Irish eyes smile at Chantelle Cameron as she successfully defends her Welterweight title against Katie Taylor

By: Sean Crose

Give this to Katie Taylor, the Irish boxer has no interest in taking on an easy opponent for her homecoming bout on Saturday night in Dublin. Instead, the undisputed, undefeated lightweight champion moved up one division to challenge undisputed lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron in an ambitious quest to become the reigning queen. because of two separate weight classes at the same time.

The first half saw Cameron take the lead while Taylor, as calm as ever, picked a moment to shoot at his opponent. The second half saw Taylor land effectively against the aggressive defending champion. Cameron proved to be the faster and more aggressive of the two boxers in the third round. The fourth highest octane is a give and take with every woman who lands well. Cameron simply overcame the challenger in the fifth round.

Taylor had a much better sixth inning, combining landings and fighting Cameron at close range in a symbolic phone booth. Both fighters landed hard in the fast-paced seventh round. Taylor finished the eighth landing regularly and efficiently. Getting Taylor to tune in at the ninth minute, Cameron took the lead. Taylor played incredibly well, but perhaps not naturally big enough to consistently stay ahead of the defending champion. The tenth and final round saw Taylor look sharp, agile and professional. It proved to be insufficient. The judges ruled in Cameron’s favor with scores of 96-94, 95-95 and 96-94.

“Honestly, I’m not sure,” Taylor said later of the decision. “I will have to look back at the war. It’s obviously very, very close. That’s not how I wanted my trip back home to go, but I’m grateful for all the support.” Taylor insists that she knew joining the war would be brutal. “I expect things to come to me,” she said. “It was a tough fight and 10 grueling rounds. I’m only coming for a little bit tonight, and I’m looking forward to the next time we meet.

Cameron, of course, was delighted. “I was petrified,” the winner said of how the assessment might play out in the opponent’s home country. “I’ve seen it before in boxing. I’m petrified, I won’t get this decision. However, the time to worry is over. “Katie is a great boxer,” Cameron admits, “the best female boxer out there, and I showed up for the occasion.”