Spike O’Sullivan: Taylor-Cameron was a great occasion but a mismatch — we don’t need a rematch
20 May 2023; Chantelle Cameron, left, and Katie Taylor during their undisputed super lightweight championship fight at the 3Arena in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
My partying days aren’t totally behind me but I was a sensible boy on Saturday night and skedaddled back home to Cork in the small hours.
The drive south gave me plenty of thinking time. The mind was still racing with the buzz and joy, really, of having a big, big boxing night back in Ireland. But the buzz and the dust has to settle and on a night of mixed results for the home fighters — Thomas Carty delivered the fireworks, Gary Cully imploded — it was the woman who made it all happen who took up most of our thoughts.
In the main event someone’s 0 had to go and two of the three judges decided correctly that it was Katie Taylor’s that went and Chantelle Cameron retained her undisputed super lightweight titles. I’ve been asked to take a look at where the fight was won and lost? My first answer was ‘in the 3 Arena’. But the lads asked for a bit more analysis than that, so here goes…
Glancing at my round-by-round notes there are two words that appear together most often — ‘Cameron’ and ‘power’. We wondered if the occasion may get to her but she settled in an instant and made her advantages count early and often.
We knew Katie was moving up and they tipped the scales at identical weights on Friday. But in the 30-odd hours between then and fight time, Cameron had clearly ploughed the weight back on and looked much bigger.
Katie’s best punches of the fight came in the second round with a pair of sharp rights but Cameron dominated the first half. She dominated the exchanges, controlled the inside so well, worked the body, and did it with no nerves. It was clinical stuff. She made it a gruel because that suited her fine.
When Katie’s braids came loose in the fourth I think it said a lot. I don’t have hairstyle issues in the ring myself but as Katie’s hair swung loose it was clearly bothering her. It didn’t do her any favours visually — if your appearance is ragged a judge may decide you’re fighting raggedly.
Katie did what Katie does, showed all of her heart and kept swinging, at times relied on her technique, at times went to war. But ultimately her shots weren’t hurting Cameron as much as Cameron’s hurt her.
We know how desperate Katie was to make her homecoming fight happen this year. When the option of Amanda Serrano fell through, a mistake was made.
This was a mismatch from the very start and as Katie’s manager, Brian Peters should probably have known better. Eddie Hearn controls both fighters so it suited him but it’s clear now this didn’t suit Katie at all. It was the wrong decision for a brave fighter. It actually reminded me of the Canelo Alvarez-Dmitry Bivol fight last year where a better fighter and better boxer just can’t overcome a clear size disadvantage.
The talk immediately was of a rematch but no thanks, we don’t need one. What’s going to be different? Cameron will have even more in her favour and her coaches Jamie Moore and Nigel Travis, who got their tactics spot on, will have more insight to use to their advantage.
I’ve written before that a bit of me wishes Katie would retire but I also know in a fighter’s mind you’ll never allow yourself leave on a loss. The Serrano rematch makes much more sense to me but that too could be a gruelling night.
Whether the rematch is Serrano or Cameron, one thing is certain — I want in on the next card. I watched Dennis Hogan and James Metcalfe fight for the IBO Light Middleweight title and felt very confident that I could handle either winner. In the end that was Metcalfe and I had a word with him after. The message from my side is clear: let’s have a scrap Jamesie lad!
