Bantamweight Jamie McDonnell came into hostile ground and retained his WBA title over Tomoki Kameda on the first bout of PBC on CBS on Saturday day afternoon from Hidalgo , Texas. McDonnell who started well as he appeared to have Kameda’s number until an overhand right put McDonnell on the canvas as the right connected directly on McDonell’s chin in the third round appeared to alter the fight.

Kameda would take over for the next half of the fight as he appeared to have the faster hands and foot speed when he choose to exert it, but began to slow down late in the fight. In a razor close fight, Kameda barely threw a punch in the final round of the fight as McDonnell let off an onslaught of punches as Kameda simply just kept his hands up high and rode out the round, showing no urgency.

In the end that decision by Kameda was very costly as all three judges scored the fight 114-113 for McDonnell meaning that his decision to take it easy in the final frame cost him the fight. After the fight, McDonnell embraced the villain role as the fans booed him loudly in the arena. “I want to be the best and I am willing to prove it” McDonnell explained.

For Kameda, this was his first career loss, who vacated his WBO bantamweight title to take this fight as the sanctioning body stripped him of his title weeks before this bout.