Japanese Scene: Kameda moving to 115, Lee & Miura Successfully Defend Titles

Sidney Boquiren of RingwalkNippon has the latest Japanese boxing recaps and news.  For more updates, you can follow Sidney on twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter

Lee survives late rush by Amagasa

Former Ring Magazine #10 rated Featherweight Ryol Li Lee outpointed game top contender Hisashi Amagasa on Saturday to make the first defense of the Japanese title he won earlier in the year during the Champion Carnival. Though the 28-year old Lee won by fairly safe margins (98-93 (twice), 97-94), the bout featured good back-and-forth action, with each man staggering the other several times and both bloody at the fight’s conclusion.

Touted for his footwork and defensive skills, Lee clearly showed a more refined display of pugilism compared to his opponent, working himself inside the taller Amagasa’s reach while deftly slipping and ducking punches. His offense was built around a solid one-two, and would mix in impressive 4-5 punch combinations that raked the challenger’s body and head.

However, similar to his title-winning effort in February, Lee came out of the gate slowly and seemed to have trouble with the heavy-handed Amagasa’s arsenal in the early frames. After being rocked in the third, the champ re-gathered and recommitted himself to controlling distance and positioning. The strategy worked well, as the challenger would have difficulty in mounting an extended attack in the middle rounds with Lee’s constant movement.

The final three rounds were excellent, as the classier titleholder worked the science to bloody the stalking Amagasa, while the relentless challenger made Lee pay for leaving any openings available. Each three-minute stanza had ebb and flow, and while the champion looked to be the fresher of the two at the beginning of the tenth, Amagasa would launch a final assault in the last minute that would have Lee cut over his left eye and on shaky legs. The champ showed great heart and resilience as he continued to fight back until the final gong sounded.

Lee, rated #14 by the WBA, improves to 16-1-1, 8KO. Amagasa slips to 15-4-2 (12KO).

Though he had been promoted to the Ring’s elite in the 126lb division after upsetting world title challenger Hiroyuki Enoki last July (eventually pushed out when Juan Manuel Lopez came up in weight), Lee is still in the middle ground between prospect and contender. He certainly has good boxing skills and I was particularly impressed with the poise he showed every time Amagasa would rough him up. However, Lee leaves himself open a bit too much to be considered a defensive specialist and a true world-class contender, along the likes of Satoshi Hosono, who would probably be too much for him to handle at this time. This win was a good one for the champ, but I would like to see him beat a solid opponent without the drama before taking the next step.

Miura destroys Takeshita in 3

Lee’s gymmate Takashi Miura, the Japanese Super Featherweight champ, put on a brutal display of his punching power in stopping JBC #10 rated contender Hiroto Takeshita. The 26-year old titleholder unloaded accurate bombs from the initial round and dropped the challenger twice before the bout was stopped at the 2:57 mark of the third frame. Miura made the third defense of his title and improved his record to 19-1-2 (15KO).

Though Miura commented after the fight that he was upset with himself for eating a few of Takeshita’s punches, he succeeded in doing what he was supposed to have done – overwhelm and quickly finish an opponent that was a step below him. Currently ranked #10 by the WBA, the champ’s sole loss is to former world titleholder Yusuke Kobori. While he will need more seasoning to contend with the likes of countryman and WBA beltholder Takashi Uchiyama, Miura makes exciting fights and will be fun to watch as he develops.

Koki moving up to Super Flyweight

Former WBC Flyweight strapholder Koki Kameda will be moving up to Super Flyweight. As reported on The Boxing Bulletin on Thursday, Kameda will be making his return to the ring in July in Osaka. At the press conference for the card on Saturday, he announced that he will be campaigning at 115.

The summer fight will be his first since losing the belt to Pongsaklek Wonjongkam in March. Kameda revealed to reporters that while he would like have a rematch with the Thai, if it is not going to happen immediately, there is no merit in staying at Flyweight.

With the move, Kameda hopes to become the first Japanese boxer to win world titles in three weight classes. His first championship was the vacant WBA 108lb title, which he won in 2006 with a controversial split decision against Juan Jose Landaeta. Kameda’s second was the WBC 112lb crown he lifted from Daisuke Naito last November.

In addition to the low possibility of an immediate rematch with Pongsaklek as a reason for the switch to 115, Kameda also commented that cutting weight has been difficult and that it was good timing for the jump (Koki had to drop almost 20 pounds for his last fight).

In traditional Kameda clan style, Koki is already calling out some of the top names at Super Flyweight, including WBA titleholder Hugo Cazares and WBC champ Vic Darchinyan.

More Boxing Notes

• Phenom Kazuto Ioka, who will also appear on the card with Kameda, is currently in Panama, where he has been training since the middle of May. Nikkan Sports reports that Ioka’s uncle and trainer, former two-division world champ Hiroki Ioka, is planning for his charge to make a run at the green belt, currently held by Rodel Mayol. Team Ioka hopes to make the fight with the Filipino should Kazuto win in July.
• Though I was at Korakuen Hall on Saturday, I missed Rocky Fuentes’ defense of his OPBF Flyweight title over Shigetaka Ikehara (which was apparently a wild two-way brawl) as well as the Miura fight. Instead, I was able to spend some time with Japanese and OPBF Super Welterweight champ Charlie Ota. The interview will be up later in the week.

e-mail Sidney Boquiren

For more coverage of Japanese boxing, follow Sidney on Twitter: RingwalkNippon@Twitter