Why Chantelle Cameron is Taylor’s Toughest Test to Date
Katie Taylor will fight in Ireland for the first time as a professional when she faces Chantelle Cameron for the WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO light-welterweight titles. It is set to be a huge occasion for Irish boxing at the 3Arena In Dublin on the 20th of May.
Taylor was initially scheduled to meet Amanda Serrano for the second time in her career, but the Puerto Rican was forced to pull out of the event due to injury. That led to the Irish boxer challenging Cameron, who accepted the offer. Here is a look at why this fight will be the toughest of Taylor’s career so far.
Stepping Back Up in Weight
Taylor will need to step up in weight for this fight, as she will be going from the lightweight division to light welterweight. She has fought in this division before, as she beat Christina Linardatou over 12 rounds. Cameron represents a much tougher opponent than Linardatou did.
With 21 victories at lightweight, Taylor has proved she is the most dominant female boxer in that division. Jumping up weight is something that has caused many great boxers problems over the years, most notably Canelo Alvarez, who was beaten by Dmitry Bivol when climbing up to light heavyweight in 2022.
Since winning her first world title in October 2020, Cameron has had four successful defences. She added the IBF belt to her waist when she got the better of Mary McGee, while the WBA and WBO crowns went her way when she defeated Jessica McCaskill last November.
Taylor Began Training Camp Preparing for Serrano
The undisputed lightweight champion began the year preparing for Serrano in what was set to be the second time she was to fight her rival. The pair were involved in one of the best female contests in history in 2022, with Taylor controversially awarded the result. After the reaction to that outcome, the Irish woman was desperate to fight Serrano again to replicate that success.
Despite the change in opponent, Taylor is the odds-on favourite at 2/5 in the outright markets, for those who bet on boxing, for this contest. Cameron is the underdog at 7/4, however, those odds are much shorter than a lot of Taylor’s opponents have been in the betting in her career.
Pressure On Home Fighter
Given how this fight has been promoted as ‘Taylor’s Homecoming’, there will be a lot of pressure on her shoulders to put on a big performance in front of the Irish crowd. The former Olympic champion has shown in the past that she handles pressure well, but this is a new challenge.
Tickets sold very fast for this event as many boxing fans in Ireland were desperate to secure their seat at the event. Although Taylor is not defending any of her lightweight titles, she is putting her unbeaten record on the line. Defeat could also impact her pound-for-pound ranking in women’s boxing.
Should Taylor defeat Cameron, she then may have a tough decision to make with regard to her future, as she will have proved she can have success at light welterweight.
