Chantelle Cameron: “I win by being me. I think I am better in every department.”

Chantelle Cameron: “I win by being me. I think I am better in every department.”

The last time I spoke to Chantelle Cameron, she shared many frustrations. Cameron was a week or so away from a defence of her unified world super-lightweight titles against Victoria Bustos back in May. An undisputed fight with Kali Reis had failed to materialise, and Cameron felt she was kept in the dark about the circumstances surrounding the fight that never was. Reis was dealing with health issues, and with no return in sight, her WBA and WBO titles have now been declared vacant and Cameron will finally get her undisputed fight this weekend at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi against the undisputed world welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill.

Over Zoom, Cameron told me she understands the importance of the fight and how things have changed for her:

“It’s been a massive turnaround for me. Everything happens for a reason. The doors are open for me now and it is up to me to grab that opportunity.”

The fight with Reis was big, but the one with McCaskill is on another level, with a potential golden ticket to the winner. It has been a fight long in the making, but the fight has marinated well. On Saturday night it comes with everything on the line, and with a lot of respect from Cameron who is under no illusions about the size of the task ahead of her. Only Katie Taylor has beaten the American since 2017, the odds slightly favour Cameron, but not by much. The unbeaten WBC and IBF champion is in her element, clearly enjoying and relishing what lies in wait this weekend:

“Me and Jamie Moore have both said that on paper this is a much bigger fight. Me and McCaskill, are paths were always going to cross. It has always been a fight that has been in the background and is a fight I have always been interested in and now it is just around the corner. It is a massive fight and a big opportunity for me. I have got a lot of respect for her. She is very good at what she does. She is tough and what she does works and that is why she is the undisputed champion. And for me, it is the chance to prove I am the best in the 140 division.”

“I need that challenge that will give me that extra push in training. Physically and mentally I know I am in with a really good fighter. This fight will bring the best out of me. It gives me that extra motivation to put the work in otherwise I will get outworked and outpunched. I have really had to push myself for this one. I have loved it, to be honest, I have really thrived off it.”

Even over Zoom, the confidence radiates. Grateful to her promoter Eddie Hearn for the opportunity. Thankful to her team for the meticulous preparation. This is a different Cameron from the one I have spoken to previously. With various game plans ready to unleash, she seems ready for anything her opponent throws at her.

“I win by being me. I think I am better in every department. And that is what I have to do on the night. I’ve got a plan A, B and C. My team has got everything covered. My team have been absolutely amazing and I can’t thank them enough. They have got me prepared in every single possible way. They have really done their homework and I just have to be me and do what I am good at and not let the occasion get to me or get caught up in her fight. If I fight my fight I win.”

There is no rematch clause for this fight. In a sport that rarely does simplicity, this is that reality. The winner moves on to bigger things, the loser, especially if it is Cameron, will face an uncertain future. But there are no worries for the British fighter:

“I’ve got no concerns. If you are confident enough then why would you be concerned. I am confident enough to know that I am going in there to win. If I start thinking about rematch clauses that is showing insecurities. You are just wasting energy worrying about a potential rematch. I have got one job to do, and if I don’t win, it is what it is. I have waited long enough and I am just grateful that I am in this fight. For me it wasn’t about making demands it was about grabbing hold of this opportunity and making sure I go out there and get the win.”

As big as the fight is on Saturday, the winner could be looking at a much bigger fight sometime next year. Katie Taylor looks set to grace Croke Park in 2023, the only real uncertainty is who will her dance partner be. Amanda Serrano is the obvious candidate, but with a win, Cameron could finally get the fight she has always craved if Serrano goes elsewhere. Cameron (16-0) is only focussing on the here and now, but knows what is potentially ahead if she adds a few more baubles to her collection:

“I think it opens a lot more doors for me. Become undisputed and everything changes for you, you have all the belts and everyone wants to fight you then. But it is about me and McCaskill at the minute so I am not going to look to the future.”

Nothing has ever come easy for Cameron. Many times in her career, she has been on the outside looking in. Even winning a world title behind closed doors in 2020 did little to change her fortunes, certainly not on the scale that she would have wanted or imagined. Cameron has always wanted the big fights, there were many times she thought they would never come:

“Even this year I thought these times would never come. Looking back over Christmas time I was thinking my career had stagnated again. I’m not in my twenties no more, I am 31 now and when you are in your thirties you are kind of on the clock and you need to get moving. I was just thinking about the wasted years. People forget with boxing you put a lot on the line, your life is on hold. I am away from home all the time and I am missing out on so much. I train miles away from home, so with these delays to my career I was thinking what am I doing. I don’t want to get to my forties with regrets.”

But that career-defining opportunity has now finally landed. With the win that she is supremely confident about getting, it would change everything for her. Even without that potential dance with Taylor, it gives her options and plenty of them. But undisputed status will guarantee much career satisfaction, but equally, it still won’t satisfy her. Even if Serrano is in the opposite corner at the seemingly inevitable Croke Park homecoming for Taylor, Cameron should have earned the right to face the winner if she inflicts the third career defeat on McCaskill. It would be the least Cameron deserves. Her patience has often been tested, but it could now be rewarded in abundance.