WBO bantamweight champion Tomoki Kameda won a split decision against interim champion Alejandro Hernandez of Mexico to successfully defend his title for the third time in their world unification bout at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago on Saturday.
Fighting against his former sparring partner, the Japanese champion improved to 31-0, including 19 knockouts. Hernandez slipped to 28-11-2 (15 KOs). Kameda overcame swelling from a cut above his left eye to hold off a durable Hernandez for most of the bout.
"I was controlling the fight with my left in the beginning but after the cut above my eye opened in the later rounds, he took control of the tempo," Kameda said. "My opponent is a champion as well, so it wasn't easy. It was the first time I had my eye cut. It's a good experience."