Chantelle Cameron: “I have had my lessons, I have made decisions, and I have worked with some great coaches, but I am back where I belong.”  

Chantelle Cameron: “I have had my lessons, I have made decisions, and I have worked with some great coaches, but I am back where I belong.”  

During our latest Zoom interview, two words were uttered often. A recurring theme. So often that not all of them made the cut. The words happy and family were constant. A gentle reminder that both have been missing in the boxing career of Chantelle Cameron of late. Maybe even in life itself.

Cameron has been searching for the missing link. She went on the road. Short stays in Sheffield and Liverpool, before, in many ways, Cameron went back home. The former undisputed super-lightweight champion of the world has returned to familiar ground. A return to the gym where she had her greatest success. Cameron has recently reunited with Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis. Cameron has found what she was looking for.

“To be honest, it wasn’t hard at all; it was quite natural,” Cameron told me over Zoom. “It’s weird how the universe works; it kind of just happened. It wasn’t planned; I genuinely never thought I would be going back to Jamie. I have always had love for them; the best moments of my career have been with Jamie and Nigel. But it’s happened, and I am grateful that it has happened.”

Sometimes in life, you have to leave somewhere to fully appreciate what you already have. Cameron has almost certainly been through that experience. That defeat to Katie Taylor in 2023 left Cameron in a bad place. There is a story to tell about that rematch, and everything leading up to it. Things were said in the aftermath. Decisions made. At a different time, some of her words wouldn’t have come out of her mouth. Some of her decisions might not have been made. But there are no regrets. Only lessons learned.

“I think it is really important in life not to dwell on the negatives. It’s important to look forward and not back. I did miss Jamie and Nigel, but I wouldn’t say I have regrets because that is such a negative mindset. I don’t have regrets because I worked with two great coaches in Grant (Smith) and Stephen (Smith), and I learned a lot from them, but I always missed Jamie and Nigel. I missed them more than just for boxing. Boxing is a sport, and it is easy to go ten rounds with someone. But to have that bond and emotional support, you can’t force that; it has to happen naturally. That was something that was missing for me. That’s what I missed.”

“Since I initially left Jamie and Nigel, I didn’t lose,” Cameron added. “But I have never been genuinely happy. In boxing, you have to be happy. If not, it just becomes a job, and it becomes boring. You then start losing the love for it. It just becomes a payday, and that is something I have always said I didn’t want boxing to be to me. I had started to do that. I missed my chosen family. That’s why I knew I had to come home.”

Cameron signed with Jake Paul and his Most Valuable Promotions last year. After a somewhat frustrating last few years, and in many ways, Cameron is now in the perfect place for the final few chapters of her boxing career. MVP will host their first UK show on April 5th. Cameron will be part of that London card when she moves up to super-welterweight to fight Michaela Kotaskova for the vacant WBO 154-pound bauble. The 34-year-old will also be fighting over three-minute rounds for the first time in her professional career. With training camp already well in progress, Cameron is adjusting her body to the longer duration.

“I won’t be coming in at 154, it’s just building up for three-minute rounds,” Cameron says. “It’s basically conditioning myself for the longer rounds. It’s the first time I have done three-minute rounds as a pro. I want to put on a good performance. I am glad I am doing this with Jamie and Nigel. They know how to not burn me out and not make me hit my peak too soon. I have known them for a long time. I know how well educated they are. Jamie has been there and done it all. Look at some of his fights, and he really does know how to get his fighters ready for a fight.”

“I am keeping my options open; we’ll see what happens,” Cameron said regarding what potentially comes next after her fight on Easter Sunday, which will be screened live on Sky Sports. The stay at 154 could be extremely brief with some very big fights seemingly waiting for her down at welterweight. Mikaela Mayer and Lauren Price hold all the welterweight baubles between them, and Cameron has an interest in fighting both. “They are both big names. I would love to fight either Mikaela or Lauren, but I have to get through April 5th first, before I discuss or even think too much about fighting anybody else.”

Cameron has been starved of the major fights since her defeat to Taylor in Dublin, but the stars are aligning for a return to those big nights. “I think the best years of my career are still ahead of me,” Cameron told me. “I know what I am capable of, but obviously, I need the dance partners to bring that out of me. But to be honest with you, I am just happy to be back with Jamie and Nigel. This is the last bit of my career now. I am 34 now. I have done what I have set out to do in boxing. Everything now is a bonus. It’s about enjoying this last chapter now. I am going to have some fun and enjoy it. Whatever happens, it happens. There is no pressure on my shoulders. I have done what I set out to do in my career, and I think I am in a really good position. Jamie and Nigel are like my biggest supporters. They big me up more than anyone. It’s a fun gym, every single day we have a laugh. I get on with Jamie so well. We speak every day, and I get on well with his wife. I just know we are going to have some good nights again with each other. But the bigger picture is, I am happy again.”

Fighters are complex. In truth, they have to be. People judge what they say and do from a safe distance. But very few know what really goes on behind closed doors. Cameron has spoken with plenty of frustration and no little honesty over the past few years. But in many ways, Cameron is back where she started, and with a desire to finish what the Cameron, Moore, and Travis working relationship started. Home is where the heart is applies here. “I have had my lessons, I have made decisions, and I have worked with some great coaches, but I am back where I belong.”