Should Chantelle Cameron Be Next For Katie Taylor?

Should Chantelle Cameron Be Next For Katie Taylor?

The quite remarkable story of Katie Taylor had another incredible chapter added to it on Friday night at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Another pulsating battle with Amanda Serrano was decided by wafer-thin margins. A one-point edge on all three judges scorecards gave Taylor a repeat win over another future Hall of Fame fighter. Their rivalry will undoubtedly go down in history. Their legacy is only enhanced by the twenty rounds that they shared together. Their sport also.

There was the obvious talk of a third dance between Taylor and Serrano. And while nobody would complain too much if they did complete their trilogy, Taylor does have far more appealing future options. Do we really need a rubber match when Taylor currently leads their personal rivalry 2-0? Derek Chisora might disagree, of course. What happens if Serrano gets the verdict in a third fight with Taylor? Do they do a fourth fight? Do they just keep going on a perpetuity basis?

Katie Taylor could quite easily walk away. The multi-million dollar purse she earned against Serrano will be hard to replicate. Impossible even. Taylor also has that extensive and highly impressive resume. In truth, she has little to prove. At 38, Taylor might decide enough is enough and go and live her life in complete solitude. Few would blame her.

But if Taylor does indeed carry on, she has a plethora of potential options open to her. A little bit of the old and the new.

Money obviously dictates everything in boxing, and a third fight with Serrano could quite easily be the most lucrative option for her. The Jake Paul effect is a powerful little dynamic that shouldn’t be completely dismissed. But Serrano could go a different route herself, at least in the short term.

Taylor, who still holds baubles at lightweight, as well as her clean sweep at super-lightweight, is unlikely to go low for her next challenge. Her days of routine defences are surely over. If the Irish superstar does fight on, only the big fights will suffice in many ways.

Caroline Dubois has made no secret of her desire to fight Taylor. But Taylor will almost certainly vacate her WBC lightweight bauble rather than fight Dubois. Even the unbeaten and highly-rated Dubois would probably accept that their paths will never cross.

Natasha Jonas, who lost a close points decision to Taylor in 2021, also has a desire to run it back with Taylor. Joe Gallagher has talked up a fairytale final fight for both. One last dance for Taylor and Jonas. But while that would be a fitting end for the pair, timing does seem to scupper that option in the immediate future. Jonas returns next month in a big unification fight at welterweight against Ivana Habazin in Liverpool. Lauren Price is potentially next for the winner. If Taylor and Jonas are still around towards the end of 2025, then who knows. They had something special in London in 2012. A sentimental swansong would be a good way to say goodbye.

There are fresh possible options in the likes of Alycia Baumgardner and Mikaela Mayer. Baumgardner has wasted little time in calling for a fight with Taylor. Either fight would have much intrigue. Both are outside of where Taylor currently resides in terms of weight. But stranger things have happened. Weights are seemingly less of an issue in the female ranks. A Taylor/Mayer fight, especially you sense, would appeal to the masses.

The three-weight world champion Terri Harper could be in the mix also. A fight with Taylor at super-lightweight could be sold as Harper, the current WBO lightweight champion, trying to become a four-weight champion of the world. An easy sell and Matchroom keeps everything in-house. Trust me, that matters.

But while any of the above would suffice to different levels of acceptability and excitement, surely one fighter stands out in terms of who deserves the next shot at Taylor. A rivalry that is very much unfinished business.

“I want the Katie Taylor trilogy. I want my crack at redemption. So that will always be my main priority. That’s what I want, and it would be a real shame if that third fight never happens.” Chantelle Cameron told me recently.

Taylor and Cameron shared twenty truly magical rounds in Dublin last year. Honours were even. Cameron spoiled the emotional homecoming in that titanic first meeting before Taylor evened the score last November. Two brutal fights that left a thirst for more.

In the immediate aftermath, words were said. There was frustration, resentment and more. But in many ways, Cameron moved on. She left Jamie Moore for Grant Smith in Sheffield. A surprise to many. But the parting of the ways with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom had perhaps been coming for some time. The Northampton fighter hooked up with Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions, and the promotional and trainer switch seems to have revitalised the former undisputed super-lightweight world champion. She called it a complete reset. But by far the most important thing, Cameron is now happy again. And hungry to expand on her already impressive resume.

The move to Warren shouldn’t be a barrier to entry for a third fight with Taylor. If anything, it probably enhances it. The influx of Saudi money has brought the rival promoters together in seemingly perfect working harmony. That relationship with Turki Alalshikh could be the missing link to Cameron getting her cherished third fight with Taylor. A third fight between Taylor and Cameron could make both business and boxing sense. Money shouldn’t be an obstacle you sense. But it takes two to tango.

Of course, Taylor is in a privileged position that she can decide her own future, but with Cameron being the WBC interim champion and the mandatory challenger to Taylor, that could force the Katie Taylor sweepstake in her favour. Timing does also seem to favour Cameron. Her most recent fight, a one-sided points victory over Patricia Berghult in Birmingham, was only two weeks ago. A return around May time for both is likely.

“You can’t force someone to do what they don’t want to do,” says of that possible fight that would close out her trilogy with Taylor. A realistic viewpoint but Cameron will keep chasing nonetheless. She will hope her chase is duly rewarded. For many reasons, it should be.

Photo Credit: Esther Lin/Most Valuable Promotions & Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing