By Mark Vester

At the Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, one of the biggest boxing events on Japanese soil saw Koki Kameda (22-0, 14KOs) win a twelve round unanimous decision in a close, action-packed war to capture the WBC flyweight by unseating his domestic rival Daisuke Naito (35-3-3, 22KOs). The scores were 116-112, 117-111 and 117-111.

The crowd was loud and wild before the action even started. Kameda came out quick with a combo. Both fighters were looking for openings and trying to pick their spots. Naito landed some good straight leads and Kameda came right back with a combo of his own. They were trading some big shots at close range. The action was quick and fierce. They traded shots until the bell to end the first. Kameda landed a good shot to the body in the first  minute of the second round. Kameda would quickly landed a big left hand counter to push Naito back. Naito came back a moment later with a big counter of his own. Kameda would land a big straight left. Naito began to get wild and came forward with winging shots that saw air. Naito's nose was bleeding. Kameda would again land some good left hands.

They came out swinging in the third. Kameda tried to push forward with the left jab. Naito tried coming forward with some winging hooks. Some of those wild hooks landed but Kameda would fire back with some big counters of his own. They stood at close range trading some big shots as the final minute came around. They continued to brawl in the final 30 seconds. Both of them had their moments. Naito came out with the jab in the fourth. The action started to get a bit more calculated with both of them picking their spots. Naito was getting off with some good shots but it didn't take long for Kameda to fight back. Naito trapped him against the ropes and they traded combinations. Kameda was able to fight his way off every time. The final twenty seconds was a wild brawl that saw the thousands of fans in the arena stand up.

The WBC's open scoring system showed two judges having the fight a 38-38 draw after four rounds. Another had it 39-37 for Kameda.

Naito got wild again in the fifth, jumping in and out with wild hooks. Kameda was trying to pick him off when possible. It was Naito's right against Kameda's left in the final minute. Naito was reaching with his punches at the start of the sixth. Kameda stood back and looked for counters with his left hand. They started trading punches once Naito trapped Kameda against the ropes. Naito started landing his right around the guard of Kameda. Following the pattern of the fight, they traded big shots in the final twenty seconds.

The start of the seventh had Naito come out stalking and looked for the body. Naito continued to land that right hand. He pressed forward but Kameda would often stand his ground to battle. Kameda got off with a big combo to the head and body. A moment later Naito came on with some heavy shots to the head and body. Naito tried to trap Kameda in a corner in the final 15 seconds and they traded leather until the bell. Kameda was on the move in the eight, popping in and out with punches. Naito did what he could to slow him down but Kameda was moving quick and using a jab to work his way in. It was no surprise that both of them started to trade heavy shots in the final 30 seconds.

After eight rounds, the WBC's open scoring system showed 78-74. 77-75 and 77-75 for Kameda.

Naito started to look for more big shots to do some damage. It also gave Kameda opportunities to land his counters. They were trading away with Naito getting the better of the exchanges. Naito seemed to be fighting with some urgency in the tenth, come forward and looking for a brawl to land something big upstairs. Kameda got off with some quick combos and Naito baited him to keep fighting Kameda took his request and they traded more punches until the bell.

At the start of the eleventh, Naito backed Kameda to the ropes but couldn't keep him there for too long. Kameda was still jumping in and landing his left hand. Kameda took most of the round off. Naito was throwing a lot of punches and landed more than his fair share. The twelfth and final round began, they were trading away with heavy punches. Naito knew that he might need a knockout and he was going for it. Kameda was fighting away with him. It was a war from the opening bell. Naito tried for the body and the head but also left himself open for Kameda's counters. Naito landed some big right hands in the second minute and Kameda seemed to be wearing down. Naito continued to press forward, throwing everything he had for a knockout. They traded big punches until the final bell.

Send News Tips and Comments To Mark Vester @ boxingvester@gmail.com