Having achieved undisputed glory, Chantelle Cameron feels as if she is now playing with house money. Or at least, there is far less pressure as she approaches her showdown with Mikaela Mayer this Saturday.
The Northampton woman caused a major upset when she dethroned Katie Taylor in 2023, only to experience the devastation of a true competitor after losing their rematch.
This remains the only defeat of her professional career, and despite it coming against an all-time great, Cameron could hardly begin to process the cruel reality of not having her hand raised.
But since then, the two-weight world champion tells Boxing News that she has come to terms with the mantra of ‘whatever happens, happens’, and that anything she achieves from here on out is a bonus.
“If you’re a high-level athlete, losing is the worst thing that can happen. But now I realise that losing isn’t the be all and end all.
“I’m glad I had that loss, because I feel like loads of pressure is off my shoulders. I can just enjoy boxing now, and I think that’s making me a little more dangerous because I’ve got nothing to lose. I’ve already achieved what I wanted to achieve.”
Since losing to Taylor, Cameron has worked with top trainers Grant Smith and Stephen ‘Swifty’ Smith but, eventually, it seemed that absence only made her heart grow fonder.
As a result, she reunited with Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis ahead of her last outing, a unanimous decision victory over Michaela Kotaskova in April, and has now permanently based herself in Manchester.
“I’m so much happier. I’ve actually got a house up here now, so I feel way more settled. And I just love Jamie and Nigel; they’re like my family.
“Boxing’s more than just fighting. Because it’s such a hard sport, you want to be around people you love, and that’s something I learned after leaving Jamie and Nigel.
“It’s not all about becoming a better boxer technically, physically and emotionally – you want to be doing it with people that you genuinely love the bones of.”
With Moore and Travis back in her corner, Cameron claimed the WBO welterweight strap in her first contest over 10 three-minute rounds.
The 35-year-old was therefore keen to face Mayer over the same scheduled distance, having gained a firm idea of how to pace herself during the longer rounds.
With WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman refusing to sanction three-minute round bouts in women’s boxing, though, the pair will instead collide for Mayer’s unified super-welterweight crown over a scheduled 10 twos.
Reflecting on her last performance, Cameron views it as a valuable learning experience to prepare her for future fights.
“I loved it. I was scared of burning out, because obviously I’d never done three-minute rounds and, on fight night, you burn way more energy through nerves and adrenaline. But I’m glad I’ve ticked it off and I will be going back to three-minute rounds after [the Mayer fight].
“That’s why I’m disappointed to not be fighting Mayer over three-minute rounds because, now I’ve done it, I know I can fight at a higher pace.”
While conceding a request of two-minute rounds at the negotiating table, Cameron did manage to successfully push for a catchweight of 148lbs.
Mayer’s WBC, WBO and WBA 154lb titles, however, will nonetheless be up for grabs when they lock horns in Birmingham.
