Chantelle Cameron vs. Katie Taylor 2: Big Fight Preview & Prediction

Chantelle Cameron vs. Katie Taylor 2: Big Fight Preview & Prediction

After ten relentlessly brilliant and absorbing rounds back in May, I was in no doubt that Chantelle Cameron had done more than enough to become the first fighter to defeat Katie Taylor as a professional. But I had a lot of doubt that she would get her hand raised in victory. Even though Cameron had seemingly cemented her victory beyond any reasonable doubt, the way boxing often plays, lingering doubt still remained.

The fight was billed as the big homecoming for the Irish superstar. There was plenty of emotion and bias in the Dublin air. 10,000 screaming fans baying for the perfect fairytale ending. The three with the mighty pen could easily have been influenced, but thankfully, Cameron got her justice. Just. One judge worryingly couldn’t separate the two class acts. But you sense that Cameron will have to be even more dominant on Saturday night if history is to be repeated. I still get the feeling that Cameron is that unwanted visitor, the outsider that too many people with the fairytale story still in hand and Croke Park in mind, would prefer her to lose.

There does seem to be a lot more spite in the air for the rematch. A real edge to the fight that wasn’t there in May, especially from the Cameron camp. There was that feeling of disrespect last May. It was the Katie Taylor show, the long-awaited homecoming party for the Irish superstar. But while much of it was understandable and in some ways, acceptable, it was still incredibly disrespectful to Cameron who was, after all, the undisputed light-welterweight champion of the world and was the fighter putting her belts on the line and not Taylor. Cameron had to ring walk first and was then kept waiting for around ten minutes while Taylor did that almost angelic entrance. Make no mistake, Cameron deserved better, in many ways.

Despite the early protests after the first fight that Cameron wanted neutral ground and Taylor’s undisputed lightweight baubles on the line for the return meeting, the Northampton fighter will head back to Dublin with everything more or less the same as it was before. But if she repeats what she did in May, Cameron will be the one who will be calling the shots going forward. A win opens many more doors for her. But repeating that famous victory will be anything but easy. I expect Taylor to be better. Cameron will need to raise her game again also. She made a statement last time, and this time, she will probably have to make a bigger one.

In their classic first encounter, it was Cameron who got out of the blocks the quicker. With Taylor coming on strong and having the better second half of the contest. Those early rounds will be key again, I feel. If Taylor gets in front early, she will be incredibly difficult to catch. But Cameron, despite her win and the manner of it, still felt that she could have done more, especially in the closing rounds. If she starts as fast again, Cameron might even win with a far greater degree of comfort than last time. Could she even do the unthinkable and stop Taylor?

In the first fight, I had fleeting thoughts that she just might get a win inside the distance when Cameron was bullying Taylor so effectively in those early rounds. But Taylor is as good as any boxer in the sport at managing a fight. She seems to pull out rounds when she is seemingly on the brink of defeat. She always seems to find a way to win. With the obvious exception, of course.

Both fighters have poured cold water on what they served up in May. Both feel they can improve immensely from their last performances. But in simple terms, Taylor needs to start better. Cameron needs to finish better. Victory surely hinges on that simplicity.

Both say they will be improved fighters from the last fight. They will almost certainly have to be. The winner will likely be decided on who can improve the most from the first fight.

Katie Taylor has stripped back many things for the rematch. The media obligations are fewer and don’t expect the walk to the ring to match what we got in May. The length and the emotions from the extended ring walk last time seemed to drain energy and focus from Taylor. This will be a completely different Taylor from May. Reports from her training camp tell a story that Taylor is looking sharp and more focused, and she has said that her preparations are a lot better than they were for the first fight.

But reports of her decline have been doing the rounds since 2019. The hard and ageing fights with Delfine Persoon, Natasha Jonas, Amanda Serrano, and her fight with Cameron all would have taken a little bit more of the prime away from her. You can certainly make a case that her rivals have simply just caught her up. But equally, at 37, Taylor has undoubtedly slipped enough to make her a little more vulnerable. And beatable.

Taylor has been a true trailblazer in her sport. She is probably the most important fighter in women’s boxing history. Virtually every female fighter owes her plenty. Maybe everything. History will be beyond kind to her. But while you can never totally rule out one last great performance, and you have to remember that there wasn’t much in it in May, at least on the scorecards, the evidence seems to indicate that her best days are now behind her.

Cameron at 32 is younger, fresher, and bigger and is the fighter at her peak, Taylor is the one who is perceived to be past hers. Cameron might even have not reached her peak yet. The win in May and the extra confidence it will undoubtedly bring might even add another level or two to her performance in the rematch on Saturday night. The reports from the Cameron inner circle say that she has been flying in training, and two fighters in and around her camp have told me that they not only believe Cameron will win. But that she will do so by stoppage. If those training camp reports are accurate, Taylor could be in for an extremely hard night. Cameron claims she had a torn tricep last time. This time, she is injury-free.

I still sense that Cameron feels she has a point to prove. Even that memorable and impressive victory over Taylor didn’t really get her the credit it deserved. The narrative around what Taylor didn’t do failed to tell the story of what Cameron did do. While we might very well see a different Katie Taylor at the 3Arena on Saturday night. I believe we will see a completely different Chantelle Cameron this time also. It might just be a case that whatever Taylor does or tries to do, Cameron will have an answer for her. I fancied Cameron strongly in May, and I see no obvious reason to change my viewpoint the second time around.

Taylor will look to start fast and almost certainly try to box more than she did in May and try to make it her type of fight against her bigger opponent. But Taylor always gets drawn into a fight, certainly in recent times. It nearly cost her against Serrano in New York last year. It could be that incredible fighting spirit just takes over, but I just wonder if the body just doesn’t allow her to do what the mind would prefer.

I believe Cameron will know the importance of those early rounds and will look to use her greater physicality even more than she did in May. This time, Cameron will come with bad intentions and look to hurt Taylor from the early stages.

The incredibly passionate Irish faithful will roar their hero on all night long, and while a revenge victory for Taylor wouldn’t completely surprise me, I just think Cameron has her number. I did think in the early stages of their first meeting that Cameron might even stop Taylor. But the undisputed lightweight champion showed her class in making the fight a whole lot closer at the end than it was at the start. If Cameron really is in the mood to inflict damage on Taylor, then that stoppage may come this time. The fight will not disappointment and could even top their epic first encounter.

Taylor will not go easily, but the safe pick is Cameron to repeat what she did in May, almost certainly on points again. The hope is that the judges are not what we are not talking about on Sunday morning. Cameron might need a career-best performance to win. But it might also have to come with a little slice of luck. She got fairness in May. Cameron will hope it comes her way once again.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing