By: Sean Crose
Katie Taylor become the undisputed junior welterweight champion of the world Saturday in her native Ireland by besting reigning champion – and previous Taylor conqueror – Chantelle Cameron in a spectacular fistic display. The 22-1 Taylor aimed to avenge her loss to the 18-0 Cameron, who defeated Taylor via majority decision back in May. Cameron, however, was most distinctly not the type of fighter to simply give away her hard earned titles.
The fight, which was scheduled for ten two minute rounds, began with Taylor employing solid footwork while both she and Cameron fired off effective jabs. Taylor went down in the round, but it was ruled a slip. Both fighters exchanged in the second. Taylor, however, appeared to edge the chapter with sharper punching. The third saw Taylor trying to maintain range while counter punching. The round had it’s blistering moments, to be sure, especially when Taylor threw in spitfire combinations.
A cut on the right hand side of Cameron’s forehead led to the ring doctor giving it a look and giving it an okay before the action resumed at the start of the fourth. Some of Taylor’s flurries didn’t didn’t always land cleanly, but Taylor’s clean shots – which caused the Irish fans to explode into cheers – were telling. With that being said, Cameron’s jabs were well delivered in the fifth. Cameron also did good work cutting off the ring from Taylor in the round.
Taylor looked like she might be getting a bit tired in the sixth. Suffice to say, Cameron delivered a strong round. There was a lot of holding in the high octane seventh. The round, however, ended with the fists of both combatants flying. The eighth was enough for fans to ask exactly how much energy these fighters had in them. The pace was blistering, the heart of each woman extremely impressive. Taylor proved she was still able to engage in high energy bursts in the ninth. Yet Cameron, her face a mask of blood, fought furiously herself.
The tenth and final round saw Taylor maintain range and hold – at least at first. The end of the bout however, transformed in large part into an explosive firefight. Ultimately it was Taylor who got the judge’s nod after the fight had ended. She is now the undisputed champion of the both the lightweight and the junior welterweight divisions, an extraordinary achievement. With that being said, a third fight with Cameron may well be in order.
