August 01, 2006
TOKYO, JAPAN
Japan will face the crucial moment tomorrow. It is no exaggeration to say that Japanese fistic future will depend on the outcome of the WBA light flyweight elimination bout between #2 ranked Japanese sensation Koki Kameda (11-0, 10 KOs) and top ranked Juan Jose Landaeta (20-3-1, 16 KOs) over twelve rounds tomorrow at the Yokohama Arena, Yokohama City, Japan.
Foreign people may really wonder why the nation pays so much attention to this event with just the 108-pound belt at stake. It is because the 19-year-old Kameda is such a tremendous attraction here that our people, not only boxing fans but the general public, show greatest interests in the highly sensational boyfs attempt to acquire the world throne.
Kameda is a special existence here. He is a flamboyant big mouth, but he has almost always made his prediction come true. Since his pro debut after his brief amateur career (16-1, 12 stoppages) in December 2003, Kameda, a hard-hitting southpaw puncher, defeated six Thailanders in a row with five quick knockouts except a lopsided decision over Daochai KT Gym in September 2004. Kameda, in his seventh pro outing, dispatched ex-WBC 108-pound champ Saman Sorjaturong in the first round last June. Even though Saman might be already a shot fighter, Kameda looked very strong, having dropped the ex-champ with body bombardments time and again.
His following matchmakings were excellent and professional enough. The fast-rising Kameda faced three world contenders and impressively defeated them all. He, at first, took on former WBA 105-pound champ Noel Arambulet, and finally caught the Venezuelan footworker with his trade-mark body shots to have him in great trouble. Arambulet retired on the stool after the seventh last November. Next, Kameda met world-rated Mexican Carlos Bauchan to sink him for the count in the sixth this March. There was a controversy on whether his haymaker was a low blow or not. But even it had him more known to the general public. Kamedafs popularity accelerated to have him more or more famous among people. Kameda, a very aggressive southpaw, demolished ex-world challenger, Nicaraguan Carlos Fajardo by demolishing him in only two rounds to display his strength again in his final tune-up prior to a world title shot this March.
People became hotly excited to see a world champ in the making. Kameda has become synonymous with boxing. He has become a symbol of boxing as if he represents all the Japanese boxers. Even if general people donft know such world champs as Hasegawa (WBC bantam), Tokuyama (WBC superfly), Nashiro (WBA superfly), Niida (WBA minimum) and Eagle (WBC straw), they know Kamedafs name and face. There have come many commercial offers to Kameda such as some convenience stores began selling a lunch box named gKameda bento (lunch box in Japanese).h Whatever Kameda says has been reported big on sports papers. This kid has a sense of humor in his big talk and makes press people laugh and smile at his expression on how strong he is. Kameda is to Japan what Pacquiao is to the Philippines.
Itfs show time to prove his strength. gBabyh Landaeta of Venezuela is a southpaw hard-puncher, as Kameda is. Landaeta, eight years his senior at 27, once became the WBA interim minimum champ by outscoring Thai veteran Chana Porpaoin in Caracas, Venezuela, in January 2004. As the verdict was greatly debatable, they fought again in Thailand with his interim belt at stake with Landaeta barely keeping his title by a twelve round draw in May. The handsome Venezuelan then faced Yutaka Niida, the full WBA champ, in a unification title bout in October that year only to lose a disputed decision in Tokyo. Japanese aficionados are aware of his technical excellence and good form, with which he frustrated Niida despite his hairline defeat.
Since then, the Venezuelan veteran registered four wins straight, including a twelve round decision over world-rated Carlos Melo of Panama in May of the previous year.
It was fortunate that WBA 108-pound champ Roberto Vasquez recently renounced his belt to move up to the 112-pound category to have a mandatory shot at also unbeaten Lorenzo Parra of Venezuela. The crown became vacant, and the WBA ranked Landaeta atop and Kameda #2 so that they will face in a quest for the vacant throne. Some experts here point out that Kameda is advantageous because Kameda, a legitimate flyweight boxer, moves down from the 112-pound division and Landaeta moves up from the 105-pound class, so the Japanese lefty will have a physical superiority. Others predict there will be a possibility that Landaetafs superior experience may befuddle Kameda with just eleven pro bouts, if previously unbeaten.
All will be cleared and proved tomorrow with the nationfs great attention. The official weigh-in took place at the Korakuen Hall Exhibition Center, where Kameda tipped the beam at 108 to 107.75 for Landaeta. On the previous day, Kameda presented a baby doll at the press conference, making fun of his nickname Baby and indicating he is only a baby to him. Such a childish conversational give-and-take became a front page article on sports papers. Today, at the weigh-in, Baby Landaeta gifted him back a diaper, probably saying that Kameda is still so green that he will need a diaper.
The WBA officials are as follows: referee Stanley Christodoulou (South Africa); judges Daniel Talon (France), Gustavo Padilla (Panama) and Kwangsoo Kim (Korea); and supervisor Noah Reandeau (US).
TBS Television will show the nationalistically sensational affair for a 2.5 hour program at a prime time from 7:30 pm. It will feature his father/trainer Shiro, his brothers Daiki and Tomoki. Shiro predicts, gIfll make all my three sons become world champs.h The program will review all eleven previous bouts of Kameda prior to a live telecast of the Kameda-Landaeta elimination bout. TBS expects a rating of more than 50%. If so, more than a half population of Japan, some 60 million, will watch whether or not Kameda is a real thing tomorrow.
This card is presented by Kyoei Promotions with the cooperation of Teiken Promotions.
(8-1-06)