Koki Kameda Fighter Profile, Career Record and Bio (25-1, 16 KOs):
Born on November 17, 1986 in Osaka, Japan, Koki Kameda is one of the top professional boxers in the lower weight divisions and is the current WBA Bantamweight Champion. He is the oldest of the Kameda Brothers, with brothers Daiki and Tomoki also professional fighters, Daiki currently in the Super Flyweight Division and Tomoki in the Super Bantamweight Division. In Japan, he is a polarizing figure where some love and some hate him, but either way he brings in a crowd and his skills are widely recognized.
Amateur Career:
Even though Kameda didn’t have a stellar amateur career, he is best known for his 2 round exhibition match against former two division champion Hiroki Ioka at the age of 14. Kameda was thought to have knocked down the former champion in the 1st round after a left straight, right hook combination but the referee ruled it a slip. The fight would eventually go the distance, thus kick starting the career of Kameda by having gone all out on the former champion.
Professional Career:
Kameda’s turned pro on December 21, 2003 and won 11 straight fights before getting his first title shot for the WBA Jr. Flyweight title against Juan Jose Landaeta. Despite getting knocked down in the first round and being dominated in the final two rounds, Kameda managed to walk away with a controversial split decision victory and his first championship. After the fight, TBS ( Tokyo Broadcasting Station) the network who broadcasted the fight, received some 50,000 calls complaining against the decision. Most believed Landaeta was the superior fighter and exposed Kameda’s inexperience and questionable stamina. Kameda would eventually put any controversy to rest in their rematch as this time he decisively defeated Landaeta. He would later vacate his Jr. Flyweight title and make the move to Flyweight.
Flyweight Division:
After defeating Landaeta, Kameda would make a move to the Flyweight Division, winning eight fights in a row before defeating the highly respected Daisuke Naito for the WBC Flyweight Title in November of 2009. In March of 2010 Kameda would fight Pound for Pounder Pongsaklek Wonjongkam which would unify the Flyweight division and lead to a definitive champion in the division. In a close fight, Kameda came up just short and suffered his professional loss in a Majority decision that saw Wonjonkam win with scores of 115-112, 116-112 and 114-114.
Bantamweight Division:
The loss to Wonjongkam would lead to Kameda jumping up two weightclasses, challenging Alexander Munoz for the vacant WBA World Bantamweight Title. Kameda would easily outbox Munoz en route to a unanimous decision victory and his third division title.
Future:
Kameda currently has a lot going for him, he is a great boxer , he is still young and most importantly he holds a title in one of the deepest divisions in boxing. With Nonito Donaire getting mainstream attention and the bantamweight tournament close to ending, it is easy to assume that a big name fight is on the horizon for the talented, popular Kameda.
