Whether you like them or not the Kameda Brothers are one of the most historic families in boxing history.They are the only trio of brother to be world champions, they are one of the most watched fighting families on the globe and they tend to combine achievement with controversy like no others.
December 3rd sees the latest chapter of the Kameda brothers legacy as they put on what can only be described as a special show. Held asa benefit show to help an earthquake charity the brothers haven’t done, as many do for charity shows, and put on a series of mismatches. Instead what we get is a brilliant triple-header with a trio of world title fights, all of which are historic in their own right.
The lesser of the three world title contests sees IBF minimumweight champion Katsunari Takayama (25-6-0-1, 10) defending his IBF title for the first time. Takayama, just the second ever Japanese fighter to hold an IBF title, after Satoshi Shingaki, will be hoping to become the first man in almost 30 years to defend an IBF title in Japan.
Matched against Filipino Vergilio Silvano(17-2-1, 10), the IBF #6 ranked challenger, Takayama hasn’t been given an easy defense. Of course Silvano isn’t a name fans will recognise but he brings a 17 fight unbeaten run to the ring and has won both the Philippines Boxing Federation (PBF) and WBO Oriental Titles during that run. Aged just 23 he’s young, fast, has solid power and is a stable mate of IBF Light Flyweight champion Johnriel Casimero, a man he often spars.
For those who have followed Takayama over the past few years he’s a man who refuses to make life easy for himself. He’s been in with the likes of Eagle Den Junlaphan,Yutaka Niida, Roman Gonzalez, Nkosinathi Joyi and most recently MarioRodriguez. Not only has he fought those top opponents but on the whole he has also travelled to fight, in fact Takayama has fought his last 5 bouts on foreign soil.
With the style of both men I’m Happy to say that this will be a war. Both men like to fight and Takayama often seems bemused if he’s not allowed to have a war so expect this fight to be an absolute show stopper and the type of action fight that the minimumweight gives us on a regular basis.
Aswell as Takayama’s first IBF defense there is also the first ever defense of a WBO world title by a Japanese fighter as Tomoki Kameda(28-0, 18), the WBO Bantamweight champion, defends his belt for the first time.
Tomoki, the youngest and most promising of the Kameda clan, claimed his world title this past summer as he defeated Namibia’s Paulus Ambunda in the Philippines. He now faces Amanda’s Unbeaten compatriot Immanuel Naidja (17-0-1, 11) who the WBO rank as the #6 challenger.
Like Silvano it’s fair to say that Naidja is unknown to most fans. Footage of him however shows him to be a defensively sound fighter who throws explosive combinations especially off the left hook. He’s not a massive puncher but it appears that he has the power to shake opponents and he also sounds very confident going into this fight.
Unfortunately in his sole setback Naidjala fought to a draw with Lesley Sekotswe who like Tomoki appeared to have good foot-speed and a solid jab. If Tomoki can utilise his jab and movement, as he did against Ambunda, this will probably be a clear decision for the Japanese champion who looks like he’s on the verge of having a very memorable career.
Imagine Naidjala will start slowly then try and come on in the middle rounds. If he can cut the distance and have success again Kameda then the fight could be interesting but from what I’ve seen Kameda should be took good, too sharp and too quick for the Namibian challenger.
Whilst the first two title fights are historic in their own right the biggest fight of the night, and by far the most meaningful, is a Super Flyweight unification as Daiki Kameda (29-3,18), the IBF champion, and Liborio Solis (15-3-1, 7), the WBA champion, get it on.
As with the two other bouts the casual fan won’t really be that aware of the visitor but Japanese fans know all about Solis who dethroned Kohei Kono earlier this year in Japan.The Venezuela is a tricky, tough fighter who although not a big puncher does hit hard enough to stun world level opponents. His fight with Kono was one of the best fights in Asia this year and he has the ability to box or brawl.
Interestingly Daiki can also box or brawl, though appears far more comfortable to be a boxer using his speed to avoid a real fight. The “weakest” of the Kameda brothers is the first to attempt a unification and although he is widely slated for his loss to Daisuke Naito he’s actually a fighter who has developed excellently, as shown in his recent victory over Rodrigo Guerrero which had a bit of everything including an excellent 10th round that saw both men unloading on the other.
Whilst I’m Sure the Takayama-Silvano fight will be a war and that the Tomoki-Naidjala bout will be about Tomoki’s boxing skill, I’m not actually sure what to expect from the Daiki-Solis fight. As mentioned they can both box and they can both brawl so it’s probably fair to assume that the fight will start with both men boxing before their legs slow and we get a brawl for the final few rounds. This will likely lead to this not only being the highest profile bout of the day but also the most exciting and most competitive. This is two genuine world level fighters and both have not only their own titles to defend but also a chance to become a unified champion in one of boxing’s most intriguing divisions.
If you tune in to just one Japanese show all year, it wouldn’t be an awful choice to make it this one which will be televised on TBS. Although not the highest profile show of the year it is a show that should have a bit of everything for every type of fan.
You can read more by Scott Graveson at his site: AsianBoxing
