By Jake Donovan

It's not the unification bout they hoped for when initially agreeing to terms, but Tomoki Kameda and Jamie McDonnell are primed and ready for bantamweight warfare. 

The two throw down Saturday afternoon at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas, with the bout to air live on CBS in the United States, and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. The bout serves in chief support to Omar Figueroa's venture into the 140 lb. division versus Ricky Burns in a matchup of former lightweight titlists, which tops the latest edition of the Premier Boxing Champions series. 

Kameda (31-0, 19KOs) helped enter his family into the record books, as his bantamweight title-lifiting effort over Paulus Ambunda in Aug. '13 marked the first time in history three boxing brothers claimed major titles at some point in their respective careers. The family added another record one month later; Daiki Kameda joined older brother Koki and younger brother Tomoki with a 115 lb. title win over Rodrigo Guerrero, marking the first time in history three brothers simultaneously reigned as major titlists. 

It lasted only as long as Daiki's next fight, as he was overweight and forced to leave his title at the scales prior to a split decision win over Liborio Solis. The same card saw Tomoki claim a points win over Immaneul Naidjala, marking the last time the Kameda family fought in Japan. A ban on their gym also resulted in the recovation of their boxing license from the Japanese Boxing Commission. 

Anxious to continue with his career, the youngest boxing Kameda opted to join the ever-growing stable of Al Haymon, leading to his stateside debut last July. Kameda - who has also actively fought in Mexico in the past and is fluent in Spanish - made a huge splash in a 7th round knockout win of Pungluang Sor Singyu on the undercard of Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez' awkward win over Erislandy Lara. 

The follow-up stateside performance didn't sparkle quite as bright, earning a strangely scored 12-round win over Alejandro 'Payasito' Hernandez last November in Chicago. 

Kameda's agreed-upon showdown with McDonnell (25-2-1, 12KOs) resulted in his having to vacate the WBO bantamweight title. The WBO refused to acknowledge McDonnell - who owns a secondary version of the WBA 118 lb. belt - as a "real" champ, with such honors beloning to Juan Carlos Payano on the strength of his win over long-reigning Anselmo Moreno last fall.

With that, McDonnell's belt is the only title at stake. So too is his current win streak - 17 in a row, to be exact, dating back to 2008. The Brit crosses the Atlantic for the first time in his career, with Saturday's bout marking just his second ever outside of the United Kingdom. 

Along the way, the 29-year old has collected wins over Stephane Jamoye and countryman Stuart Hall to position himself for a title. His dream came true two years ago - almost to the day - with a close but well-earned win over Julio Ceja to claim the belt that is stake this afternoon.

Will McDonnell return home with his title status and win streak still intact? Or will Kameda find a way to once again prevail and remain unbeaten?

Read on to see how the staff at BoxingScene.com believes the action will play out. 

BOXINGSCENE.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS: TOMOKI KAMEDA vs. JAMIE McDONNELL

Jake Donovan (Kameda Split Dec.): I don't put much stock in McDonnell's secondary title, but his current streak is for real. Some very solid victories among his current 17-fight win streak over the past seven years. I think he's being underestimated here, and Kameda's up-and-down run as a bantamweight titlist is eventually due for a loss. It could come here, but I'm having a hard time betting against the house in this matchup. Kameda by decision in an outcome that generates considerable debate.

John MacDonald (Kameda Dec): McDonnell will attempt utilize his long reach to keep the fight at long range. Kameda will attempt to close the gap and unleash vicious shots to the body. The fight will sway back and fourth and be engaging but man from Japan should do enough over 12 absorbing rounds.

Cliff Rold (Kameda Dec.): This could be the best fight of the weekend. McDonnell is a tough out but Kameda has the pedigree, skill level, and support system to make a nice run. I like the best of the Kameda brothers here.

Victor Salazar (Kameda Dec.): The fight might be the best one of the weekend. But just like his UK counterpart on this show (Ricky Burns), McDonnell will come up short in an exciting fight that Kameda will win by decision.

Reynaldo Sanchez (Kameda KO8): Kameda by KO in less than 8 rounds.

Alexey Sukachev (McDonnell Maj. Dec.): I saw the youngest of Kameda clan a couple of times and I still not impressed even with a nice kayo of Sor Singyu. McDonnell, a superior boxer, will exploit Tomoki's limitations in an awkward fight and will edge him out on scorecards.

Totals:
Kameda - 5
McDonnell - 1

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox