By Jake Donovan
The first fight was so good and oh so close, that Jamie McDonnell and Tomoki Kameda had to do it again. The pair of bantamweights apparently agreed, as their rematch will headline a special Sunday edition of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) on CBS live from Corpus Christi, Texas.
Also on the card, Anthony Dirrell fights for the first time since losing his super middleweight title, as he faces former Top 10 middleweight contender Marco Antonio Rubio.
McDonnell prevailed in a minor upset in their first fight – which also aired live on CBS. The reigning titlist from Britain overcame a third round knockdown to score a razor thin unanimous decision after 12 rounds of non-stop action. The final call was debatable but not controversial, although you’ll get a different viewpoint from Kameda, who suffered the first loss of his career on the afternoon.
“I definitely think I won the first fight,” Kameda (31-1, 19KOs) insists, even four months later. “I landed the much harder punches and built up enough of an early lead, but the judges saw what they saw. It was a close fight and I know I can change the outcome this time.”
Tomoki is the youngest of three fighting brothers, with Koki and Daiki also former champions and currently part of the PBC movement. They made history together – twice, in fact. The first record came with Tomoki claiming a bantamweight title with a 12-round win over Paulus Ambunda in Aug. ’13, becoming the first trio of brothers to each win a major title at separate points in their careers.
One month later, Daiki—appears on the undercard of Sunday’s show, facing Victor Ruiz in his first fight since Dec. ’13—claimed a super flyweight title while Tomoki and Koki both reigned at bantamweight. The occasion is a record that will likely never again be matched, with three active brothers simultaneously holding titles.
With stiff competition just among family, Tomoki—as the youngest and thus, feeling like he has the most to prove—would be expected to carry a chip on his shoulder. The bilingual boxer—fluent in his native Japanese tongue and who taught himself Spanish while living in and fighting out of Mexico—has been standoffish throughout fight week, concentrating less on getting the word out and more so on avenging the lone loss of his career, one he doesn’t believe he deserves.
Still, the 24-year old former bantamweight titlist leaves nothing to chance. His corner will boast a complete makeover for the rematch, having gained the services of new head trainer Ismael Salas, strength and conditioning coach Angel ‘Memo’ Heredia and one of very best cutmen ever in boxing in Jacob ‘Stitch’ Duran.
“I have a completely different team now,” notes Kameda, suggesting to McDonnell to not expect more of the same. “I feel much better going into this fight with better sparring and preparation and it will show in the fight. Salas has a great game plan and I can't wait to perform it.
“McDonnell is tall (5’10”, to Kameda’s 5’7”), so getting inside his jab took some extra work. He's a good veteran but I will show I'm the superior fighter once again.”
He’ll also have to show the judges, who—even with a knockdown in his favor—didn’t believe he did enough to win the fight.
That said, McDonnell (26-2-1, 12KOs) is wise enough to know that it will take a lot more than to simply apply the same exact blueprint and expect the same result. While he finished strong, the 29-year old made things that much harder on himself by falling behind early in the fight before rallying to pull off the upset.
“I have a great engine and I always come on strong in the back end of the fight,” McDonnell says of his general fighting style. “I think from round six on, it was my fight. I started too slowly in the first fight but I worked hard and got the win.”
Doing so also required his climbing off of the canvas and eventually figuring out a way to neutralize Kameda’s superior athleticism. It’s something he happened to stumble upon mid-fight last time out, but which he believes he will be better prepared for this time around.
“I can remember being on the floor and I didn’t know how I got there,” McDonnell admits of the bout’s lone knockdown, which many believe actually should have cost him the tightly contested fight. “His speed and power is there and I went down.
“It proves that not everyone is invincible and if you get caught, you are going to go down. We've put some work in to counter that power and hopefully that will show on fight night.”
Where the two differ the most are: who deserved to win the fight, and what will come of the rematch.
However, both fighters seem to understand the importance of improving on their respective performances in May, expecting more of the same in terms of action.
“I think it will be a fast paced fight,” McDonnell believes. “I started too slowly last time and I don't want that to happen again. I believe I will stop him late. I took him into the trenches last time but I didn't put it on him enough. I think I will make a big statement.”
Had the decision gone Kameda’s way last time out, the knockdown likely would have been the difference. It’s in that area where the former bantamweight champ believes he will once again prevail, this time refusing to leave his fate in the hands of the judges.
“I will look to prepare shots to score points and be victorious,” Kameda promises. “If the knockout comes, I will take it. Most important is to get the victory and we will do what we have to do to win.
“I will not let him back in the fight later on. This time I will start strong and finish him and not let off the gas until I am champion again.”
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene