By Jake Donovan

HIDALGO--Jamie McDonnell pulled off an upset win over Tomoki Kameda, doing so the hard way as he recovered from an early knockdown to take a split decision Saturday afternoon on the road at State Farm Arena in Hidalgo, Texas.

Scores were 114-113 across the board in favor McDonnell, who was fighting in the United States for the first time in his career.

The afternoon affair was essentially a tale of two fights. Kameda controlled the early action, negating a considerable reach advantage for McDonnell by working his way inside and landing the more telling blows. 

Things appeared to go south for McDonnell in round three, when he suffered the first knockdown of his career in round three. An overhand right did the trick, flooring the Brit in the final minute of the round. 

However, the sequence instead served as a wakeup call. 

McDonnell enjoyed his first truly good round of the fight in the fifth, his jab serving as more than just a range finder and also putting in work on the inside. From there, two-way action ensued before slowly transferring momentum in McDonnell's favor. 

Kameda began to fade down the stretch, complaining of body cramps at one point in between rounds. McDonnell wasn't completely out of the clear, however. Kameda made his presence felt in a 10th round that featured the best of both fighters. 

It was a strong surge by McDonnell, however, that allowed the visiting Brit to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The belt he owns may be a secondary title, but he certainly closed the show like a champion in the championship rounds. Kameda either could no longer pull the trigger, or chose to coast thinking he was ahead.

Whatever the case, it left the door open for McDonnell to shrink the lead and eventually pull ahead to score a considerable upset. 

The win is McDonnell's 18th straight, a streak dating back to 2008 as he improves to 26-2-1 (12KOs). Because he is one of three fighters claiming ownership of a WBA bantamweight belt, the WBO - who previously recognized Kameda as its champion - refused to sanction the match as a unification title fight, meaning McDonnell was unable to pick up another title as a result.

Kameda opted to proceed with the fight, even though it meant his having to vacate the title. The event proved doubly damaging, as he loses his belt beforehand and now suffers his first loss in falling to 31-1 (19KOs). 

Less than two years after Kameda and older brothers Koki and Daiki Kameda made history in all simultaneously serving as major beltholders, there is no longer a title claimant among the family. All three were forced to vacate for separate reasons; Tomoki was the only one of the three still with a spotless record although that is now gone as well.

The bout served in chief support to the afternoon's headliner, unbeaten local favorite Omar Figueroa versus Scotland's Ricky Burns in a matchup of former 135 lb. titlists. Both bouts aired live on CBS, as part of Al Haymon's Premier Boxing Champions series. 

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