By Vince D’Writer: At the age of 15, she participated in the first officially sanctioned female boxing match in Ireland, and twenty-one years later, the undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor returns home as she moves up to super-lightweight to challenge undisputed champion Chantelle Cameron, tonight at 3Arena in Dublin, live on DAZN.
During the course of her legendary pro boxing career, Katie Taylor (22-0, 6 KOs) has never fought a pro bout in Ireland. The majority of her fights have taken place in either New York or the United Kingdom.
Taylor has always dreamed of returning to Ireland to fight in front of her fans, and thanks to Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing, her dream has become a reality. The dream fight for Taylor is set for Saturday night, but it’s not the originally planned version.
Back in April 2022, Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano made history as they became the first female boxers to headline a boxing event at Madison Square Garden. In an exciting back-and-forth battle, Taylor defeated Serrano by way of a split decision.
Nine months later, Amanda Serrano stepped back inside the ring, and she became the undisputed featherweight champion by defeating Erika Cruz. Immediately after the fight, the Taylor-Serrano 2 rematch was announced for May 20th, but unfortunately, three weeks later, Serrano had to withdraw from the bout due to injury.
Instead of canceling the event, a decision to move forward was made, and as a result, Chantelle Cameron became Katie Taylor’s new opponent for her homecoming match. In a matter of weeks, Taylor went from defending her title to gaining the opportunity to become an undisputed champion in a second weight class.
The last time Chantelle Cameron competed inside the squared circle was November 2022, when she defeated Jessica McCaskill by way of unanimous decision. With the victory, Cameron, who came into the bout as the WBC, IBF champ, became an undisputed champion as she added the vacant WBA and WBO titles.
Now Cameron will defend her undisputed crown under the bright lights in Dublin, Ireland, with 10,000 fans in attendance. Cameron is confident she will spoil Katie Taylor’s homecoming because of her size, work rate, and her ability to come forward and apply pressure.
“I’m going to prove to everyone I’m the best female boxer there is, and I’m coming into Katie Taylor’s homecoming, her backyard, and I’m here to win, and I’m here to really beat her up.”
Katie Taylor plans on preventing Chantelle Cameron from spoiling her homecoming by utilizing her tools such as her hand speed, fluid movement, and precise counter-punching. This bout in Dublin is something Taylor always wanted, and at the final presser, she spoke about the significance of the homecoming bout.
“I think one of the things that I wanted to achieve when I first turned pro six years ago was to fight here at home. This is a nation who loves their sport, who loves their boxing, and for a very small nation, we’re good at it as well. It’s amazing to be bringing big-time boxing back to this nation again where it belongs.”
Taylor went on to say, “Two undisputed champions facing off against each other is absolutely huge for the sport, and it has all the makings of another epic fight. I never pick the easiest challenges. I want the biggest test and the biggest challenges. I have the chance to become a two-weight undisputed champion on Saturday evening in front of my home crowd.”
Katie Taylor is already a boxing legend, but on May 20th at 7 p.m. BST/2 p.m. Eastern Time, live on DAZN, Taylor will have the opportunity to take her legendary status to another level if she’s able to defeat Chantelle Cameron and become an undisputed champion simultaneously in two different weight classes.
