Chantelle Cameron Reveals Elhem Mekhaled, Now WBC Mandatory For Katie Taylor's 140-pound Crown
Chantelle Cameron (right) sits right on Elhem Mekhaled in their July 20 interim WBC 140-pound title fight in Birmingham, England. Image credit: Getty Images
Chantelle Cameron is back in the sights of her old rival.
The former 140-pound champion won the interim WBC title after defeating Elhem Mekhaled by majority decision. Their 10-point gainer saw one card at 95-95, and was stripped of 99-92 and 98-92 points from Cameron.
With the win, Cameron (19-1, 8 knockouts) is back in contention to challenge Ireland's Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) next year.
The thriller saw Cameron set a furious pace and he stayed at that level throughout the ten rounds. The 33-year-old Brit was credited with throwing 864 punches in just 20 minutes of action.
Mekhaled (17-3, 3 KOs) didn't have his moments, especially late in the fight. He stood up after Cameron briefly stunned him in the fourth round. The two-way exchange was confirmed in the center ring, a crucial moment for Mekhaled who is a 130-pounder. They combined for 43 punches, each putting the fight's marks high on the all-action chart.
Cameron quickly regained control in the fifth round and relied on pure boxing ability and striking volume to get the better of Mekhaled.
Mekhaled came out late but still struggled to keep up with the tireless Cameron. It made for a high-octane tenth and final round, in which the two threw 194 punches.
The loss was Mekhaled's second in four fights. She dropped a decision to Alycia Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs) in their undisputed 130-pound bout on Feb. 4 past New York City.
Cameron wrestled for the first time since a heartbreaking loss to Taylor in their previous bout on Nov. 25 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. It ended his undisputed championship reign, a run that included a road win over Taylor at that venue last May.
Taylor and Cameron are responsible for losing each other's jobs. Saturday's fight could force a trilogy, depending on the outcome of Taylor's scheduled rematch with Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) in November.
Cameron-Mekhaled was broadcast live on ESPN+ in the US and TNT Sports in the UK The fight was part of Queensberry Promotions' latest episode of its 'Magnificent 7' series.
The headliner of the show saw Brad Pauls stop undefeated Nathan Heaney in the 12th and final round of their middleweight rematch.
Pauls (19-1-1, 11 KOs) and Heaney (18-1-1, 5 KOs) squared off to a twelve-round draw on March 16. What followed was less interesting, as Pauls jumped right into his own. country gentleman and sent him twice to the canvas.
The ending sequence of the fight saw Pauls drop Heaney with a series of right hands. A final left hook and an overhand right sent Heaney crashing into the ropes. Referee Michael Alexander counted him out at 0:53 of the 12th round.
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