Tomoki Kameda Forced To Settle For Split Nod In Chicago

By Jake Donovan 

Tomoki Kameda is making the most of his life as a man without a country. The unbeaten bantamweight titlist won his second straight stateside fight, the latest coming Saturday evening in a surpringly closely scored 12-round decision over Alejandro Hernandez at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago, Illinois. 

The youngest of the fighting Kameda brothers, Tomoki and his family were banned from his native Japan as the result of their gym having been desanctioned by the Japanese Boxing Commission. Having to find a new home is nothing new for the 23-year old, who relocated to Mexico when he was 15 years old, having to learn the language on his own while also looking to expand his horizons as a young boxer.

A clever nickname came of the move, as Kameda is affectionately known as 'El Mexicanito' ("The Little Mexican"). While credited in boxing circles for boasting a 'Mexican' style, his 12-round title fight with Hernadez was more of a grinding, mauling affair that eventually developed into a war of attrition. 

Kameda was in control for much of the night due to being the superior boxer. There was never a hint of a knockout on the night, unlike his explosive U.S. debut when he lit up former titlist Pungluang Sor Singyu in seven rounds this past July in Las Vegas. Hernandez is known for his lunch pail approach, with his only stoppage loss coming as the result of a fluke injury.

Neither fighter gave an inch in their 12-round affair on Saturday. Hernandez came out aggressive early on, but Kameda adjusted and piled up rounds even if draining his gas tank in the process. 

Hernandez came on late in the fight, drawing blood from a cut outside of Kameda's left eye and also causing a considerable amount of swelling. The unbeaten titlist fought through partial blindness, making his presence felt and never allowing Herandez any opportunity to assume the intended role of bullying spoiler.

As was the case in the preceding bout of the evening between Javier Fortuna and Abner Cotto, poor Illinois officiating marred the action in the ring. All three scorecards not only suggested a close fight, but enough to force Kameda to sweat out the decision. 

Hernandez (28-11-2, 15KOs), who earned the title fight with upset wins over Marvin Mabait and Daniel Rosas earlier this year, managed a 115-113 nod on one card. The tally was overruled by matching scores of 115-113 in favor of Kameda, who improves to 31-0 (19KOs).