Special Interview: Kazuki Kameda’s First Confession of Determination and Preparedness “Why I Left the Kameda Family
TMK GYM" was established in Osaka City, where he grew up in an environment where boxing was a normal part of life under his father's tutelage.
The rest of my life as a boxer is not long. I want to fight someone who is genuinely strong so that I can be satisfied that I have done all I can do. That’s all I want.”
Tomoki Kameda, 31, a former bantamweight world champion, made a new start in his birthplace of Nishinari, Osaka. At the end of last year, he established “TMK GYM” with Keiichiro Kanehira (57), formerly of Kyoei Gym, as its chairman.
Why did he leave the Kameda family and establish his own gym? When a reporter asked him why, the man who was said to be the most talented of the three brothers made a strong statement about his decision.
The dream of the father, Shiro Kameda (57), to have “three brothers as world champions” had always been a dream of his. Kazuki was born the third son of the Kameda family, and in pursuit of this dream, he was raised in an environment where boxing was a natural part of his life from an early age.
His neighbors always laughed at him, saying, ‘There’s no way my father, an amateur, could do such a thing. But my two older brothers worked hard and actually became world champions. That’s why there was a lot of pressure on me to do the same. Back then, I think I was doing boxing for my father’s dream rather than for my own.”
Kazuki’s eldest son, Koki (36), and his second son, Daiki (34), have had very different careers. In 2007, at the age of 15, he went to Mexico by himself to study in a harsh environment that would have been unthinkable in Japan. Not being able to speak a word of Spanish, he stayed at a cheap accommodation costing 1,000 yen per night and even negotiated his own fights. Although he now speaks Spanish fluently, he says he had to learn it desperately to survive.
I was an idiot,” he says. I couldn’t even understand gracias (thank you). It’s a 17-hour plane ride? I was like, ‘Where’s Mexico? If I had known, I probably wouldn’t have gone (laughs). In one year, I played more than 35 matches, negotiating, traveling, and playing match after match. It is not uncommon for the train to be delayed and the opponent to not show up. But because it is a tough environment, strong Mexicans come out in droves. I became mentally tougher and grew as a boxer.”
Later, in August ’13, he achieved his family’s long-cherished wish when he wrapped the WBO world bantamweight championship belt around his head. There was relief and joy. But at the same time, he lost his goal as a boxer.
He said, “I have been in the spotlight since I was a little kid, and my biggest goal was to be the champion with my three brothers. Once I achieved it, I didn’t know what kind of motivation I had to continue boxing. I was stuck in that state for about two years.”
During those two years, he lost his fourth defense and fell from the title. From there, he rallied to become world champion again in 2006. After that, he became a freelance fighter without a gym from ’19, and there was a period of about two years when he was unable to fight. Now, he has made the choice to leave the Kameda family completely. Kazuki, who was born as “the third son of Kameda,” says that after going through a period of suffering, he is finally able to face boxing for himself.
I have never been afraid (of leaving the Kameda family), and I have no regrets. I made my own decision, and as I’ve gotten older, my thinking has become simpler. In the extreme, I don’t even care about being world champion anymore. I just want to be a champion because if I don’t become a champion, I won’t be able to fight strong opponents. As a boxer, I want to test how far I can go. I’m probably most focused on boxing right now.”
With a win against Luis Castillo on February 25, he will become the world champion for the third time. After that, he is looking ahead to a fight with Naoya Inoue (29), who has moved up to super bantam.
I analyze Inoue as being relatively easy to beat among the super bantamweights. Of course, he won’t enter the ring unless he has a plan to win. I really want to make the great sport of boxing more popular in Japan. Naoya Inoue and Kazuki Kameda. I want to make a big match happen for the popularity of boxing, so that all of Japan will pay attention to it.
I want to finish boxing. Kazuki’s face was radiant as he spoke of this.
From the February 10, 2023 issue of FRIDAY
Interview and text： Fumiaki Kurioka (reporter for this magazine) Photo： Kei Kato
