Jamie McDonnell Has Become a National Treasure for British Boxing

On a busy weekend for British boxing, Jamie McDonnell's victory over Tomoki Kameda has perhaps not quite received the attention it deserves.

The Doncaster bantamweight (26-2-1, 12 KO) successfully defended his WBA title in Hidalgo, Texas, in the process handing his Japanese opponent, Kameda, his first defeat in the paid ranks.

It was the Englishman's 18th straight victory, an impressive unbeaten run that now stretches over more than seven years.

Yet his fine performance on American soil was not even seen live back home, with Sky Sports focusing instead on heavyweight Anthony Joshua's knockout of Brazilian Raphael Zumbano Love in Birmingham. 

The bout with Kameda, who had been WBO champion before vacating the belt prior to fighting at the State Farm Arena, rather summed up McDonnell's career to date.

There was an early setback when he was dropped to the canvas in the third round, caught by a cracking right hand from his opponent. Premier Boxing tweeted a short clip of the punch, capturing it perfectly:

Yet, there had been issues for McDonnell to overcome long before the first bell sounded, starting with his trainer, Dave Hulley, not making the trip due to a fear of flying, per Liam Hoden in the Sheffield Star.

The team then suffered a delayed arrival in Hidalgo after an issue with their tour bus, as revealed on Twitter by Dave Coldwell, who took over in the corner for the absent Hulley:

Yet, McDonnell is no stranger to having to deal with a little adversity.

He won just eight of his first 11 professional contests, including suffering losses to Chris Edwards, when challenging for the British title, and Lee Haskins.

He recovered to become IBF champion but then lost the belt out of the ring, the governing body stripping him of the honour for failing to agree terms for a fight with mandatory challenger Vusi Malinga.

But, on each occasion the 29-year-old has been dealt a blow, he has found a way to battle back.

He did just that against Kameda, overcoming the very first knockdown of his career by using his reach advantage (72″ versus 66″) to gain a degree of control behind his jab.

In the end the judges felt the champion did just enough, all three sitting at ringside scoring the bout 114-113 in his favour.

McDonnell was, understandably, delighted with the outcome. He said in the aftermath, per Sky Sports: 

"

I felt in control all the way through. It was a great performance. I know I should have just boxed but I wanted to fight.

I didn't think I was going to get the decision being abroad, but it's more than spectacular to come out of here victorious. He's a great, undefeated champion.

His speed surprised me on the knockdown. I knew he was going to be fast, but I didn't expect it like that. I didn't see the shot and next thing I knew I was on the floor.

"

He also revealed the potential plan is to move up in weight, adding: "I want to catch the big fights before they're gone."

It is, in truth, quite a feat for him to have remained at bantamweight for so long.

While an extra four pounds might not sound like much to most of us, every little amount helps for a fighter who stands tall at 5′10″.

His height will make him an awkward customer for anyone at super bantamweight, a packed division that includes McDonnell's compatriots Kid Galahad and Scott Quigg, as well as Northern Irishman Carl Frampton.

Promoter Eddie Hearn suggested the only way is up for McDonnell—whose twin brother, Gavin, currently holds the European strap at super bantamweight—via Twitter on Sunday:

Whatever he does next, McDonnell deserves a huge amount of credit for what he has achieved already.

His list of honours (he was previously British, Commonwealth and European champion too) is impressive, particularly as he is not a fan of the sport. He told Sky Sports: "I do it because I'm good at it and it pays well, but I've not seen your Muhammad Ali fights and Mike Tyson fights because I'm not a boxing person."

McDonnell may not describe himself as a boxing person, but he is a shining example to others hoping for success in the ring.

He has a wonderful mix of talent and tenacity, not to mention stamina and inner strength, making him a national treasure that British fight fans should be seriously proud of.