Tomoki Kameda delivers the best performance of his career but falls short of the title — IBF World Featherweight Champion Angelo Leo expresses his desire to fight Naoya Inoue.

On May 24, the main event of “3150 × LUSHBOMU vol.6” was held at INTEX Osaka, featuring the IBF World Featherweight Title Match.
Two-division world champion Angelo Leo (USA, 24 wins [12 KOs], 1 loss) defended his title against former WBO World Bantamweight Champion and former WBC Interim Super Bantamweight Champion, the IBF’s No. 1 ranked contender, Tomoki Kameda (TMK, 42 wins [23 KOs], 4 losses).

At 31 years old, Angelo Leo suffered a setback in January 2021 when he lost his WBO World Super Bantamweight title in his first defense. The bout took place in Uncasville, Connecticut, where he was defeated by Stephen Fulton (USA, 23 wins [8 KOs], 1 loss) via unanimous decision after 12 rounds. Leo admitted that the loss to Fulton took a psychological toll on him. Although he won his comeback fight, he went on to take a hiatus of about two years and five months.

However, starting in the latter half of 2023, Leo became active in the ring once again and began a determined resurgence. On August 10, 2023 (August 11 Japan time), in his hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Leo challenged Luis Alberto Lopez (Mexico, 31 wins [18 KOs], 2 losses) for the title at Tingley Coliseum. In the 10th round, Leo landed a single left hook that knocked Lopez out cold, earning a dramatic KO victory and capturing a world title in a second weight class.

The 33-year-old Kameda was fighting in his first world title bout in nearly five years and ten months, putting everything on the line for this match.

The IBF supervisor was George Martinez (Canada, second from the right).

The fighters were introduced by ring announcer Yuji Ogawa, who is also a mood kayō (romantic ballad) singer affiliated with “Naniwa Promotion” as his main profession. He aspires to become a “master of enka.”

The fight began. Kameda’s right straight fell short, and Leo immediately countered with a left to the body.

From the opening round, Leo’s left uppercut found its mark on Kameda. That punch made it difficult for Kameda to close the distance easily. In addition, Leo’s left jab was fast and powerful.

In the early rounds, Kameda’s jab was quick, but lacked the forward step needed to reach Leo. Leo calmly read Kameda’s movements and steadily accumulated points.

In round 5, determined to change the momentum, Kameda stepped up the pressure and moved forward. He mixed his left hooks to the head and body, clearly taking the round on points.

However, the crafty Leo didn’t allow himself to be drawn into Kameda’s pace. In close range, he targeted the body, and at a distance, he fired sharp jabs.

Kameda pressed forward with a desperate expression, while Leo looked for openings to land powerful left hooks from behind a tight guard.

From the middle rounds onward, Leo’s jabs, thrown at key moments, extended with impressive reach.

In close quarters, Kameda fired an upward left uppercut at Leo. However, Leo responded with a right hand from a low stance.

Leo calmly targeted the gaps in Kameda’s guard and landed clean shots.

Kameda’s signature left body shot was effective, momentarily halting Leo’s movement. The fight turned into a fierce back-and-forth battle.

However, the savvy Leo quickly responded with a left body shot of his own.

In the later rounds, as Kameda increased the pressure, Leo used his footwork to move around and counter with jabs.

Kameda desperately tried to close the gap, but Leo stayed sharp and extended his left hand with precision.

In round 11, Leo had little energy to spare, but he put together flurries of punches before clinching. When at a distance, he fired jabs and used clever tactics to steal valuable points.

Both corners before the final round.

Leo moved to maintain distance, using his jab. When closing in, he unleashed flurries with left and right hooks and uppercuts. Kameda pressed forward with fierce determination, landing a right straight and a left hook.

The fierce battle came to an end. The winner was Leo. Kameda’s relentless pursuit fell just short.

The official scores were 116-112 from Gil Co (Philippines) and 115-113 from Carl Zappia (Australia) in favor of Leo, with Richard Blouin (Canada) scoring it 114-114 — resulting in a majority decision victory for Leo.

Leo, showcasing his ring craft, secured a satisfying first title defense. Looking ahead, he revealed his intention to pursue unification but also expressed interest in a potential showdown with Naoya Inoue (Ohashi Gym), the undisputed super bantamweight world champion with a perfect record of 30 wins (27 KOs), saying, “If the timing is right, I’d face him anytime.”

Referring to the moment when Ramon Cardenas (USA, 25 wins [14 KOs], 2 losses) dropped Inoue with a left hook in the second round, Leo said, “That fight made it clear which punches Inoue is vulnerable to,” adding, “I’m confident. I have the style to beat him.” He expressed strong belief that the same left hook he used to knock Lopez out cold could do the job against Inoue as well.

On the other hand, while Kameda regretted the way he fought in the first four rounds, his fierce comeback from round five onward was impressive—arguably the best performance of his career. Still, the fact remains that he fell just short, and that small margin is often the hardest to overcome.

“I gave it everything I had,” Kameda said with a calm expression. “I came within a step of beating the guy everyone says is the strongest in the featherweight division. That gives me confidence.” He added, “I think with just a few small adjustments, I can get there,” showing his determination to return.

If a fight with Naoya Inoue (Ohashi Gym), the undisputed super bantamweight world champion, were to be finalized, Leo seems confident—but whether it will actually happen remains to be seen.

This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.

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