Katie Taylor makes her long-awaited homecoming against Chantelle Cameron in an undisputed champion v undisputed champion clash in Dublin. Our boxing expert Chris Oliver delivers his verdict.
Boxing betting tips: Taylor v Cameron
1pt Chantelle Cameron to win by decision at 5/2 (bet35, Coral)
Boxing fans are in for a treat in Dublin, where Katie Taylor makes her long-awaited homecoming and finally fights in Ireland for the first time in the paid ranks against Chantelle Cameron.
Since ditching the vest and head guard, Taylor (22-0) has led the huge rise in popularity of the women’s game and the 2012 Olympic champion is already a sporting legend in Ireland. It’s hard to believe that she has yet to fight in her homeland as a professional and the atmosphere at the 3Arena will be electric.
Taylor could have fought anybody and generated the same amount of interest for this first outing on home soil, so it is a surprise that she has chosen such a tough assignment in Cameron. The Northampton native (17-0) has cleaned up at super lightweight and completed the set of world title belts when boxing beautifully to outpoint welterweight champion Jessica McCaskill in November.
So, with Taylor holding all the belts at lightweight, this is undisputed champion versus undisputed champion, undefeated against undefeated and it kind of feels too good to be true.
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Given her wealth of experience and impressive CV, Taylor has to be favourite, and she is a best price of 4/7 at the time of writing. It is just over 12 months since her amazing scrap with future hall-of-famer Amanda Serrano in the first all-female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, when the pair put on a brilliant 10 rounds of back-and-forth action which left the sell-out crowd at fever pitch on a real landmark night for the female sport.
Taylor had success in the early rounds with her speed and movement and showed great heart to close the show in fine style, but she endured a torrid time in the middle of the fight and came very close to being stopped in a brutally one-sided fifth round. The outcome could have gone either way at the final bell, but Taylor got the nod from the judges to maintain her perfect record.
Taylor v Cameron: Big-fight details
- Date and venue: Saturday May 20 at the 3Arena in Dublin
- Main event ringwalks (approx): 2200 BST (undercard begins at 1800 BST)
- Belts: Cameron's WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring light-welterweight titles
- TV Channel: DAZN 1 HD (Sky channel 429) and also DAZN's streaming services. Monthly subscription packages start at £9.99.
- Sky Bet odds: Taylor 1/2, Cameron 13/8
It was Serrano who was stepping up in weight on that occasion, but this time is it Taylor who is moving up as she goes to Cameron’s division of 140lb and that could be a factor. Cameron is bigger, stronger and holds a decent reach advantage, all of which are attributes she can make good use of with her high work rate and constant pressure. We saw Taylor struggle with the relentless, come-forward style of Delfine Persoon when she was very lucky to get a decision in 2019, and although she did better when winning the return 14 months later, Taylor was again given a very tough night at the office.
That will give confidence to Cameron, who will be looking to press the action from the get-go and has developed into a fine all-round fighter. Happy to box or trade up close, the 13/8 underdog possesses a varied arsenal and boasts a lovely jab. That was evident in her performance against McCaskill, who was beaten much more clearly than the scorecards (96-94 twice, 97-93) would suggest. Conversely, when McCaskill fought Taylor in December 2017, the rugged American gave Taylor all sorts of trouble and deserved better than the wide cards in favour of the Irish hero that night.
It seems Taylor has regularly been looked upon slightly favourably by the judges and that must be a concern for Cameron, especially given the location of the fight. The 8,000-strong crowd will be making a lot of noise every time Taylor moves her hands and with the contest 1/6 to go the distance, the scorecards are highly likely to be needed here. However, we have to assume it will be judged fairly and if that is the case, then Taylor to win by decision is a little too short for my liking at 8/11 in a fight that seems sure to be very close.
The home fighter will be looking to utilise her speed of hand and foot by getting her rapid combinations off before scooting back out of range. It’s easy to envisage her doing so successfully in the early rounds but, as in the Serrano fight, she will have to stand and trade sooner or later and that is when Cameron can really come into the contest. Whereas Serrano tired late on and allowed Taylor the time and space she needed to stage a late rally, I don’t envisage Cameron taking her foot off the gas and her physical presence could become a real problem for the local lady in the second half of the fight.
Taylor would have been very hard to oppose if this fight had taken place two years ago, but she is 36 years old now and the Serrano war was the type that puts miles on the clock, especially when in the twilight of your career. On the other hand, Cameron has made great strides forward in recent years and still appears to be improving.
Taylor may well build up enough of an early lead for the late charge of Cameron to not be enough, but the value for that is thin on the ground and the price for the latter to nick a decision is too big to pass up at 5/2. Either way, this looks sure to be a fan-friendly contest and one fitting of such a big occasion.
Taylor v Cameron: Full fight card
Subject to change. Undercard begins at around 1830 BST
- MAIN EVENT: Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron
WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO, and The Ring light-welterweight titles - Dennis Hogan vs JJ Metcalf
IBO super-welterweight titles - Terri Harper vs Cecilia Braekhus
WBA super-welterweight titles - Gary Cully vs Jose Felix
- Caoimhin Agyarko vs Grant Dennis
- Thomas Carty vs Jay McFarlane
- Maisey Rose Courtney vs Kate Radomska
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Posted at 1230 BST on 19/05/23
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