As fight fans may have read by now, female boxing star Katie Taylor will not be fighting Chantelle Cameron in a trilogy fight next as Cameron had felt would be the case. Instead, reports say former lightweight champion and current 140 pound champ Taylor will box a rematch with Amanda Serrano, supposedly in Las Vegas in June.
And Cameron, who inflicted the first and only pro defeat on Taylor, but then lost the rematch along with her belts, is hugely disappointed. Speaking with Sky Sports, Cameron, beaten only by Taylor at pro level, says her rival with whom she has unfinished business has “run” from the rubber-match.
“She’s not taking the trilogy. I feel like months have been wasted of my career right now,” Cameron said. “The magnitude for women’s boxing would have been huge. As much as I wanted the trilogy for selfish reasons, for the fact that I want to fight for my belts, it would have been so good for women’s boxing. I accepted the money and that was offered and in my eyes I thought it was a done deal. I was good to go. I accepted less money, had no demands whatsoever.”
It is really quite a shock that warrior Taylor, a fighter who has always looked to take the most meaningful fights for her career, is moving away from the crucial, deciding fight with Cameron, if only temporarily perhaps. Not only were fights one and two great action fights, they were also very close. And fight fans were looking forward to the finale.
Cameron, who says there are “other massive fights out there for me,” wants Taylor and a chance to win back her belts more than anything. As such, she says she doesn’t want to move up to 147 pounds, although she says she could easily do so. Cameron says she will put as much pressure as she can on Taylor to take the third fight. However, what happens if Taylor does fight Serrano next and loses? In light of how close and how tough the April 2022 battle between Taylor and Serrano was, Taylor could indeed lose her next fight. Would a third fight with Cameron still have the same appeal if this happened? You cannot blame Cameron for being disappointed, or for feeling that Taylor “has run” from here and from the third fight.
And plenty of fans will be equally as disappointed. It would be interesting to hear from Taylor, on what she is planning for the future and if she still wants that third fight with the only woman to have beaten her.