Chantelle Cameron withstood the immense pressure bearing down on her, and the formidable challenge of Katie Taylor and her fevered supporters, to retain her undisputed world super-lightweight titles on a majority decision late on Saturday night in a fraught atmosphere in Dublin. Her narrow victory on points over the valiant Taylor secured Cameron the sweetest win of her career by scores of 96-94 twice, with the third official unable to separate them as he scored it a 95-95 draw.
It was the first time that Taylor had fought in her home country and, even with 10,000 people roaring her on, she could not quite contain the power and aggression of Cameron. It was still a magnificent contest which left the capacity crowd stunned and silent. They roused themselves to boo Cameron at the end – which was grossly unfair as both women had shown immense courage and skill.
Unlike the usual fight promotion, the 3Arena was crammed and jumping two hours before the main event as the capacity crowd celebrated the return of big-time boxing to Ireland for the first time since early 2016. It was very different in Taylor’s hushed dressing room. While having her hands wrapped before she made her ring walk, she looked serene. Taylor wore a grey T-shirt which promised that “It is God who arms me with strength.”
Even though Cameron was the defending champion, the near deification of Taylor in Ireland meant that the 32-year-old woman from Northampton walked first to the ring to a cacophony of boos. Taylor savoured and soaked up her own euphoric and moving reception. She was home at last. Her face was shining, with sweat and a kind of rapture, as she looked around the arena. Cameron prowled in her corner, swinging her arms and shadow boxing in an attempt to lessen the tension coursing through her as she waited for the moment when she could be alone with Taylor between the ropes.
The introductions seemed interminable as the fighters, both wearing black trimmed with gold, looked at each other from their opposite corners. But Cameron, notably, seemed purposeful and ready, as if her lonely place in the house of Katie Taylor could not deter her.
Cameron was aggressive at the outset, pushing Taylor back and landing some solid blows. But Taylor responded with a few sharp combinations in a competitive and absorbing opening round. Taylor moved with alacrity in the second, making Cameron miss but the champion was full of intent as she powered forward.
The third began with Cameron again looking to bully Taylor but the Irish woman moved and punched with fluidity. Between rounds, Taylor chose to stand in her corner rather than seek the refuge of the stool. Cameron’s ambition remained undented and the danger she posed to Taylor was clear in round four as her percussive punching intensified. For the first time in the fight the older women from Bray looked a little ragged, her hair streaked with sweat and looking unkempt amid the pressure from Cameron.
In the fifth Cameron pinned Taylor briefly against the ropes as she threw punches from a variety of angles, sinking painful combinations to the body. But the round ended with an overhand right and a left hook from Taylor which elicited a huge roar from the home crowd. But at the halfway stage it was obvious that Taylor would need to dig deep to stem the surging tide of Cameron.
The Englishwoman nailed her with a hard left which rocked back Taylor’s head. But in the centre of the ring they began to trade with heavy, unrelenting pressure. The dogfight, which Taylor can seldom resist, bit hard as the two women hurt each other in seesawing exchanges which took its toll on both of them. Taylor still refused to sit down at the end of the sixth.
It was desperately close in round seven with Cameron shading it as she finished strongly. Her left hook to the body kept hurting Taylor. Cameron’s strength and determination seemed unflagging as the fight continued but near the end of the eighth Taylor’s blurring fists rocked Cameron – whose face had begun to swell and mark up.
The will of both women was tested; but their mutual desire and pride elevated boxing on a memorable night. In the penultimate round Cameron went to the body again only for Taylor to match her for ferocity. But Cameron was marginally ahead. The crowd were on their feet as the tenth and final round began. The action was fierce and remorseless but Cameron had done just enough to snatch the decision.
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Women’s boxing, even at this elite level of competition, consists of 10 two-minute rounds – compared with 12 three-minute rounds for men over world championship distance. It means that the action is unrelenting, with a frenetic intensity, and explains why the best female fighters have captured so much attention in recent years. Taylor brings vast experience but, when it mattered most, it seemed as if her age and the wear and tear of the ring had finally snared her. Cameron is not known for her punch power but, against Taylor, her determination to deliver victory drove her to fresh heights.
Taylor is a quiet and understated woman, who savours her privacy despite the veneration heaped upon her in Ireland, but she had been determined to make her return home an unforgettable occasion. She had called out Cameron on Twitter, in a very unusual move for Taylor, but her audacity was her undoing. Taylor’s first defeat as a professional, after 22 straight victories, will feel devastating. She remains the most cherished sporting personality in Ireland but, as she turns 37 in early July, the end of her glorious career now looms.
Even Katie Taylor cannot deny the march of time and so, amid tears and anguish, her belated homecoming resulted in painful yet noble defeat. She is eager for a justified rematch but, for Chantelle Cameron, the euphoria will be as sustained as it is narrowly deserved.
“Congratulations to Chantelle and thank you for this opportunity. I’m looking forward to the rematch,” Taylor said afterwards. “I wasn’t surprised how fast she was. I expected everything that came my way but I just came up short tonight. I knew it was a close fight, every round was close but this is boxing.”
Cameron told Dazn she was “petrified” about the final result. “I’ve seen results go the other way in the past. It was a close fight and Katie is a great boxer, pound-for-pound the best. My strength is putting the pressure on. I don’t mind getting hit so my corner let me off the leash.
The promoter Eddie Hearn claimed that there will be a second fight. “I want to congratulate Katie and Chantelle for showing us what boxing is all about,” he said.
“It was a fight that could have gone either way but I think the result was right. There is a rematch clause and we want to do it again in the autumn. There’s only one thing on Katie’s mind and that is a rematch.”
