Chantelle Cameron | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1991-05-14)14 May 1991 (age 33) Northampton, England |
| Other names | Il Capo[3] |
| Statistics | |
| Weight(s) | |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm)[1] |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record[2] | |
| Total fights | 21 |
| Wins | 20 |
| Wins by KO | 8 |
| Losses | 1 |
Medal record | |
| Website | chancam |
Chantelle Cameron (born 14 May 1991) is an Englishprofessional boxer. She is a former world champion in twoweight classes, including the formerundisputedlight-welterweight champion, having held theWBC title between 2020 and 2023; theIBF andRing magazine titles between 2021 and 2023 ; and theWBA andWBO titles between November 2022 and 2023. She previously held theIBO femalelightweight title from 2017 to 2019 and light-welterweight title from 2022 to 2023. She has held the interim WBC female super-lightweight title since 20 July 2024.
As anamateur, she won a silver medal in thelight-welterweight division at the2010 EU Championships inKeszthely, Hungary, and a bronze in the lightweight division at the2011 EU Championships inKatowice, Poland, losing to Ireland'sKatie Taylor in the semi-finals. Cameron would avenge this loss in May 2023, defeating Taylor viamajority decision to retain her undisputed championship.
Chantelle Cameron was born on 14 May 1991, inNorthampton, England.[4] She credits her love forcombat sports to watching films starringJean-Claude Van Damme and television programmeBuffy the Vampire Slayer, stating: "I loved all those fighting films.Kickboxer would have to be my favourite Van Damme film. The fighting in it is unreal. I loved Buffy because of the fight scenes and the fact she was a female role model." Cameron's introduction to combat sports was throughkickboxing at the age of 10 at the Ultimate Sport Kickboxing Association (USKA), moving on toMuay Thai at 16. After a successful amateur career—in which she remained undefeated,[5] winning amateur titles in theIKF andWAKO[6]—she switched to boxing at the age of 18.[7]
Cameron won two English women's national championships; theABA Championships in 2010,[8] and the ABAE Championships in 2015.[9] She reached the quarter-finals of the2010 AIBA World Championships, losing to eventual silver medalist Vera Slugina of Russia.[10] She also won the silver medal at the2010 EU Championships,[11] and a bronze the following year at the2011 EU Championships, losing in the semi-finals to eventual winnerKatie Taylor of Ireland.[12][13]
2010 | ABA Women's National Championships (63.5 kg)
2010 | European Union Women's Championships (64 kg)
2010 | AIBA Women's World Championships (64 kg)
2011 | European Union Women's Championships (60 kg)
2015 | ABAE Women's National Championships (60 kg)
In 2017, Cameron signed a promotional contract withBarry McGuigan's Cyclone Promotions.[15] Under the guidance of Barry's son,Shane McGuigan,[16] she made her professional debut on 26 May 2017, winning a six-roundpoints decision (PTS) against Karina Kopinska at theMotorpoint Arena inCardiff, Wales.[17]
After scoringtechnical knockout (TKO) wins over Bojana Libiszewska and Bilitis Gaucher in July and October respectively,[18][19] Cameron fought Edith Ramos for the vacantIBO Inter-Continental femalesuper-featherweight title on 11 November 2017 at theRoyal Highland Centre inEdinburgh, Scotland, winning via third-round TKO.[20]
A month later on 2 December, Cameron moved up aweight class to fight for her first world title, in her fifth fight, againstViviane Obenauf at theLeicester Arena inLeicester. She won by sixth-round stoppage viacorner retirement (RTD) after Obenauf's corner called off the fight between rounds, capturing theIBO female lightweight title.[21] The first defence of her title came on 3 March 2018, against Myriam Dellal atThe SSE Hydro inGlasgow, Scotland. She successfully retained her title via shutoutunanimous decision (UD) over ten rounds, with all three judges scoring the bout 100–90 in favour of Cameron.[22] She next scored a sixth-round TKO win in June over Natalia Vanesa del Valle Aguirre in a non-title fight,[23] before making a second defence against Jessica Gonzalez on 13 October at theYork Hall inLondon, with the vacantWBC Silver female lightweight title also on the line. Throughout the fight Cameron used footwork and stayed behind thejab, landingstraight right hands anduppercuts on her opponent. Gonzalez was down on the canvas in the first-round, only for referee Ian John Lewis to rule it a slip. The Mexican fighter suffered a cut in the second-round from an accidental clash of heads. In the ninth, Gonzalez was deducted a point forhitting Cameron in the back of the head, while in aclinch, after the referee had called for the fighters to separate. Cameron won via shutout UD with the judges' scorecards reading 100–89, 100–88, and 100–88, retaining her IBO title and capturing the vacant WBC Silver title.[24]
In February 2019, Cameron announced onTwitter she had left Cyclone Promotions and trainer Shane McGuigan,[25] stating, "...they know the distress they have caused me and how isolated they made me feel, humiliated and just deflated, they had no time for a female boxer", as well as citing training issues; "My last fight camp was four weeks and I'm sick of the circumstances of chasing money and it's been seen in my most recent performance (Jessica Gonzalez)".[26] She has since joined up withMTK Global and trainerJamie Moore.[27]
Her first fight under MTK came in April, winning via second-round TKO in a non-title bout against Feriche Mashauri.[28] This was followed by another non-title bout in May, again winning by second-round TKO against Vaida Masiokaite.[29] Following her win over Masiokaite, Cameron relinquished her IBO title, saying, "I wish to thank the IBO for their support and introducing me to the world stage as a major force in women's boxing. I will relinquish my IBO title to enable other female fighters to fight for this important title and to enhance their careers as well."[30]
Her next fight was againstAnisha Basheel in a WBC lightweight final eliminator on 20 July at the Brentwood Centre inEssex, England. Cameron's WBC Silver title was on the line with the winner gaining a chance to faceWBA,WBC,IBF,WBO, andThe Ring championKatie Taylor for theundisputed female lightweight title.[31] In a fight that outlets described as a dominant performance,[32][33][34][35] Cameron scored a UD victory. Keeping behind the jab for the first few rounds, Basheel appeared to have trouble figuring out the former champion. Cameron stepped up the pressure from round five and onwards, unloading power punches in combinations and landing at will, rarely troubled by her opponent.[36] Two judges scored the bout 100–89, while the third scored it 100–90,[37] securing Cameron amandatory shot at Katie Taylor.[35]
For her next fight, Cameron moved up another weight class to face former three-weight world championAnahí Ester Sánchez. Cameron said on the decision to move up in weight, "I am not waiting around for Katie Taylor. That's why I have moved up in weight for this final eliminator, because I want to face any world champion."[38] The fight took place on 9 November 2019 at the York Hall, in what was a WBClight-welterweight final eliminator, with the winner earning a chance to faceunifiedWBA andWBC championJessica McCaskill.[39] After knocking Sanchez down in the ninth-round,[40] Cameron went on to win the fight by UD to claim the WBC mandatory position in a second weight class. Two judges scored the bout 100–89 while the third scored it 99–90.[41]
It was announced in July 2020 that Cameron signed a multi-fight promotional contract withEddie Hearn'sMatchroom Sport.[42]
In early September 2020, it was revealed that the WBC had approved Cameron to face2012 Olympic bronze medalistAdriana Araújo for the WBC female light-welterweight title, which McCaskill relinquished in order to defeatCecilia Brækhus to become theundisputed female welterweight champion.[43] On 15 September, Cameron's new promoter, Eddie Hearn, announced that the bout will take place on 4 October, with a venue yet to be announced.[44] Cameron said of the match up, "This chance I've been given is huge, I've finally got the platform to make myself a star. I won't take my opportunity for granted and will be taking every precaution to ensure I use this chance to shine. I want to make my dreams come true to unify and become a world champion with all of the belts, not just one."[45]
With theMarshall Arena inMilton Keynes being chosen as the venue, Araújo failed to make weight at the pre-fight weigh-in—weighing 5 pounds (2.3 kg) over the 10 stone (64 kg) light-welterweight limit—meaning the vacant title would only be on the line for Cameron.[46] After staying behind the jab and following up with combination punches for ten rounds, with Araújo offering little resistance, Cameron won by a shutout UD in what outlets described as a dominant win.[47][48][49] All three judges scored the bout 100–90 to award Cameron her first major world title.[50]
In January 2021, it was announced that Cameron would make the first defence of her WBC title against former world championMelissa Hernández, with the bout scheduled to take place on 20 March as part of the undercard forLawrence Okolie's world title fight againstKrzysztof Głowacki at a venue yet to be named.[51] After Cameron suffered a hand injury during training,[52] the bout was rescheduled to 29 May and took place at theMichelob Ultra Arena inParadise, Nevada, as part of the undercard of theDevin Haney vs. Jorge Linares world title fight. Cameron landed a flurry of punches in the fourth round, sending her opponent reeling into the ropes. Referee Celestino Ruiz determined that the ropes had held Hernández up and issued astanding eight count, giving Cameron a 10–8 round. In the next round, after Cameron landed another flurry of punches with no response from Hernández, Ruiz stepped in and called a halt to the contest at 1 minute and 38 seconds into the round to award Cameron a fifth-round TKO victory.[53]
In September 2021, it was announced that Cameron would put her title on the line in aunification bout againstIBF female light-welterweight championMary McGee, with the inauguralRing title also on the line. The bout took place on 30 October at The O2 Arena, with Cameron emerging victorious via UD. The judges' scorecards reading 100–90, 99–91 and 99–92.[54]
In November 2022, Cameron defeatedJessica McCaskill in a match held inAbu Dhabi, making Cameron the undisputed world light-welterweight champion and the United Kingdom’s first undisputed female boxing world champion.[55][56]
On 2 March, Cameron accepted a public challenge from undisputed lightweight championKatie Taylor for a fight for Cameron's undisputed super-lightweight titles. The bout was subsequently announced byEddie Hearn on 11 March to be taking place at the 3Arena in Dublin on 20 May.
Cameron emerged victorious via majority decision with the judge's scorecards reading 95–95, 96–94 and 96–94.[57][58]
On 25 November 2023 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, Cameron has been scheduled to face Katie Taylor in the championship rematch.[59] Cameron lost a majority decision to Taylor.[60][61]
Having already parted ways with her trainer, Jamie Moore, and switched to work under the guidance of Sheffield-based Grant Smith earlier in the year,[62] Cameron split from promotors Matchroom in May 2024 signing up withFrank Warren's Queensbury Promotions.[63]
Cameron won the vacant interim WBC female super-lightweight title with a majority decision victory over France'sElhem Mekhaled atResorts World Arena in Birmingham on 20 July 2024. Two ringside judges scored the fight in her favour 98-92 and 99-92 while the third gave it as a 95-95 draw.[64][65][66][67]
Cameron defended her title with a unanimous decision win overPatricia Berghult at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on 2 November 2024. The three ringside judges scored the fight 99-91, 100-90 and 98-92.[68][69][70]
| 21 fights | 20 wins | 1 loss |
|---|---|---|
| By knockout | 8 | 0 |
| By decision | 12 | 1 |
| No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Win | 20–1 | Patricia Berghult | UD | 10 | 2 Nov 2024 | Resorts World Arena, Birmingham, England | Retained WBC interim female super-lightweight title |
| 20 | Win | 19–1 | Elhem Mekhaled | MD | 10 | 20 Jul 2024 | Resorts World Arena,Birmingham, England | Won vacant WBC interim female super-lightweight title |
| 19 | Loss | 18–1 | Katie Taylor | MD | 10 | 25 Nov 2023 | 3Arena, Dublin, Ireland | Lost WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO andThe Ring female light-welterweight titles |
| 18 | Win | 18–0 | Katie Taylor | MD | 10 | 20 May 2023 | 3Arena,Dublin, Ireland | Retained WBA, WBC, IBF, WBO, IBO andThe Ring female light-welterweight titles |
| 17 | Win | 17–0 | Jessica McCaskill | UD | 10 | 5 Nov 2022 | Etihad Arena,Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Retained WBC, IBF andThe Ring female light-welterweight titles; Won vacantWBA,WBO, andIBO female light-welterweight titles |
| 16 | Win | 16–0 | Victoria Bustos | UD | 10 | 21 May 2022 | The O2 Arena, London, England | Retained WBC, IBF andThe Ring female light-welterweight titles |
| 15 | Win | 15–0 | Mary McGee | UD | 10 | 30 Oct 2021 | The O2 Arena, London, England | Retained WBC female light-welterweight title; WonIBF and inauguralThe Ring female light-welterweight titles |
| 14 | Win | 14–0 | Melissa Hernández | TKO | 5 (10),1:25 | 29 May 2021 | Michelob Ultra Arena,Paradise, Nevada, US | Retained WBC female light-welterweight title |
| 13 | Win | 13–0 | Adriana Araújo | UD | 10 | 4 Oct 2020 | Marshall Arena,Milton Keynes, England | Won vacantWBC female light-welterweight title |
| 12 | Win | 12–0 | Anahí Ester Sánchez | UD | 10 | 9 Nov 2019 | York Hall, London, England | |
| 11 | Win | 11–0 | Anisha Basheel | UD | 10 | 20 Jul 2019 | Brentwood Centre,Brentwood, England | Retained WBC Silver female lightweight title |
| 10 | Win | 10–0 | Vaida Masiokaite | TKO | 2 (6),0:33 | 18 May 2019 | The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland | |
| 9 | Win | 9–0 | Feriche Mashauri | TKO | 2 (6),1:39 | 26 Apr 2019 | York Hall, London, Scotland | |
| 8 | Win | 8–0 | Jessica Gonzalez | UD | 10 | 13 Oct 2018 | York Hall, London, England | Retained IBO female lightweight title; Won vacantWBC Silver female lightweight title |
| 7 | Win | 7–0 | Natalia Vanesa del Valle Aguirre | TKO | 6 (10),1:31 | 23 Jun 2018 | The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland | |
| 6 | Win | 6–0 | Myriam Dellal | UD | 10 | 3 Mar 2018 | The SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland | Retained IBO female lightweight title |
| 5 | Win | 5–0 | Viviane Obenauf | RTD | 6 (10),2:00 | 2 Dec 2017 | Leicester Arena,Leicester, England | Won vacantIBO female lightweight title |
| 4 | Win | 4–0 | Edith Ramos | TKO | 3 (10),1:04 | 11 Nov 2017 | Royal Highland Centre,Edinburgh, Scotland | Won vacantIBO Inter-Continental femalesuper-featherweight title |
| 3 | Win | 3–0 | Bilitis Gaucher | TKO | 1 (8),1:14 | 7 Oct 2017 | York Hall,London, England | |
| 2 | Win | 2–0 | Bojana Libiszewska | TKO | 4 (6),0:47 | 8 Jul 2017 | Braehead Arena,Glasgow, Scotland | |
| 1 | Win | 1–0 | Karina Kopinska | PTS | 6 | 26 May 2017 | Cardiff International Arena,Cardiff, Wales |
| Sporting positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional boxing titles | ||||
| New title | IBO Inter-Continental femalesuper-featherweight champion 11 November 2017 – 2017 Vacated | Vacant | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Maïva Hamadouche | WBC Silver femalelightweight champion 13 October 2018 – present | |||
| Minor world boxing titles | ||||
| Vacant Title last held by Marie Riederer | IBO female lightweight champion 2 December 2017 – June 2018 Vacated | Vacant Title next held by Estelle Mossely | ||
| Vacant Title last held by Kali Reis | IBO female light-welterweight champion 5 November 2022 – 25 November 2023 | Succeeded by | ||
| Major world boxing titles | ||||
| Vacant Title last held by Jessica McCaskill | WBC female light-welterweight champion 4 October 2020 – 25 November 2023 | Succeeded by Katie Taylor | ||
| Preceded by | IBF female light-welterweight champion 30 October 2021 – 25 November 2023 | |||
| Inaugural champion | The Ring female light-welterweight champion 30 October 2021 – 25 November 2023 | |||
| Vacant Title last held by Kali Reis | WBA female light-welterweight champion 5 November 2022 – 25 November 2023 | |||
| WBO female light-welterweight champion 5 November 2022 – 25 November 2023 | ||||
| Inaugural champion | Undisputed female light-welterweight champion 5 November 2022 – 25 November 2023 | |||
