LIFE has taken Liam Cameron down more paths than most could handle.
The 35-year-old from Sheffield has battled his way back from the depths — a four-year ban that inexplicably exiled him from boxing in 2018 after a positive test for cocaine, a fight against drink and drug addiction, and the heartbreak of losing his 20-year-old stepdaughter, Tiegan, in 2020.
To come through all of it and still be standing, let alone fighting again, is a testament to Cameron, 23-7-1 (10 KOs), himself. In 2023, he resumed his career. Six fights later, he’s boxed live on Channel 5 against Lyndon Arthur, become part of 2024’s unexpected domestic rivalry with Ben Whittaker, signed with Queensberry Promotions, and now, on Saturday, November 1, takes his place in a stacked light-heavyweight triple-header featuring Joshua Buatsi vs Zach Parker, Bradley Rea vs Lyndon Arthur, and Cameron vs Troy Jones, 13-1 (6 KOs).
The turnaround in Cameron’s life has been remarkable — a reset that’s opened new paths outside the ring as well.
“People’s been asking me for a bit to do a YouTube channel,” he tells Boxing News.
This is the first of two new ventures Cameron is pursuing alongside his boxing exploits. The affable Yorkshireman is now the creator of LiamCameronBoxing on YouTube which, as of October 31, has nearly 5,000 subscribers. Videos range from him shopping in a supermarket, sharing his thoughts on upcoming fights, documenting his training camps, and posting updates on his house renovations under the title ‘Doing The House Till It’s Done.’
“I organised it and got builders in and picked all the colours and stuff,” he says.
“I’m thinking I’m a boring guy. What’s there to say? But I just started doing little videos and people love it — I get hundreds of messages.”
From the outside, it looks like Liam Cameron is in a good place and — forgetting the boxing — that’s all the community ever wanted for him, whether he kept boxing or not. His four-year ban for cocaine use was, to be blunt, beyond comprehension and unfair when stacked up against other drug-related misdemeanours before and after.
Cameron is loving life and his healthy lifestyle, which has coincided with spartan-like dedication in camp. His gym work takes place twice a day, every day, and training for the Troy Jones fight has lasted longer than the traditional eight or ten weeks.
“I wanted to change my eating habits of just having a chicken wrap a day, so I’ve got the best dietician and best strength and conditioning coach. To change my body you can’t just do an eight-week camp and expect changes, you need more, so it’s been like five months, so everything’s gone perfect, I’m so happy.”
In a recent interview, Cameron told BN that he looks at fights as if the toughest opponent will be himself. That perhaps coincides with his belief that there’s no point in watching videos of his next opponent — as he didn’t with Lyndon Arthur, who went on to beat “Cannonball” narrowly by split decision in June 2024.
“When you’re sparring people you don’t watch them beforehand. Last time I did it — against Lyndon Arthur — I know his fights [are] on YouTube and there’s one of him knocking him [Braian Suarez] unconscious. So I’m like, why put myself through that? He’s not in there with me, he’s in there with another guy, why do it? No fight’s going to be how you think it’s going to be. I never thought I’d be over ropes in Saudi [against Ben Whittaker], do you know what I mean? You can’t predict it, so I just think I’m not bothered with it now.”
Going back to Cameron vs Cameron being the toughest test out there for him, he bravely admits to having sought a diagnosis for a medical condition which — respectfully — he didn’t want to go into detail about.
“I’ve got ADHD and autism as well. This is why I’ve changed everything. I’ve got help and I don’t eat the same food every day. Now it’s changed where I’m eating treble [the] food, now I’m performing higher and now I’m doing more rounds.”
“It’s helped me because I always knew there’s something different,” he says of the ADHD and autism diagnosis.
“I am full of energy in the morning… it’s so weird to explain. I don’t want to go into detail but I’m just glad I’ve got closure now, because I used to struggle at school big time. Couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t read — I could read a full book and not tell you one thing about it. Just knowing that I was suffering as a young kid and now knowing why.”
Cameron’s two fights with Ben Whittaker put him on the boxing map and presented him with golden opportunities. Going over the ropes with the Olympic medallist was headline news after the ending to their October 2024 contest. Whittaker was ridiculed in the aftermath while Cameron’s reputation soared. The result was a technical draw; however, the rematch was far more conclusive, with Whittaker winning in two rounds — but Cameron and many others believe Howard Foster’s stoppage was, like Fabio Wardley vs Joseph Parker last weekend (which Foster also refereed), too soon.
“In the first Whittaker I believe I was winning and I won that fight. The second fight shit hit [the] fan big time with some personal issues. With the money I was getting, that kept me strong to actually go through with it. I knew if I’d pulled out I wouldn’t have been able to get that money again so I gritted my teeth and bit through it. Regardless if it should have been stopped or not I weren’t in it — I shouldn’t have had that rematch.”
While Cameron’s YouTube channel is not necessarily a calling of choice, helping others could well be. As he alluded to earlier, he receives countless messages from well-wishers but also from people he’s helped. How? Well, Cameron’s story is nothing short of inspirational and has lifted others up from being down, helping them soldier on.
“I don’t know if every boxer is the same but I get hundreds and hundreds a day saying I can’t believe how much you’re helping me,” he tells BN.
“People are telling me ‘I’ve done it, I’ve stopped drinking, I’ve stopped drugs, and that’s because of you Liam.’ But I think are they lying to me? Is this a big wind-up by everyone? But it’s not a wind-up and that were hard to adjust to. I thought everyone was winding me up.”
Post-boxing, could Cameron move into a career focused on helping those in need of inspiration, guidance, and support through their own darkness?
“If I had the opportunity, yeah,” he answers.
“I’d love to open a gym, that’s the dream. I’d love to help people. Before, I wasn’t a good talker, I used to panic like mad, couldn’t speak, hated my own voice, but now I’m alright.”
And whatever happens against Troy Jones and beyond, Liam Cameron being alright is something we all hope continues for the rest of his life.
