British boxer Chantelle Cameron is determined to make a strong case for a third fight against Irish superstar Katie Taylor.
Cameron is scheduled to fight Jessica Camara on the undercard of Taylor`s upcoming third bout with Amanda Serrano for the undisputed super-lightweight championship. The event takes place in New York on July 11.
In 2023, Cameron and Taylor faced each other twice. Cameron first defeated Taylor, handing her her only professional loss, before Taylor won the rematch, reclaiming her unified 140lb world titles.
After failing to secure an immediate trilogy fight with Taylor, Cameron recently returned to the ring and won a WBC Interim title. This victory positions her as a likely mandatory challenger for the full WBC world championship – one of the four belts that Taylor and Serrano will contest at Madison Square Garden.
“I`m one fight away from the winner,” Cameron told reporters. “Or at least I`m going to get a shot at the world title.”
“I`m just being positive now that by the end of the year I`ll be world champion again,” she added. “It definitely feels like a massive reset button for me. I had my first loss, and it definitely came crumbling down on me. I felt like I had humble pie thrown in my face.”
“To go from the very top to coming crashing down, it isn`t a nice place to be,” Cameron stated. “I feel like I need to get my hands back on those belts, and that`s my motivation. Because I still feel like they do belong to me.”
Cameron expressed frustration that she didn`t get a third fight with Taylor immediately following their rematch.
“It was quite personal as well because obviously I beat Katie in her backyard,” she explained. “I went back to Dublin for the rematch, it was a close fight, she got the decision… and then I never got a chance at redemption.”
“It`s huge. It`s 1-1,” Cameron emphasized. “We don`t know who the better fighter is because it`s 1-1, we`ve both beat each other. We both took each other`s undefeated records, so we both have that personal rivalry now.”
Cameron suggested she believes Taylor`s team is avoiding the trilogy. “Genuinely hand on my heart, I don`t think her team want the trilogy with me,” she claimed. “I agreed all the terms, I accepted less money, I was going back to Dublin.”
Cameron believes that by delivering an eye-catching performance against Camara on July 11, she can force her way back into consideration to be Taylor`s next opponent.
“I definitely make the most sense because – let`s be real – they were my belts, and I was unfortunate to lose them,” she said. “As soon as Katie got the win, she kind of ran away with them.”
While acknowledging Taylor`s success and impact, Cameron reiterated her goal: “Her and Amanda put on great fights, she`s getting paid her worth as well, what she`s done for women`s boxing is incredible, she deserves those kind of paydays.”
But Cameron added: “I`m boxing on the same night as Katie and Amanda, where I need to perform to show everyone I`m the best in the 140lbs division.”
Murray Blackwood