Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron: Official Press Conference Reaction
“Big time boxing is coming back to Ireland!” - Katie Taylor delighted to secure long-awaited homecoming fight against Chantelle Cameron on May 20 in Dublin
By Niall O'Connell
On Saturday, May 20th, a slice of Irish sporting history will be made when amateur superstar and two-division world champion Katie Taylor [22-0, 6 KO’s] will fight for the first time in her homeland against Undisputed light welterweight champion Chantelle Cameron [17-0, 8 KO’s] at the 3 Arena in Dublin. The fight will be broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN in Ireland, the United Kingdom & the United States.
The slot was originally due to be filled by the eagerly anticipated rematch between Taylor and her Puerto Rican foe Amanda Serrano following their incredible headline encounter in Madison Square Garden last year, however an injury to Serrano forced a postponement, and the fan-favourite Taylor now has the opportunity to truly cement her status as the greatest fighter Ireland has ever seen by becoming an Undisputed champion in a second weight division.
The pair came face to face for the first time at a press conference in Dublin this afternoon, and both competitors shared their thoughts on their upcoming battle for all the marbles at 140lbs.
“It is, for me, one of the best fights not just in female boxing, but in boxing overall,” said Matchroom Chairman and Promoter Eddie Hearn.
“People in boxing have always said how good this fight is…It’s about legacy. It’s about becoming a two-division Undisputed champion [for Katie] and for Chantelle it’s about the biggest fight in women’s boxing.”
The former Olympic and multiple time world championship gold medalist Taylor shared her excitement at finally securing her eagerly anticipated homecoming occasion.
“Its incredible that after 22 fights I’m finally getting my homecoming fight.
said the Irish fighter.
"Big time boxing is coming back to Ireland, and it's not just coming back with any ordinary fight. It's coming back with two Undisputed champions going head to head together."
Taylors choice to fight such a quality opponent, above her weight class as a replacement, instead of biding her time and waiting for the Serrano rematch later in the year has earned the Bray native massive praise from boxing fans worldwide, however Taylor was confident that she was not going to take any easy road.
"Once I heard Serrano was out, I automatically thought that Chantelle was the obvious choice." she proclaimed.
"I don't understand why people are saying I didn't want this fight. One thing that has always marked my career is that I've always wanted the hardest fights… This fight is happening because I wanted it. We could have went the easy route and chosen an easier opponent, but that's not how I operate."
In a career flooded with the most prestigious of accolades across the entire globe, Taylor summed up the magnitude of this occasion when she gets to make that walk to battle in front of nearly ten thousand of her own adoring fans on May 20th.
“This will be the biggest night of my career.” promised Taylor.
This fight will mark a very rare occasion where Taylor is entering the ring as a challenger, and the reigning, Undisputed champion Chantelle Cameron is supremely confident she can break Irish hearts and fly back across the water to the UK still holding on to her straps.
"I believe I'll win." said a composed Cameron.
"Katie is the pound for pound best women's boxer there is, and for me to have that challenge to box Katie and get the win, then I can feel like I can walk away from boxing one day and think 'I've done it, I've taken out the best there is'."
Cameron, and her trainer Jamie Moore also addressed how they plan to deal with what is sure to be an incredibly raucous and partisan Irish crowd come fight night.
"I’m hungry, I’m motivated and at the end of the day when the bell rings it’s just me and Katie, so I’ve got to do my job.”
Jamie Moore added “You can’t beat the Irish fans. They’re phenomenal. We know we’re going to be going into hostile territory, but I’ve never seen anybody as focused as Chantelle Cameron…I firmly believe she’ll come out on top.”
Someones ‘0’ has got to go!
