It was starting to look as if Katie Taylor would never lose.
The Irish icon has dominated most opponents in her remarkable career. And even in competitive fights, the 2012 Olympic champion always found a way to have her hand raised.
Then she fought Chantelle Cameron on May 20 in Dublin, near Taylor’s hometown of Bray. And, in the end, it was Cameron’s record that remained perfect.
The 32-year-old Englishwoman pressured Taylor, 36, from the opening bell and never let up, ultimately outworking her more celebrated foe to win a majority decision and retain her 140-pound titles in a close fight.
Taylor (22-1, 6 KOs) did a good job of timing her punches as Cameron (18-0, 8 KOs) marched forward but not quite good enough.
The scoring reflected the competitive nature of the fight, 96-94, 96-94 and 95-95, but few argued that Cameron didn’t earn the victory.
It was a extraordinary feat considering what Cameron was up against: arguably the biggest star in women’s boxing who was fighting in her home country for the first time as a professional, which added to Taylor’s motivation and created a hostile environment for Cameron.
Sure, Taylor, the 135-pound champ, moved up in weight to challenge Cameron. But Taylor briefly held a 140-pound title and Cameron fought much of her career as a 135-pounder. It was no physical mismatch.
Make no mistake: Cameron delivered a historic victory.
Taylor has indicated that she intends to exercise the rematch clause in the contract signed by the fighters. Regardless of what might happen in that fight, Cameron can always say with pride that she took down a legend in the legend’s backyard.
She deserves all the credit in the world.
“Katie’s a great fighter, pound-for-pound best woman boxer there is,” Cameron said afterward, “and I turned up for the occasion.”
She certainly did.
[lawrence-related id=37401,37397]