ESPN Boxing

Rafael's remark: In a much-anticipated all-Japanese showdown, the flamboyant Kameda, a 23-year-old southpaw, claimed his second world title by defeating the popular Naito in something of a grudge match. Naito, 35, who was making his sixth defense, had dethroned long-reigning titleholder Pongsaklek Wonjongkam of Thailand via unanimous decision in 2007. In his first defense, Naito won a decision against Daiki Kameda, Koki's brother. Naito won the fight despite being fouled repeatedly. Daiki Kameda had slammed Naito to the mat during the fight, and it was revealed afterward that Koki had suggested that his brother elbow Naito during the fight. It was a major controversy in Japanese boxing circles and led to Daiki's being suspended for a year by the Japanese Boxing Commission. Koki Kameda, the slicker fighter, used his movement and counterpunching to outbox Naito in a fight that didn't come close to living up to the expectations. Kameda was unwilling to engage the busier, more aggressive Naito. Instead Kameda ran quite a bit, although he landed some shots because Naito's face was swollen and his nose bled for most of the fight. With the WBC's terrible open-scoring system being used, Kameda knew he was ahead on all three scorecards after the third and eighth rounds. And Naito knew he was behind, so he tried to pick up the pace but was not effective enough. Naito openly discussed retirement in the event of a loss, so maybe we have seen the last of him. If this is it, he's had a very good career. Kameda is already a major star in Japan. Winning another title should take to him even greater heights. He won a vacant junior flyweight belt against Juan Landaeta in 2006 and defeated him in a rematch in his only defense before relinquishing the title because he could no longer make weight.

Rafael's remark: Long before this fight, Bute was a star in Canada, where the native of Romania has lived for several years and been embraced, as evidenced by the huge crowds he regularly draws in Montreal. But now, after such a stellar performance against Andrade on HBO, Bute's star power should extend well beyond Canada's borders. Taking his show on the road to Quebec City (because Montreal's Bell Centre was occupied by an NHL game), Bute drew 16,500 fans for a much-anticipated rematch that sold out in an hour, and he didn't disappoint in making his fourth title defense in sensational fashion.

Bute and Andrade first met 13 months ago in a mandatory fight in Montreal. Bute dominated the first 11 rounds before Andrade closed very strong. He battered Bute in the 12th round and scored a very hard knockdown in the final seconds. However, Montreal referee Marlon Wright gave Bute an exceptionally long count (21 seconds by some estimates), which he stopped to order Andrade farther back into the neutral corner. When the wobbly Bute staggered to his feet, the bell rang and the fight was over.

Bute and Andrade each won fights since then to set up the mandated rematch. This time, however, there was no controversy about the outcome. Bute, who had vowed to fix the "little mistake" that led to his near-knockout in the first meeting, thoroughly dominated Andrade before ending the fight in style. The 29-year-old southpaw scored repeatedly with his left hand and had much, much faster hands than Andrade, 31, who lives in La Habra, Calif., but was born in Mexico and was bidding to become the first Mexican super middleweight titleholder.

Andrade looked as though he was just trying to pick up where he left off in the 12th round of the first fight as he tried to go right at Bute. But Bute picked him apart. In the fourth round, Bute landed a fast left hand to Andrade's usually granite chin and dropped him with a little more than a minute left in the round. Andrade, who never saw the punch coming, got to his feet. Perhaps looking to protect his face a little more after taking the shot, Andrade left his body a little more exposed, and Bute took advantage. Late in the round, Bute cracked Andrade with a left hand to the body, and Andrade went down again grimacing in pain as he took referee Benji Esteves' full 10-count for a surprising knockout.

Although the Super Six World Boxing Classic going on at Showtime has six of the best super middleweights in the world participating in the modified round-robin tournament, the winner won't be able to proclaim himself the No. 1 168-pounder in the world. That's because Bute, who was not invited into the tournament, is making his own case as No. 1. If he keeps winning, a showdown with the Super Six winner would be the only way to crown the best in the deep division.

Rafael's remark: There are controversial decisions. There are bad decisions. And then there is this -- a highway robbery. Maybe this was not as high-profile a fight as the first one between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield or the showdown between Pernell Whitaker and Julio Cesar Chavez, both of which were absurdly ruled draws. This, however, was equally horrific. The 6-foot-1 Funeka, who is clearly one of the best lightweights in the world, simply beat the crap out of Guzman and should have won a landslide unanimous decision. A 4-year-old who had never seen a boxing match could have looked at this fight and told you who won. Frankly, it was not even a hard fight to score because virtually every round was so clear-cut. Guzman, 33, of the Dominican Republic, won the first two rounds by outboxing the slow-starting Funeka, 31, of South Africa. Thereafter, it was all Funeka, who might have lost one more round along the way. Maybe two if you were really, really generous like judge Joseph Pasquale, who had the fight for Funeka. His 116-112 scorecard was acceptable, even though it could easily have been 117-111 or even 118-110. But then there were judges Alan Davis and Benoit Roussel, both of whom somehow found six rounds to give to Guzman. They should be absolutely ashamed of themselves and forced to explain their disgusting scorecards. What did Funeka have to do to get the decision? Knock Guzman's head clear off his neck, maybe? Besides the hideous sanctioning organizations, it is these kinds of blatant bad decisions that have severely hurt boxing.

Funeka had an opportunity to win a belt in February but lost a majority decision to Nate Campbell, who was overweight, stripped of the title and not eligible to win it in their fight. That fight was close, but Campbell, with the weight advantage, eked it out. Now fighting for the vacant title again, Funeka did everything you can do to an opponent other than knock him down or out, which is a credit to Guzman's heart. Funeka cut Guzman on the left eyebrow in the second round. He gave Guzman a bad bloody nose in the third; it bled for the rest of the fight. He cut Guzman over the right eye in the fourth. Replays seemed to indicate that the cut came from an accidental head butt, although referee Jean-Guy Brousseau ruled it was from a punch. Guzman also had his head rocked repeatedly by jab after jab. Late in the eighth round, Funeka badly rocked him with a short right hand to the jaw. Funeka was punishing Guzman, whose face was a mess, so severely in the late rounds that there was talk in the corner of stopping the fight.

If you needed any more evidence to make the case that Funeka should have been the clear winner, let's take a quick look at the CompuBox punch statistics, which judges do not have access to. While the stats are not gospel, they at least provide a decent window into how the fight was going. Funeka dominated statistically, landing 248 of 903 punches, while Guzman, fighting for the first time in 11 months in a chronically inactive career, was limited to landing just 163 of 493.

The crowd booed the decision, even though it had no local fighter involved. Funeka co-promoter Gary Shaw called for an investigation. One thing that should be certain despite the draw, which left the alphabet belt still vacant, is that there shouldn't be a rematch. This fight was definitive enough. Besides, Funeka deserves better, and Guzman, a former junior featherweight and junior lightweight titleholder who looks like he has very little power at 135 pounds, doesn't deserve one. Nor should he want one after the beating he absorbed.

Rafael's remark: There comes a time when every prospect faces that step-up opponent who poses a serious risk and allows us to see if the guy is for real. If the prospect wins, it can be a springboard to greater glory. If the prospect loses, he is knocked a few rungs down the ladder and must regroup. Molina, the exciting 26-year-old for Covina, Calif., was the prospect in this case with Honorio, 29, the battle-tested veteran from Mexico. Molina had scored five knockouts in a row, all inside five rounds, including a crushing 34-second first-round knockout of veteran Efren Hinojosa on Sept. 26. Molina was gaining attention with his performances on Showtime's "ShoBox" and now was headlining on the series. Honorio, a pro for 10 years, was vastly more experienced, although had been a career featherweight until a few fights ago. He also owns a first-round knockout of featherweight titlist Cristobal Cruz. Honorio also is the only man to defeat titlist Steven Luevano. But in Honorio's only world title shot, then-featherweight titlist Robert Guerrero iced him in the first round in 2007. Since that loss, Honorio won two in a row above featherweight and was signed to test Molina, only a pro for three years and having never been past six rounds. Molina showed that he simply wasn't ready for a fighter of Honorio's experience and was easily outboxed in an entertaining fight. Honorio dictated the pace, landed combinations against Molina's woeful defense and moved well against his bigger, harder punching opponent. Molina, who would like a rematch, said he entered the bout battling flu-like symptoms but he didn't use it as an excuse, saying instead that he "couldn't pull the trigger. I couldn't do what I wanted." While Honorio set himself up for a bigger fight, it's back to the drawing board for Molina.

Rafael's remark: In a blazing action fight, Ramos, the 22-year-old prospect from Los Angeles, made his television debut in the "ShoBox" opener with an exciting victory. Ramos, who had a deep amateur background and won multiple national tournaments, scored knockdown with a short right hand in the waning seconds of the second round on his way to the victory. Ramos, who has been busy with his 14th fight since turning pro in March 2008, could not finish Perez off because the round ended. Ramos hurt Perez again in the third round with a right hand that turned Perez's legs to jelly, but he couldn't finish his badly hurt man off even though Perez looked ready to go for the last 90 seconds of the round. It was good news for the viewers that Perez survived, and even made a comeback, because this turned into a terrific fight, even though the scores make it look like Ramos dominated Perez, 23, who is from Mexico but living in Los Angeles. They exchanged punches countless times in the slugfest, but Ramos, who went past six rounds for the first time, was the sharper, quicker fighter and countered Perez very well. This was a coming out party for Ramos and we're looking forward to seeing again soon.

Rafael's remark: Molina, 19, was a 2008 U.S. Olympian who turned professional in March and is being brought along slowly but surely by promoter Dan Goossen. Molina, from Commerce, Calif., bloodied Garcia's nose in the opening round and continued the attack in the second until Garcia's corner threw in the towel with 18 seconds in the round, causing referee Lou Moret to call it off.

Rafael's remark: Look who's still fighting: Yes, it's Baldomir, the former undisputed welterweight champ. Fighting in his hometown, Baldomir, 38, was in the ring for the first time in 11 months since losing a majority decision in a welterweight title eliminator to Jackson Bonsu. It's been a been a long time since Baldomir's storybook 2006, when he started the year by upsetting Zab Judah to become the undisputed welterweight champ and followed it with an upset ninth-round knockout of Arturo Gatti before ending the year in a big-money fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., who easily outpointed him. Now, Baldomir is up at middleweight, where he routed Siris, 40, of Colombia. Baldomir was all over Siris in the fourth round, battering him with a two-fisted attack. After Siris ate several flush shots, referee Diego Linari gave him a standing eight-count. When the bout resumed, Baldomir continued to punish Siris until Linari called it off. Baldomir is now 2-3 from the Mayweather fight until now. Siris dropped to 4-7 in his last 11, with each loss coming via knockout inside six rounds.

Rafael's remark: Denkaosan Kaowichit, who is uninjured and defended his title twice this year, is the WBA's flyweight titleholder. But, as has become the norm, the wretched WBA authorized an interim belt in the division to pick up additional fees. Panama's Concepcion, 24, and his handlers fell for the scam, and he picked up the vacant interim trinket via 12th-round knockout of Omar Salado in September. For his first defense, Concepcion faced Mexico's Leyva, 30, a totally undeserving challenger. At one time, Leyva was a good fighter who held a strawweight belt in 2001 and 2002. But those days are long gone. After being knocked out with a left followed by a flush right to the jaw, Leyva fell to 1-5 in his last six fights, including a knockout loss challenging Edgar Sosa for a flyweight belt in 2007. Even more impressive than the knockout punch was Concepcion doing two back flips off the top rope in celebration of his knockout victory.

Rafael's remark: If Rodriguez didn't have bad luck, he'd have no luck at all. In the first significant fight of his career, Rodriguez, 29, who is from the Dominican Republic but lives in Danbury, Conn., went to South Africa and got a draw against Isaac Hlatshwayo last November in a title eliminator that could have gone either way. In a rematch in Connecticut in August, Rodriguez lost a split decision for a vacant belt in another close fight. Rodriguez then went to Poland to face hometown fighter Jackiewicz in an eliminator with a title shot against Hlatshwayo at stake. Rodriguez fought his heart out but came out on the short end of the stick in a fight that he probably deserved to win. But it does depend on what you favor when you score a fight. Did you like Rodriguez's busier workrate but with fewer clean connects, or did you prefer Jackiewicz's throwing far fewer punches but landing ones that, for the most part, were perhaps a bit more effective? If you like Rodriguez's style, you could certainly give him the fight by a wide margin. Rodriguez and his team, of course, were bitterly disappointed with the outcome. Jackiewicz, who did have the home advantage, extended his unbeaten streak to 20 fights over the past five years. Several of the early rounds were very close, but Rodriguez used a nice jab while Jackiewicz landed some solid right hands. One of them rocked Rodriguez in the fifth round, but he came storming back to hurt and eventually drop Jackiewicz with a flurry of blows in the sixth round. However, Rodriguez could not put his hurt opponent away, which he paid the price for when the decision was rendered. Jackiewicz now awaits the winner of the Dec. 11 fight between Hlatshwayo and Jan Zaveck. Jackiewicz owns a 2008 split decision win against Zaveck in a European title fight.

Rafael's remark: Thailand's Sithsamerchai, 24, used nice counterpunching to maintain control against Palacios, 29, of Nicaragua, to claim the majority decision in the mandatory fight. Sithsamerchai, a southpaw making his fourth defense, knew he was ahead on all three scorecards after the fourth and eighth rounds because of the WBC's awful open-scoring rule and hung on despite Palacios' efforts to stalk him. Palacios came into the bout with the ridiculous interim title, which the WBC made available for no apparent reason other than a desire for additional sanctioning fees. Palacios claimed the interim belt in August 2008 and defended it twice until the WBC finally forced the mandatory against Sithsamerchai. How long until the WBC approves another interim title?