Ruthless Chantelle Cameron is ready to cast out a “demon” to get her world title

BEING the best at what you do can mean making decisions that won't always make you famous.

Between 2020 and 2022 Chantelle Cameron showed that she has what it takes to reach the top by winning five consecutive world title fights which led to her becoming the undefeated women's super-lightweight champion. Adriana Dos Santos Araujo, Melissa Hernandez, Mary McGee, Victoria Noella Bustos and Jessica McCaskill could not match Cameron whose tenacity and determination supported by high level of skill made “Il Capo” the best in his category and among other jeans.

However, there was one name Cameron wanted on his record – Katie Taylor. In May 2023 the big fight came to Dublin where a crowd of people celebrated the return of the Irish icon and believed that he would dethrone his English opponent to be unopposed in the second weight division. However, it was not appropriate. Cameron took his game to the next level and had all the answers to Taylor's questions about what performance defined the night at the 3Arena.

The rematch clause allowed Taylor to return the champion to the Irish capital where he leveled their rivalry at 1-1 taking with him all the belts Cameron never dreamed of losing.

Cameron then made two decisions that he believed would greatly advance his career. One was unsurprising – parting ways with Matchroom in May – the other – leaving coach Jamie Moore and his right-hand man Nigel Travis came as a shock to many. Cameron chose not to be mean and put himself first when he agreed Debate News he did not treat him well and made it clear that there are two sides to every story.

“I got a lot of backlash when I came out [Jamie Moore],” he said.

“But people don't know the ins and outs. The thing is, I was actually going to leave after a while [second Taylor] fight whether I win or not. I knew I needed something new and I was sick in Manchester (where he was training). I knew I wasn't the same anymore and I didn't enjoy boxing anymore because I was getting what I wanted to get and it was a matter of where am I going from here??”

“It was as if I was not learning. I'm a good boxer, but you can read on. I felt like I had lost my spark. But during my second fight camp – it looks like I'm making excuses, but there are no excuses at all – I knew, my family knew, everyone around me was saying, I think after this it is time for a change because I was just different. I wasn't enjoying it that much. Everyone needs a change.”

“It was a very difficult decision,” he added.

“Everybody was in my head saying, I think you should look elsewhere for a new coach. And obviously, I had a great relationship with Jamie and Nigel. It was about being honest with them. It was like everyone around me was saying, you want to be friends with your coaches and not make the most of your career and look to your future? Or do you want to be an expert and do the best thing in your career? “

“You can't be everyone's friend,” he said.

“It's nice to have a good relationship. But if my career was going nowhere or stagnant, I had to make a business decision. And that's what I did. And it was very sad. It was very sad. But I also have no regrets.

“It was brutal. And it turned out bad. But at the same time, it's my job. Yes, it was a big, big decision. It was worth it and I would do it all again.”

Cameron is now training at Steel City Gym under Grant Smith who has built a stable full of talent and champions. And on Saturday night (July 20) he makes his debut for Queensberry Promotions, who he signed with in May, in a WBC Interim super-lightweight title fight against France's Elhem Mekhaled. Cameron called it a fresh start and spoke highly of his time training in Sheffield while Smith sharpened his tools.

“It has become very different. It's very different and exciting. It's more one-on-one training that suits me best because I like to learn and I like to make sure that any bad habits start. So one-on-one has been a priority training with Grant Smith, and he makes sure you do everything right as a perfectionist, which I love and it reminds me of my novice trainer.

“So, I enjoyed it a lot, and being in the middle of some big fights in the gym was good for me because it also gave me a hunger and a new look at boxing to be at a high level and I see how the guys in the gym. It also gave me that, wow, I really want to do this now, so I have to go ahead. “

Cameron's career has stagnated since the loss to Taylor and the disappointment of not getting a third fight against his rival has left a bitter taste in his mouth. Anger and frustration have set in. The red mist may have cleared but the long-term goal remains the same and the 33-year-old won't be completely satisfied until he closes the door on the most important chapter in his career.

“I always say that I never look beyond what is in front of me. I always say it, but the fact that it's about Katie Taylor, I make it clear to everyone that there's one reason the trilogy didn't happen and it was because of her.

“He didn't hit me in a satisfactory way, everything was in line with his goals. I want war, but he won't accept it.”

Handling that first lost job wasn't easy for Cameron. His worst fears had come true but he finally realized that one defeat is not the end of the world.

“I don't have any pressure now as I don't have an undefeated record,” he said.

“I'm not afraid of anything now because it's gone. I feel like my mind has changed because I was angry. I feel like I have a bigger point to prove and show everybody that I'm the best 140 shooter and make everybody look and sit and talk about it and know that I'm coming out of the belts again. “

Which is bad news for his next opponent. Mekhaled is a well-rounded 33-year-old with two losses against world-class opposition in Delphine Persoon and Alyica Baumgardner. Cameron has eight months to wait to get back in the ring and it has been a rollercoaster 14 months that has been exciting and frustrating in equal measure but on Saturday night he is determined to unleash hell on Mekhaled.

“You're going to see a demon there because of all that frustration,” Cameron said.

“I'm coming there to make a big, big statement. It's been a long time since I've had to do one of them because it got to the point that no matter what I did, I wasn't getting any respect anyway. So now it's about a new promotion, a new corner team. I am completely different now. I want to make a big statement and let the 140 division know that I will take the belts for them.”