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'I'd be trouble for Katie Taylor' - Chantelle Cameron ready for world title shot after Olympic heartbreak

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Getty Images

Chantelle Cameron entered 2020 with a clear goal: to become an undisputed world champion. A journey that started with Olympic aspirations – and nearly ended with Olympic despair – was reaching its climax.

The Northampton-born boxer dispatched four opponents from four across two weight divisions in 2019, earning the status as WBC mandatory challenger for both lightweight queen Katie Taylor and super-lightweight champion Jessica McCaskill.

The 29-year-old had penned in a warm-up fight in March before a highly-anticipated world title fight later in the year but the coronavirus pandemic has forced Cameron to wait that bit longer for her shot.

After starting her combat career as a kickboxer, Cameron unexpectedly fell in love with boxing and spent years honing her craft with her eyes firmly set on the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

But in missing out on the Games after losing a split decision to Finland’s Mira Potkonen in the preliminaries – a decision Cameron disputes to this day – saw her world came crashing down.

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

“That’s been the biggest blow in my boxing career,” Cameron told Standard Sport. “I hated boxing; it broke me. It shattered my heart. I sacrificed so much to go to the Olympics and I was capable of winning the gold medal.

“Even to this day I say I should have been there. I’d beaten everyone other than Katie Taylor - who I’ve only boxed once in the amateurs. She was obviously beating everyone but anyone underneath I’d beaten as well.

“It was just heartbreaking because I worked so hard and sacrificed eight years of my life. I put in blood, sweat and tears thinking I was going to be there.”

Cameron believes the Olympic judges favour a more traditional, orthodox style and insists she was unfairly penalised for her aggressive approach.

“I feel like it was taken away from me,” she said. I don’t think they liked my style because it’s quite come forward, throw loads of punches."

Such disappointment left Cameron on the verge of retirement, and with boxing consuming her life almost in full until the age of 25, she was entirely lost. But thanks to the persistence of her friends and family – particularly her mother - Cameron was able to bounce back.

“I hated the thought of ever putting on a pair of boxing gloves again,” Cameron revealed. “It was embarrassing to me. I came back from the qualifiers and everyone else had qualified. It was just so disheartening.

“I’d never felt that low. I thought 'what am I living for?' I had no job, no university degree. Nothing. I didn’t know what my next path was. I did my A levels, went straight onto Team GB and was there until I was 25. I was lost.

“No one helps you in that situation when you do leave an elite sport. You’re just left to your own devices. I didn’t go to the doctors or anything, but I was definitely depressed at that point.

“My mum was the main reason I thought I’d have one more shot though. She helped me through when I was in a dark place. She kept telling me not to give up.”

Cameron turned professional in 2017 in a decision that was immediately vindicated. Just putting on a smaller pair of gloves was enough for her to fall back in love with the sport once more.

“[Turning professional] was so refreshing,” she said. “I thought ‘this is why I went through everything I did in the amateurs.’ As soon as I put on a smaller pair of gloves and started training, I realised I was meant for the pro game. I was excited again."

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Cameron made a blistering start to her professional career, claiming the vacant IBO lightweight title within just five fights.

But after such a promising beginning, Cameron announced her split from her promotional outfit Cyclone and trainer Shane McGuigan on social media, citing a variety of issues in camp that were impacting her performance.

“The first four fights my career were great. I was happy, working well with the team. I was delighted. But afterwards I was becoming unhappy again.

“That was the second blip in my career. I was thinking maybe I'm just not meant for this boxing world. Again, I was going to quit. It was becoming a chore; I wasn’t enjoying camp or training and by fight night I was half-hearted.

“Because I got so depressed after the Olympics, my family and I thought I just couldn’t do it again. It’s just not healthy.”

Cameron swiftly acted, however. She signed with MTK Global and found a new trainer in Jamie Moore. Four successful fights later, she hasn’t looked back.

“Boxing doesn’t feel like a job again. It’s just like a hobby. I still have goals but I'm also having fun. Even in the changing room before my fights. If they see me getting nervous, they just start cracking jokes. They look after me really well.

“Before I felt a lot of pressure. I was very tense. But now, I feel like if I lose, I'm still going to be cared about just the same.”

But while Cameron was making swift progress with her new team, sport across the country was forced to take a back-seat, with boxing suspended since March due to the pandemic.

Cameron has utilised her additional free time to help those in need in her hometown of Northampton. As an ambassador for the Maverick Stars Trust, she delivers food to children in need three times a week.

“Maverick Stars Trust are a Manchester-based company and mainly work in big cities but because I'm an ambassador they’ve allowed me to help in Northampton,” Cameron said. “I'm going around giving lunches and dinners to the more vulnerable. Kids that should be getting school lunches but obviously aren’t.

“I love helping my town and it’s been a big eye opener for me. People have been really thankful. I don’t normally get to do community work when I’m in camp. It’s been very rewarding.”

Boxing is now nearing its return, however, with promoter Eddie Hearn looking to stage the first shows back in the garden of Matchroom Sport headquarters.

Cameron can once again get her world title shot back on track, and with mandatory positions in two weight classes, Cameron has increased her options. But ultimately, it's the Katie Taylor fight that she wants.

“I’ve earnt my spot and now it's time for me to get my shot. [Moving up a weight] just gives me more opportunity to win a title. I can't keep waiting on Katie Taylor – I have to make a move myself to get my shot.

“Hopefully the Taylor fight happens [one day]. I’m not putting all my eggs in one basket, but I've made it very clear that I want that fight. That’s my dream fight.

“Stylistically, I’m in my opponent’s faces, I'm non-stop. I'm just relentless. I’d be trouble for Taylor."

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