Ringside Report: Katie Taylor Gets Her Revenge Over Chantelle Cameron

Ringside Report: Katie Taylor Gets Her Revenge Over Chantelle Cameron

Katie Taylor was inspired and produced the fairytale homecoming she was denied in May. Taylor was true to her word when she promised a different version of herself in the rematch. Roared on by her extremely vocal faithful, Taylor was sharper from the get-go and served up a quite remarkable performance to beat Chantelle Cameron and crown herself a two-weight undisputed champion of the world in the process.

Taylor relieved Cameron of her undisputed super-lightweight baubles by way of a majority decision. One judge had it level at 95-95, which was a whole lot closer to reality than the score of 98-92, which one judge somehow rendered. A truly horrific reflection of what most people saw. A third scorecard of 96-94 was a little closer to the truth.

Cameron did a lot of good work that went unrewarded by the judges. But her slow start cost her the fight. Those early rounds were always going to be crucial, and while I thought Cameron was always in it, I had it dead-level after ten more savage brutal rounds at the 3Arena on Saturday night, but the feeling inside the arena was that Taylor had done enough to get her revenge. Cameron probably knew from even the early stages that it wouldn’t be her night. She just needed a little more. But she never stopped trying to swing the fight her way. And some will say she did exactly that. A draw certainly wouldn’t have flattered her. Even the huge cut on her forehead that bloodied her features from the opening segments, didn’t stop Cameron driving forward relentlessly in a fight fought at an insane pace in an insanely patriotic atmosphere.

There were moments when Cameron had seemingly found some real momentum after the good start that Taylor had made. She got her jab going in the 4th, and she started landing her uppercuts with real purpose in the 6th. But while Cameron finished the fight strong as Taylor appeared to be showing the efforts of her good early work, however, the judges saw it differently. I have no issue with Taylor winning, but I wouldn’t have complained too much if it had gone the other way.

Taylor answered back every single time Cameron threatened to surge, and she never allowed her opponent the level of control she had in the first fight. The Taylor camp planned on taking away the Cameron jab. And it worked, at least enough for the fight to go her way.

There were moments when the fight was dimmed slightly by Taylor constantly holding, trying to smother the inside work of Cameron, and reference of the use of her head has been a constant on social media. And did she escape the indignity of a 1st round knockdown? It was a night and an occasion when Cameron was not going to get any favours. In many ways, that was how it played out.

But there was something truly special in the Dublin air. The Irish came to party, and Taylor sent them home happy. At 37, she was considered a fading fighter, but she turned back the clock quite magnificently, and while the fight was slightly lessened by too many indiscretions, Taylor served up a little reminder of what she is capable of. Another little moment in a career of many.

Taylor was gracious in victory, and the words trilogy and Croke Park will give Cameron hope that she will get another go at Taylor. It’s the least that she deserves.

Both deserve credit for two great fights. A third at the mythical Croke Park would be the perfect finishing piece to their story.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing