WBA World bantamweight world champion Jamie McDonnell won another controversial unanimous decision over Tomoki Kameda?
Saturday afternoon at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas, WBA World bantamweight world champion Jamie McDonnell (27-2-1, 12 KOs), from Doncaster, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, won a another controversial unanimous decision over Tomoki Kameda (31-2, 19 KOs), from Tokyo, Japan, by scores of 116-111, 115-112, and 117-110.
The fighters first fought four months ago in Hidalgo, Texas, and McDonnell won a decision that could have gone either way. This time it didn?t appear to be close, as Kameda dominated the first two-thirds of the fight.
Fighting out of the blue corner in white trunks with red trim, it took McDonnell several rounds to find his stride. His opponent was fighting smart instead of rumbling and McDonnell needed several rounds to adjust.
Komeda, fighting out of the red corner in purple trunks, was exceptionally sharp. He was moving beautifully, using the ring and controlling the distance. He was landing his jab. He was landing his hook to the head and body. He won five of the first six rounds.
McDonnell came on in the middle rounds as Kameda?s athleticism started to flag. Using his height, reach, and powerful jab, the Englishman was able to back up the challenger.
Kameda fought his way back into the fight in rounds 10 and 11, varying his attack as he had in the first half of the fight, which often had McDonnell reaching.
A slip that was ruled a knockdown in the 12th and final round gave McDonnell and much needed edge to close the gap. But there was apparently no gap that needed closing.
?When I dropped him in the last round, I think he did slip a little bit,? said McDonnell. ?But I did catch him. After that I know I sealed the victory. My jab was the key in the fight and it was a great weapon for me. Everything went according to plan. The plan was to box him and catch him with some big shots.?
One can expect Sky Sports to rule in favor of McDonnell, given the givens, but there?s no explanation for the scores of the judges sitting ringside.
?I didn?t think it was a controversial decision,? McDonnell added, ?because I always felt in control and I believe that I won the fight comfortably.?
After watching and scoring the fight in real-time and determining that Kameda was the winner by a score of 115-112, I realize I no longer know what constitutes a winning performance.
That?s the bad news.
The good news is I?m not alone.
