With junior featherweight challenger Tomoki Kameda (36-2, 20 KOs) set to face Rey Vargas (33-0, 22 KOs) for his WBC title this weekend, Kameda tells RingTV he’s been thinking about this matchup for a long time — ever since Vargas beat him in what Kameda says was his first and only amateur loss.
Kameda says that Vargas has since been on a good tear in the professional ranks, and that’s exactly why a win over him will be a huge credit towards his own standing.
“He has developed an impressive professional career with no losses. I think his greatest assets and strength come from his experience as a pro, which has allowed him – over time – to develop a fighting style based on a proven skillset. However, Vargas is not a perfect boxer and I can see the weak point I can take advantage of. I have been thinking about how to beat Vargas for quite some time, long before I signed for this match.
“If I beat Rey Vargas, who is rated the strongest among the current junior featherweight world champions, I will get a high reputation in return. That is the great motivation for me to fight him again.”
Kameda, 27, continues by saying that he’s still growing as a fighter, and that he intends to see just how far he can go in the sport. To that end Kameda says he’ll immediately seek out unification matches against other titleholder should he beat Vargas, even saying he’d have interest in taking on Nayoa Inoue should he decide to move up to the 122lb division.