the harvest.
Nevertheless, the 23-year old phenomenon remains a slight yet solid favorite to end his countryman’s reign on Sunday, thus restoring a semblance of honor in the Kameda name.
A win would go a long way towards heightening anticipation for Daiki’s eventual rematch with Kaovichit, not to mention set the table for what could potentially serve as a huge 2010 for the Kameda family.
Waiting in the wings of this weekend’s showdown is former flyweight king Wonjongkam, who has picked up an interim version of the alphabet belt at stake in addition to Naito’s lineal crown. A fifth fight with Naito might be a decent sell solely on the basis of it being such a rare occurrence in this day and age.
But a fight with Koki Kameda would be a hell of a lot more intriguing, yet another crossroads match at the highest level of the flyweight division.
Another lucrative option will also be awaiting Daiki should he manage to successfully pay homage to the old saying “Third time’s a charm.” Avenging his October loss to Kaovichit wouldn’t just give the middle Kameda brother his first major title, but also line up a big money fight against Sakata, whose best days are perhaps well behind him.
Last month was the original starting point for what was supposed to serve as a flyweight Kameda Wonderland. The boxing gods (and its politicians) have smiled down on Japan’s most famous fighting family, making Sunday afternoon no longer about Koki serving as his brother’s keeper, but the revised first step towards Kameda flyweight domination.
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of Boxingscene.com and an award-winning member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Contact Jake at JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
