November 26, 2005
SAITAMA, JAPAN-Unbeaten 19-year-old flyweight sensation, WBA#8/WBC#11 ranked southpaw Koki Kameda (9-0, 8 KOs), 112, decked an important triumph as he outhustled ex-WBA minimum champ Noel Arambulet (21-5-1-1NC, 10 KOs), 112, and doubled him up with vicious body shots to retire him on the stool at the end of the seventh round in a scheduled ten on Saturday afternoon in Saitama, Japan. Arambulet, an excellent footworker, suffered his first defeat by a stoppage, and admitted the youngster’s physical strength and power punching. Before the abrupt abandonment of the dejected Venezuelan, the official scorecards were as follows: 70-63, 70-64 and 70-65, all for the up-and-coming lefty prospect. Kameda kept stalking the circling ex-champ with fast and solid combinations from the start. As Arambulet was such a shifty target moving to-and-fro, Kameda couldn’t catch him with precision but kept battering him even on the shoulder or on the guard of the defensive opponent. Having piled up points steadily, Kameda exploded in round seven, when he landed a wicked left to the midsection of Arambulet, who turned his body and almost went down with the pain by Kameda’s body bombardments. Desperately clinching and grabbing the willing mixer, the Venezuelan, 31, barely had a narrow escape. Then he lost his fighting spirit in the corner, claiming his pain at the left side of the neck, probably caused by Kameda’s southpaw right hooks. Rafael Moron, the ex-champ’s manager, said afterward, “What a boy! He was much stronger and faster than we expected.” Gilberto Jesus Mendoza, the WBA general secretary in attendance, also praised Kameda’s vast talent and strength. Strange enough, though Japan has four world champs, the popularity of boxing here kept declining to see a sparse crowd in every show. But the appearance of Kameda might attract the general public’s attention back to the fistic game. The flamboyant big mouth said, “Arambulet was more crafty and skillful than my previous opponents, but I decisively beat him. I’ll continue to finish my rival in every fight.” Kameda tonight halted not only Arambulet but also the cynic skeptics with his fine performance.
Promoter: Kyoei Promotions.
Matchmaker: Joe Koizumi.
(11-26-05)