Rey Vargas surrounds Tomoki Kameda for a unanimous decision

Dignity Health, Carson, Los Angeles – Rey Vargas (34-0, 22 KOs) has retained his belt for the WBC title, with a difficult decision to be taken unanimously in twelve rounds against his mandatory opponent and Interim champion Tomoki Kameda (36-3, 20 KOs). The three judges had 117-110.

Vargas had just made a unanimous decision in twelve rounds on Franklin Manzanilla in February. Vargas was in the second half of this fight.

And Kameda fought in Japan in November after winning a twelve-round decision over Abigail Medina to win the 122-pound WBC title. Upon arrival, Kameda had won five consecutive bouts since his consecutive loss to Jamie McDonnell in bantamweight.

Vargas and Kameda were already beaten while they were very young fans – Vargas winning a dominant decision in the unpaid ranks.

The fight started quickly. Kameda was much faster with her hands and feet. He landed good right hands that Vargas felt. Vargas was trying to use the jab and wanted to keep the fight at bay to set up bigger punches.

The second run was tight, with Kameda making the strongest strikes and Vargas being very active with both hands. Vargas did better in the third, with his long punches and his jab.

Kameda took advantage in the fourth quarter, with strong head shots. Vargas had a better fifth, with punches and regular shots. He was also able to avoid Kameda's right hands. The sixth was another tight round, where both boxers worked hard in a tactical fight.

The Vargas jab and his combinations controlled the seventh round. Kameda applied much more pressure in the eighths, seeking to penetrate inside and shoot well. In the ninth, Kameda was being fucked by Vargas, who was busier.

In the tenth, Vargas continued to show his work pace and he was able to avoid most of Kameda's big shots. The jab continued to harass Kameda in the eleventh, and he had trouble getting in with hard shots.

During the twelfth, Kameda lost a point for unsportsmanlike conduct when he hit Vargas while the referee separated them. Kameda made the biggest punch, Vargas feeling that he was well ahead of the cards and trying to beat the allotted time.