Cameron outlasts Taylor in Dublin to retain titles

Chantelle Cameron defeated Katie Taylor by majority decision to successfully defend her undisputed light-welterweight crown.

A closely fought contest between the two unbeaten fighters was taken to the last bell, with Cameron’s hand raised as Taylor suffered her first career defeat in professional boxing.

A slow start in the first ended with a Cameron onslaught and it spilled into the second before Taylor landed a clean straight right punch through the guard of Cameron and after a close third round, Taylor started to look the more tired of the pair once the bell signalled the end of the fourth.

Cameron’s beat down with the body shots started to take its toll on Taylor, and the English fighter seemed undeterred from Taylor’s shots.

An uppercut from Cameron put her in the driving seat of the eighth before Taylor came back with a rally of shots towards the end of the round as both fighters started to dig deep for victory.

A blockbuster 10th round commenced as the pair traded large hooks, Cameron connecting with yet another uppercut before a desperate Taylor responded with more combinations. 

But after the bell rung, it was the Northampton born fighter who got the nod, with one judge scoring the bout a 95-95 draw, while the other two gave it 96-94 in favour of Cameron.

The undisputed light-welterweight champ told DAZN: “I was petrified. I’ve seen results go the other way in the past. 

"It was a close fight and Katie is a great boxer, pound-for-pound the best.

“My strength is putting the pressure on. I don’t mind getting hit so my corner let me off the leash.

“She’s so fast and tough. She’s one of the greatest boxers there is.

“I beat McCaskill at 147lb last fight and now I’ve just beat another undisputed champion. I’m sick of keeping my belts, I want to go for more belts.

“Unbelievable atmosphere. It’s a shame they weren’t backing me but Katie has a great following. 

"I put my belts up against the pound-for-pound best so I’ve clearly got some guts.”

Following the result, Taylor already had her eyes set on a rematch.

She told BBC Radio 5 Live: “I was expecting a gruelling fight and that’s what it was. I obviously came up short. I always love a challenge and I’m looking forward to the rematch.

“This isn’t how I wanted the homecoming to go but I’m grateful that this event could sell out in a couple of minutes.”