Kameda title fight cancelled after Figueroa illness, weight failure

Tomoki Kameda's attempt to win a world title in a third weight division was halted when his WBA featherweight bout against Brandon Figueroa in Las Vegas was cancelled on the scheduled fight day. Japanese reports said Figueroa was unwell. A report carried by Yahoo News said Kameda's TMK gym disclosed that the promoter had notified it of the cancellation of the October 17 bout, which fell on October 18 in Japan. Yomiuri and Nikkei also reported that the fight was cancelled because of the opponent's condition. [ 6 , 7 , 9 ]

Figueroa had already been stripped of the WBA featherweight title after failing the October 16 weigh-in. Earlier reports said Kameda made weight at 57.0 kilograms, while Figueroa exceeded the 57.1-kilogram limit by about 360 grams. The later account carried by Yahoo gave different figures: Kameda at 56.9 kilograms and Figueroa at 57.8 kilograms initially, then 57.5 kilograms on a second attempt. Before cancellation, organisers had said Kameda would become champion with a win, while a draw or Figueroa victory would leave the title vacant. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 ]

The Yahoo-carried account said the camps and promoter had agreed to a fight-day weigh-in at 9 a.m., with Figueroa allowed no more than 12 pounds, about 5.44 kilograms, above the division limit. It said neither he nor his team appeared. Kameda said a promoter's message sent at 5:40 a.m. had informed him that Figueroa was unwell and unable to box; formal cancellation followed later. He criticised the lack of an explanation and said he had invested heavily in training for the opportunity. The report said the WBA had told his camp he would receive priority if a vacant-title contest was arranged. [ 6 ]