Jamie McDonnell vs. Tomoki Kameda: Winner, Scorecard and Reaction

Jamie McDonnell (27-2-1, 12 KOs) looked poised and ready for greater challenges on Saturday, earning a 12-round unanimous-decision victory over Japanese challenger Tomoki "El Mexicanito" Kameda (31-2, 19 KOs) at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, Texas.     

ESPN's Dan Rafael has the scores, which showed McDonnell winning by a fairly wide margin:

It was a much bigger win on the cards for McDonnell, the defending WBA World bantamweight champion, than in May, an explosive slugfest in which all three judges had him winning 114-113, per BoxRec.

Kameda impressed early on, circling around the ring and keeping away from McDonnell's heavy jab. His footwork and handspeed were impressive on his two- and three-punch combinations, although some of those flurries lacked bite.

McDonnell was able to come back into the match in the middle and later rounds as Kameda faded and his accuracy declined. Kameda fell off late in their fight back in May, and McDonnell again was able to take advantage. Kameda lost his balance on a jab on the 12th, and McDonnell knocked him to the canvas for the match's only knockdown.

Box Bet's Tom Craze thought it was enough to clinch a win, although the judges' cards would reveal he would've earned a win without it:

ESPN's Dan Rafael thought otherwise:

The judges voted for McDonnell's cool consistency over Kameda's flash.

Prior to the bout, RingTV.com's Douglass Fischer warned McDonnell could suffer if he was too aggressive against Kameda:

If either fighter was looking for a knockout victory, it certainly wasn't apparent early on. Kameda began the match in a much less aggressive fashion than the last fight. He stayed on the edge of McDonnell's range, picking his spots to come in and doubling up on his punches effectively. 

McDonnell, who sports a six-inch reach advantage over Kameda (72" to 66"), struggled to set up his jab early on. Kameda stayed on the move, circling to his left and countering when McDonnell overextended himself.

Early in the second round, McDonnell sported a cut on his forehead. Kameda punished him for his mistakes, landing an especially impressive left hook midway through the second frame. PBC has the highlight:

True to his word, this was a different display from the Japanese boxer.

“We’re working hard. We had a good preparation in Las Vegas along with [new trainer] Ismael Salas,” said Kameda on Friday, per RingTV.com's Diego Morilla. “Ismael has taught me a lot of new things and now we have our fight plan ready for the fight.”

Boxer and commentator Paul Malignaggi liked what he saw from Kameda through the first five rounds:

McDonnell grew into the match in the middle rounds, letting his hands fly and finally finding the range on his jab. He also did well to walk down Kameda at times and cut down on his movement. The Doncaster native put together several solid combinations, while Kameda's own strikes missed the mark.

Kameda certainly looked the part of an effective boxer, but UCNLive.com's Steve Kim wasn't entirely impressed with his display:

There was no disputing McDonnell's meaty jab, which stunned Kameda a couple of times in the ninth and 10th rounds. The knockdown in the 12th certainly helped McDonnell on the cards, but it was a fight the judges already had him controlling.

It's back to the drawing board for Kameda. Stamina appears to be a concern, as he was a much brighter boxer early on. His accuracy leaves something to be desired, but the handspeed and footwork are there. 

With the win in hand, McDonnell is looking to move up to super bantamweight and already has an opponent in mind.

"The plan is to beat him again and then move up and I'd love the Scott Quigg fight; that would be a massive night," said McDonnell prior to Saturday, per SkySports.com.

Based on his display in Texas, he could very well be fighting Quigg sometime soon.