By Joe Koizumi
Photo by Boxing Beat Magazine
Formerly two-division champ IBF #3 feather Tomoki Kameda (42-4, 23 KOs), 125.75, eked out a split decision (114-113, 116-111, 113-114) over #2 Lerato Dlamini (20-3, 11 KOs), 125.25, from South Africa in a twelve round eliminator to win the mandatory right to challenge newly crowned IBF 126-pound ruler Angelo Leo on Saturday in Osaka, Japan.
Having dropped an a split nod to Dlamini in their first encounter here last October, Tomoki, 33, this time changed his style to be much more aggressive all the way, decking his grudge rival with a fusillade of punches midway in round five. Dlamini, 30, kept moving and countering with a fewer but well-timed uppercuts against the onrushing Japanese. This time Tomoki looked like a winner since he kept stalking Dlamini with busier combination from the outset and scored an impressive knockdown.
Ex-WBC minimum champ Yudai Shigeoka, 106.75, won a unanimous decision (97-93 twice, 96-94) over WBO#11 Samuel Salva, 106.5, over ten. Yudai had the upper hand over the less aggressive Filipino, though he couldn’t score a knockdown.
WBO#11 Kenbun Torres (14-5, 10 KOs), 115.75, Mexico, upset WBO#1 junior bantam Filipino KJ Cataraja (17-1, 13 KOs), 115, winning a split decision (96-93 twice, 94-95) over a close ten. Having upset then WBO #1 bantam Reymart Gaballo in the first round in the Philippines this May, the Mexican son of ex-world champ German Torres, 36, seemed to have a big resurgence in his turbulent career of having been in jail twice in eleven years in total.
Promoter: Kameda Promotions.
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