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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Michael Scully

Chantelle Cameron v Katie Taylor II the biggest fight in women's boxing, claims Eddie Hearn

Chantelle Cameron will consider fighting at lightweight for a lucrative rematch with Katie Taylor - but says another meeting will be on her terms after her victory on Saturday night.

The undisputed super lightweight champion got the better of Taylor in what was the Bray boxer's long-awaited homecoming fight night at the 3 Arena.

Moving up a weight, Taylor struggled to deal with Cameron's superior power over the 10 rounds, with two judges awarding her the victory and the other calling it a draw.

READ MORE: Katie Taylor comes up just short against Chantelle Cameron in Dublin

Afterwards, the Northampton fighter described it as her best ever night in the ring. "Yeah, definitely," she said.

"Katie is a great fighter, a great ambassador for the sport and it was always going to be a tough night.

"It was in Dublin and it was her homecoming - everything was against me, everything was in favour of Katie but it shows what I am about."

Cameron wasn't thrown by the deafening backing in Taylor's favour, or the 36-year-old's extended ring walk.

"Nah, you just seen me all week, I’m cool, calm and collected. That’s what I am. Got my team around me and that’s all I need.

"All it is is just noise, that’s all I kept thinking. It’s just noise. As soon as that bell goes I do what I do every day in the gym. It’s irrelevant. It’s tunnel vision. All day.

"It's just crazy how Katie called me out and now I've beaten her, I feel like I've achieved climbing one mountain (beating Jessica McCaskill) , now I've just climbed another one.

"I always had huge respect for Katie. That was one of my fears going into the ring tonight and Jamie (Moore, her coach) kept saying to me, like, 'no respect, no respect'."

Moore interjected: "Not in a bad way, by the way, just to make sure she was in the right frame of mind."

And Cameron elaborated: "Because for so many people it's so easy to give Katie so much respect for what she's done and I had to go in there and let it go out the window because you can't help but respect her, she's a nice woman, great athlete, great boxer.

"What she has done for women's boxing is unbelievable, so it's very hard not to show that respect. So tonight for me it was about making sure it went out the window and that I won."

Cameron was asked if she would fancy a Taylor rematch, which is something that Taylor immediately called for after Saturday's contest.

"Speak to my team," the 31-year-old smiled. "I went for the undisputed against McCaskill, she didn’t put her belts on the line.

"This time Katie came up in weight and I put my belts on the line. That's two times now - I've beaten two undisputed world champions back to back.

"Tonight, everything was in Katie's favour so speak to my team to see what's next. I’m just going to enjoy this one and see what happens."

Moore said: "If Katie Taylor was already ranked the number one pound for pound, which I believe she was, then if somebody has just beaten her then surely that makes her the best pound for pound.

"Too many times in boxing we don't see rematches because egos get involved or people start asking for too much money.

"That (fight) should be run back, without a doubt, and hopefully it's on our terms this time because I think Chantelle deserves it.

"But without a doubt, Katie Taylor has done so much for the sport in terms of attracting so many girls into the sport, we're only sat here in a way because of Katie Taylor.

"So she deserves the rematch but I think it should be done more on Chantelle's terms."

Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn promotes both boxers and he also believes that a rematch should happen.

Despite Taylor's first defeat in 23 bouts as a pro, he is not ruling out Taylor boxing at Croke Park at some stage.

"Obviously I’ve to speak to Chantelle," Hearn said. "It was an interesting fight and I think Chantelle mentioned something interesting about fighting maybe for Katie’s belt.

"I don’t know what they want to do, if they want Chantelle to become a two division undisputed champion but obviously it’s going to be a massive fight. But tonight belongs to Chantelle Cameron.

"I think a lot of male fighters can learn a lot (from this), if you believe you can win sometimes you can't let the ego get involved.

"Chantelle's come here and never once felt the victim, 'Oh, I've not got this or I've not got that'.

"She went, 'I understand, she's the star and I believe I can beat her, and if I do that I can win'.

"Now she's beaten her. Katie was the challenger tonight, but ironically she may be the champion the next time (she fights) at lightweight.

"Like Jamie said, the biggest fight in women's boxing right now is Chantelle Cameron against Katie Taylor II, basically.

"So we'll find our way. But at the moment she deserves a break, our respect, because I believe she has to call herself the pound for pound number one after that performance, and after beating Jessica McCaskill as well."

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