Jamie McDonnell: A Hero Lacking in Appreciation

By Ryan Forde-Kelly - 05/23/2015 - Comments

When Carl Froch travelled to Mashantucket, Connecticut to defend his WBC super-middleweight crown against Jermain Taylor in 2009, he exposed an embarrassing blind spot within British boxing that was in need of rectification.

Britain’s only active World champion – at the time – travelled across the Atlantic Ocean to defend the title he won on terrestrial television – when defeating Jean Pascal unanimously over 12 rounds in one of the finest super-middleweight title fights in recent memory – only to find himself without a broadcast partnership.

What transpired was a performance that would find a home in the annals of British boxing history, the only problem, no one got to watch Froch snatch victory from the jaws of defeat live – well, not in his own country any way. This could never happen again, the country was now on board and Carl Froch has never looked back since.

It must be said that boxing coverage within the UK has improved 10-fold over the last 6 years, due to excellent work and commitment from Sky, Boxnation and a selection of terrestrial channels. Their efforts have seen boxing in Britain begin to flourish once more.

However, here we are and the very same blind spot Carl Froch occupied has appeared once more and has undermined the achievements of one of Britain’s finest in Jamie McDonnell in almost identical circumstances.

When Jamie McDonnell sought out and took on the challenge of the highly regarded unbeaten Japanese bantamweight Tomoki Kameda, he knew he would have to travel to make it happen. He also believed that the pros outweighed the cons, yes he would be going into the lion’s den on a rival promotion, but he would do so knowing victory would see him crowned unified World bantamweight champion.

He would also be involved in the type of fight all serious fighters crave, be paid well and receive the exposure his talent and his achievements deserve.

Like Froch, it wasn’t long before McDonnell began to receive the raw end of the deal. Kameda was forced to vacate his title when the WBO failed to recognise McDonnell as the legitimate WBA champion. Instead they favoured Juan Carlos Payano the unbeaten Dominican, who although unbeaten has a slate inferior to that of McDonnell and attained his status as ‘Super’ champion via a technical decision (the fight went to the scorecards in the 6th, due to a cut caused by an accidental head clash) in a messy encounter with Anselmo Moreno.

Now the Doncaster native was travelling across the Atlantic to little know Hidalgo, Texas, to defend his title on foreign soil against the house fighter – minus his trainer Dave Hulley, who did not travel due to his crippling fear of flying.
The pros and cons had changed somewhat and it was reflected in the bookmaker’s odds that now made Kameda the favourite to claim the WBA World bantamweight crown. It was typical of McDonnell to remain unphased throughout the process; the odds have been stacked against him before.

He travelled to France in 2010 to stop Jerome Arnould in 10 rounds to win the European bantamweight title, as well outpointing feared Mexican knockout merchant Julio Ceja over 12-rounds at Doncaster’s Keepmoat stadium.
It’s that rock solid temperament that makes Jamie McDonnell the tremendous fighter he is and he called upon it once more to drag himself off the floor for the first time in his career in the third round when floored by a lightening Kameda right hand, to regroup and win out unanimously 114-113 on all three judges scorecards. The elation was clear post-fight; he had produced one of the best away performances from a British fighter in living memory – for this writer at least – with everything against him and raised his profile to a level befitting of a fighter of his calibre – or at least that’s what you’d have thought.

You’d be wrong, for like Froch, the fight was not shown live on British television. Sky decided that rather than showing a legitimate World champion in a potential fight of the year, we would be treated to a 2-round Anthony Joshua shellacking of hapless Brazilian heavyweight Raphael Zumbano Love.

How can that be? Who makes these decisions?

McDonnell’s triumphant night was shown soon after, but in the age of instant media confirmation, the horse had bolted and the drama of the unknown that allows fans to gravitate towards a fighter was lost.
It’s time the nation woke up to a man who has the personality, fighting style and resume to be like Froch, a national hero – which arguably he should be already. To my reckoning Jamie McDonnell can lay legitimate claim to the WBA, IBF and WBO World bantamweight title, which he would now hold without the interference of boardroom big wigs.

Instead, we are talking about Tomoki Kameda exercising a re-match clause and the fight being held on yet another Al Haymon show in Las Vegas in September-October. Only Jamie McDonnell could be forced to beat a challenger for a second time on his home turf, I couldn’t believe my ears.

I have no doubt that McDonnell will beat Kameda once more, but it should be at home, on his terms and with the backing of his full team and army of supporters and above all shown live on television.