December 25, 2010
December 25, 2010
TOKYO, JAPAN
Merry Christmas, worldwide record-keepers! Wait and don’t close your record-filing notebooks as there are still a couple more world title bouts in Japan tomorrow (Sunday). Former WBA 108-pound and WBC 112-pound champ Koki Kameda (23-1, 15 KOs) (left), a notorious big mouth out of Japan, will dispute the vacant WBA bantam throne with ex-WBA super-fly ruler Alexander Munoz (35-3, 27 KOs), from Venezuela, over twelve rounds. In a companion twelve, WBA flyweight champ Daiki Kameda (18-2, 11 KOs), 21, more notorious than his older brother by three years, will defend his belt against #15 quite unknown Romanian Silvio Olteanu (11-3, 5 KOs).
Ticket-selling is reportedly least satisfactory since the popularity of Kameda brothers has already dropped to the bottom. But TV ratings of their bouts are still high as most people just wish to see them lose and cry. When Koki tasted his first defeat at the hand of Pongsaklek Wonjongkam, great many anti-Kameda fans jumped for joy this March.
Why can Koki fight for the vacant WBA bantamweight belt? The WBA 118-pound ruler is Anselmo Moreno of Panama, isn't he? No, Moreno has been already elevated to the super champ, so the regular belt has become vacant to pave the way for Koki Kameda, whether you like it or not. Our media question is simple enough: why are Kameda and Munoz (both of whos have no achievements as bantamweights) entitled to fight for the vacant WBA bantam crown?
More mysterious is that Koki, a legitimate flyweight, very abruptly got ranked No.2 in the bantam category by skipping the 115-pound division. His opponent was at first announced to be Lorenzo Parra, former WBA flyweight champ who caused a scandal here in Japan by failing to make the 112-pound limit when fighting Takefumi Sakata years ago. As it was uncertain Parra would be able to make the 118-pound limit, he was replaced by Alexander Munoz, who had been inactive until his comebacking bout with Leopoldo Arrocha this October since his decision win over Feleix Machado in November of the previous year. The ring-rusty Munoz showed a lackluster performance and barely won a majority decision over the mediocre opponent Arrocha in Panama.
Japanese fight fans suspiciously say Kameda might have brought a semi-retired Munoz out of a grave to have him a victim in such a problematic and controversial elimination bout. Koki, 24, is a southpaw speedster with suspect chin and decent power. He is much younger than the 31-year-old Venezuelan who used to be an excellent KO artist who had registered a streak of twenty-three knockouts or stoppages since his debut. But it was his good old days, and we don’t know how much of his power is left now enough to finish him and shut out the Koki’s lip. Many Japanese fans that hate Kameda strongly wish Munoz to dispatch the bad boy within the distance.
As for the WBA flyweight title bout, it is already a common sense among our boxing fraternity that Daiki Kameda (right) won't defend this belt any longer after his defense with the unheralded Romanian. He will avert his WBA-ordered encounter with the interim champ Luis Concepcion, a little Roberto Duran out of Panama and renounce his belt to move up to the 115-pound category. We have no idea on how good a boxer Olteanu should be, though he is said to be a European champ. At the weigh-in ceremony the Romanian looked much smaller and shorter than Daiki, who may overpower the WBA low-ranked contender with ease.
We, fight scribes, will have to go and cover these criticized title bouts in cold air at the Saitama Super Arena tomorrow in the end of the year. Who on earth like to cover the weigh-in ceremony on Boxing Day after heavy and long drinking on Christmas Eve?
All the contestants weighed in at the class limit. Koki and Munoz tipped the beam at 118 pounds. Daiki and Olteanu scaled in at 112 pounds.
The officials have been appointed by the WBA, as follows:
The Kameda-Munoz elimination bout:
referee Roberto Ramirez (Puerto Rico); judges Levi Martinez (US), Jose Roberto Torres (Puerto Rico) and Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand).
The Kameda-Olteanu title bout:
referee Pinit Prayadsab (Thailand); judges Levi Martinez (US), Jose Roberto Torres (Puerto Rico) and Roberto Ramirez (Puerto Rico).
The WBA supervisor of both title contests is Alan Kim (Korea).
(12-25-10)