| Chantelle Cameron v Katie Taylor 2 | |
|---|---|
| Venue: 3Arena, Dublin Date: Saturday, 25 November | |
| Coverage: Radio commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live from 22:00 GMT; live text coverage on the BBC Sport website & app from 21:00 GMT. |
Katie Taylor has never been the underdog in her professional career. She has never walked into the ring first as the challenger. She has never been counted out by so many before the first bell.
But when she steps in the ring with Chantelle Cameron for the second time on Saturday that will all change.
Six months ago, only a handful of people picked England’s Cameron to beat Taylor at home. This week, it has been hard to find anyone who is backing the Irishwoman for the light-welterweight rematch at Dublin’s 3Arena.
“As much as I hate to say it, I would probably go with Cameron on points, but I want to be wrong on this one,” says former world champion Andy Lee.
“If she can do it, it’ll be one of the greatest comebacks in boxing – one of the greatest turnarounds in boxing history. It’s not beyond her.”
This week has been a kind of role reversal for both Cameron and Taylor.
In May, defending champion Cameron was eager to do as little media as possible. A nervous energy hung around her, and coaches Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis had pre-planned “buzzwords” to keep her calm in key moments.
She called the whole build-up “terrifying” as Taylor soaked in her long-awaited homecoming, given all the trappings of the champion despite being the challenger.
This week, everything has changed. Taylor is edgy while Cameron is oozing confidence. Taylor has done little to no media this week, leaving the news conference on Thursday immediately after it finished.
At the announcement news conference two months ago, Taylor had a great line – “resurrection is in my DNA” – but this week she has retreated while Cameron has settled into the spotlight.
Cameron has spent her entire career as the outsider; Taylor has been the pound-for-pound great almost since she threw her first punch in the pro ranks.
Northampton’s Cameron now has a different challenge – how will she fare with the expectation on her?
“Katie Taylor called for a rematch and now it’s me stamping my authority and saying ‘no this it, this is the passing of the torch’,” Cameron says.
Taylor would tell you she has always been the underdog. She has built a life around overcoming seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Women’s boxing was forced to exist in the shadows before Taylor came along.
Taylor, 37, has a gift for rising to the occasion. As she explained in September, great fighters do great things.
“I just want to be like one of those fighters who steps in the ring with absolutely anybody,” she said.
“I don’t think I’m foolish, I feel this is what you’ve got to do to be great in this sport.”
Cameron and her team did not want to come back to Dublin. They also wanted the fight at lightweight to challenge for Taylor’s undisputed title. They were open to doing it over 12 three-minute rounds.
They were made to settle for all the champion treatment they were not afforded last time.
Cameron wants a “dominant” performance, so she can move on to securing her own legacy.
In a remarkable 12 months she has made history by becoming England’s first undisputed champion in the four-belt era, beat American legend Jessica McCaskill and become the first fighter to defeat Taylor in seven years as a pro or amateur.
“I want my career to move on to new things,” Cameron said. “I want to do three-minute rounds, I want to challenge other champions in different weight classes.
“I need the win to make sure I get those opportunities. I want my own homecoming.”
Cameron cannot afford dip in performance
Team Cameron are aware her level of performance cannot dip. There will be a perception – at least – that home scorecards will give Taylor an edge in the close rounds.
In May, a seemingly convincing victory over 10 rounds was scored a draw by one judge and 96-94 to Cameron by the two others. A narrow win.
“I just believe no matter which way you flip it, Chantelle’s style is always going to overcome. She’ll make Katie fight at a gear higher than she wants to fight,” Moore says.
“But I just don’t see at 37 how Katie can improve on what she’s done in the past.
“They’re obviously thinking if they can win one more round they’ve got a chance of winning a decision.
“I don’t actually think they can win the fight as such, but I think they think they’ve got a chance of winning if they can make it a little bit closer. Which is not a good thing for me.”
For Taylor, another loss could have a lasting impact on at least part of her legacy, albeit perhaps not a significant one considering the move up in weight and talents of Cameron.
“Brave, foolish, stubborn” was how her promoter Eddie Hearn described her. The Bray native never considered not activating her rematch clause, nor is she thinking about retirement.
A second loss might change all that, but even in defeat Taylor remains the undisputed champion at lightweight and her team still has eyes on a rematch with Amanda Serrano in 2024.
But a win could pave the way for a trilogy with Cameron. Dubliner and heavyweight Thomas Carty has predicted victory for Taylor and a deciding fight at Croke Park on St Patrick’s Day.
Even in a career littered with incredible achievements, a win against Cameron would surely rank as Taylor’s greatest ever moment.
For Cameron, a more convincing victory will surely strengthen her claim to be the world’s best female fighter.
