Close call for Koki Kameda
Koki Kameda beat Hugo Ruiz on a split decision in a WBA bantamweight unification bout in Osaka on Tuesday night.
Kameda, the champion, won 116-113 and 115-113 on two cards. The other judge had it 117-113 for the hard-hitting Mexican, the “interim” champion.
"I got married and my wife had a baby before the bout. So I have been under heavy pressure. I'm really happy to win. It was a good result," the 26-year-old Japanese fighter said after the bout.
It was Kameda's fifth defence of the title he won when he beat Alexander Munoz of Venezuela in December 2010. His record now stands at 29 wins, including 17 knockouts, against one defeat.
The 26-year-old Ruiz dropped to 31 wins, including 28 Kos, and two defeats.
Kameda is the oldest of three boxing brothers who have bad-boy images in the news media and among boxing fans.
His brother Daiki was suspended from boxing for a year after his failed title bid against WBC flyweight champion Daisuke Naito in October 2007. The referee ruled he had used dirty tactics.
Koki Kameda was reprimanded by the Japan Boxing Commission for urging his brother to fight dirty.
Their father, Shiro Kameda, has been barred from serving as a corner man in WBC bouts after he was found guilty of abusing officials. He was also banned for life by Japan's boxing authorities.
