WBA (reg) bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell makes the long trip back to Texas next month for his second fight with Japan’s Al Haymon advised Tomoki Kameda as part of the secretive American advisor’s Premier Boxing Champions brand.
McDonnell squeezed past the previously unbeaten Kameda in May after hitting the deck in the 3rd and rising to show exactly why he is one of the most underrated fighters in Britain at the moment, displaying a grit and steely determination that saw him hold on to his title by scores of 114-113 across the board.
An impressive feat considering he was without his regular trainer who has a fear of flying and is set to do it all again after Kameda exercised his contractual rematch clause.
Such is his confidence in repeating the victory that McDonnell has his eyes on tackling the man above up him on the ladder, the WBA’s super champion Juan Carlos Payano, and failing that, he’d move up to 122 and fight British super bantam bosses Carl Frampton as well as Scott Quigg.
“I’m going to beat Kameda and wouldn’t mind fighting a super-champion (Payano),” he told Sky Sports.
“But if there are no big fights or big paydays left at bantamweight, I’ll just move up to tackle the super-bantamweights.”
Speaking like a fighter ready for bigger things and who knows what’s on the line, McDonnell continued;
“I’m big for bantamweight but there’s still a couple more fights left in me. I know I need big fights, big names and if I beat Kameda I want to stay fighting in America, under the Al Haymon banner and hopefully he’ll chuck me in with some of his other guys.
“I’d fight any of them, Rigondeaux and all of them. I’ll fight Quigg or Frampton. Scott was impressive and Quigg looked impressive but I thought Frampton would’ve nicked it between them but after the last performances, I think Quigg comes out on top now.”
“I’d move up and fight any super-bantamweight. I’ve proved I belong up at world class (level) and it’s only four pounds, it’s not a massive difference and I’m a big bantam anyway.”
A solid fighter ready and prepared to do what it takes….
Twitter @Undilutedpoison
