Kameda wins world title fight

[Davey]

Koki Kameda, Japan's most popular boxer, is now a world champion after defeating Venezuela's Juan Landaeta in a battle for the vacant WBA flyweight title at Yokohama Arena on Wednesday night.

Kameda won on a 2-1 decision that came after he was knocked down in the first round, struggled at times during the middle of the bout, but never gave up and continued swinging through to the end of the 12th round.

Kameda's victory came in his 12th fight since turning pro in December 2003. He has won 10 of his bouts by knockout.

At 19 years, eight months, Kameda is only the third Japanese teenager to claim a world boxing title following Hiroki Ioka and Fighting Harada.

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Was an interesting match ( last time I watched a boxing fight is years ago. ) and I think Koki deserved to win, when you look at why he wanted to win.

Was a close win though. But congratulations Lawson bento man

 

[nhannah]

Been hearing tons of hype about the Kameda brothers for awhile now. With a title belt in their camp now, looks like it was well deserved. Too bad I live in the states where the lighter weight classes are rarely(if it all) televised.

 

[nice gaijin]

There is a big controversy over this; it seems that TBS rigged it so Kameda would win. I wouldn't put it past them.

 

[epigene]

There is a big controversy over this; it seems that TBS rigged it so Kameda would win. I wouldn't put it past them.

I doubt whether it was rigged by TBS, because commentators on that TV station are openly making critical remarks on that dubious win. Looks like the organization has been taken by surprise as well.

It seems the boxing association itself is under siege--they're talking about having Kameda give up with title. Public opinion is again infuriated by this as proof that something is really wrong! :auch:

On YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/results?search=kameda&search_type=search_videos&search=Search

 

[nice gaijin]

I was told that TBS moved Record Taishou (I think that's the name; their big New Years Eve show, like Kouhaku) to the 30th of December, so they could air "Kameda's moving story of fighting to become the champion and achieving his family's dream" on the 31st. This isn't strange, except that they made this decision BEFORE the fight.

It just seemed like it was a foregone conclusion, and some pro boxers who watched the fight said Kameda barely scored two points, although the judges awarded him like 7. I haven't yet seen the fights yet, just letting you know what I've heard.

 

[epigene]

I was told that TBS moved Record Taishou (I think that's the name; their big New Years Eve show, like Kouhaku) to the 30th of December, so they could air "Kameda's moving story of fighting to become the champion and achieving his family's dream" on the 31st. This isn't strange, except that they made this decision BEFORE the fight.

It just seemed like it was a foregone conclusion, and some pro boxers who watched the fight said Kameda barely scored two points, although the judges awarded him like 7. I haven't yet seen the fights yet, just letting you know what I've heard.

Yes, I've heard the same. Maybe TBS expected it to be a sure win? Whether it was fixed or not and, if so, who did it remains to be seen. It seems no one won in this match.

I've also heard former boxing champions say that it is an embarrassment for Japanese boxing.

 

[shiroma]

A nice AFP article, covering issues about the match.

Japan Boos Its Humbled New Champ​

Japanese media on Thursday roundly booed bad-boy boxer Koki Kameda following his victory in a World Boxing Association (WBA) championship bout, saying he did not deserve to win the fight.

The notoriously flamboyant 19-year-old was humbled to tears after judges awarded him the WBA light flyweight title on Wednesday even though he was pounded by his 27-year-old Venezuelan opponent Juan Landaeta.

"A storm of booing," the Sankei Shimbun newspaper's headline said, describing reactions to Wednesday窶冱 title fight in Yokohama.

"It was obviously a decision based on home advantage," the paper said. "Everybody thought Kameda lost the match. The decision will be remembered as a stain." More than 30,000 people called to complain, said the Tokyo Broadcasting System, which broadcast the match live. Viewership in the Tokyo area was nearly 53 percent, the second highest for a boxing match in Japan.

Kameda suffered the first kockdown of his career in the fight's opening round and was cut above his right eye.

He escaped the onslaught by clinching, though at one point he backed his Venezuelan opponent towards the ropes with a flurry of crisp jabs.

Some of the audience left the arena after the bout in the hushed silence before the judges' decision was announced, assuming that the Japanese had lost.

But the judges gave Kameda the title vacated by Panama's Roberto Vasquez.

"A dismaying decision" and "Humiliating first down" ran headlines in the best-selling Yomiuri Shimbun following the controversial fight.

Kameda 窶 who had strutted into the pre-fight press conference munching a hamburger 窶 said Thursday that his performance was "one on a scale of 10." "In the first round I was really nervous. I was so nervous that I could have fallen if someone just nudged me a little bit. I couldn't do my boxing yesterday," he said.

Landaeata mocked his opponent, although he said he had no plans to protest the judges' decision.

"Of course I won," Landaeta told reporters with a smile.

"As everybody in the stadium saw, the judge was wrong," the Venezuelan said. "He is an extremely weak boxer. He is just a kid. He has a lot to learn." Japan's former lightweight champion "Guts" Ishimatsu said he scored the bout for Landaeta by seven points.

"Oh, my God. How can such a man be the winner?" Ishimatsu said of Kameda. "Can a Japanese become the champion simply by standing in the ring?" However, Shinji Takehara, a former WBA middleweight champion, defended Kameda.

"He suffered a down in the first round, but he moved forward and recovered well. The bout looked bad, but good and heavy punches were hit," the former champion said.

Japan has developed a love-hate relationship with Kameda and his two brothers Daiki and Kazuki, who have swept the media with a bad-boy, big-mouth style. They are managed by their trainer-father Shiro Kameda.

Kameda was hoisted victoriously in the air after Wednesday's bout by surprise visitor Asashoryu, the Mongolian sumo grand champion who has also been faulted in Japan for his super self-confidence.