Chantelle Cameron doesn’t have a problem with Eddie Hearn playing favorites.
This Saturday in Dublin, Cameron faces Katie Taylor in a rematch of their May fight where Cameron won a majority decision, successfully defending her light-welterweight titles and handing Taylor her first career loss. Hearn, the chairman of Matchroom Sport, is the promoter of both women and while he has tried to stay neutral, Cameron says she knows he favors Taylor and that she’s okay with that.
“Katie’s his golden girl,” Cameron said this week on The MMA Hour. “I know that and it doesn’t bother me. At the end of the day, it’s business, isn’t it? That’s his golden girl and he’s rooting for Katie to win. But at the end of the day, what I do is I come along and I upset people. I break hearts. That’s just what I’m doing. [Laughs.]”
Taylor is one of the biggest stars in women’s boxing and is credited with raising the profile of the sport globally. Even Cameron acknowledges that Taylor’s illustrious career has earned her some extra perks, but the circumstances do seem to paint a picture of favoritism as, despite winning their first encounter, Cameron is still traveling to Taylor’s backyard for the rematch, and does not have a rematch clause in her contract. Given that, Cameron knows how important a win is on Saturday, and she believes she’s made the appropriate adjustments from the first fight so she can deliver a more definitive victory.
“I just need to calm down a little bit,” Cameron said. “Before, I was a little erratic… I was just throwing punches. I want to be spiteful. I want to sit down and I want to make my punches count, because I know that she burgles rounds. I knew that I couldn’t leave it to the judges to sway towards her, because it’s going to sway towards Katie anyway. Because of Katie Taylor the name, the Homecoming, she’s such a star. So everything felt erratic and rushed. I need to just slow my mind down and let my hands do the business.”
And when it’s over, what comes next? Well, Cameron won’t say.
“I’m just going to focus on getting that win on Saturday,” Cameron said. “Making sure that I beat Katie Taylor again, and then I can see what doors open for me. For me, it’s be focused on Saturday. If I start thinking about what’s next, it’s distracting, and it’s kind of disrespectful to Katie Taylor as well because she’s a fantastic boxer and I want to make sure I’m fully focused, fully zoned in.”
Cameron vs. Taylor 2 takes place Saturday night at the 3Arena in Dublin.
