Katie Taylor calls out Chantelle Cameron as champion sends clear homecoming message to Eddie Hearn

Last night in an unexpected intervention on social media, Taylor broke her silence on the saga surrounding the fight declaring she wanted to fight undisputed light welterweight World champion Chantelle Cameron.

In a post on Instagram Taylor said: “Let’s get it done @EddieHearn, this homecoming has waited long enough! @3arenadublin is available so let’s give Ireland a night to remember on May 20th. Let’s go @chancam91, happy to move up in weight for the opportunity to become a two-weight undisputed champ.”

Within an hour the British boxer replied: “@katie_86 I’m more than happy to accept! Like you, I only want to fight the best. I’m not difficult to deal with this fight can be signed, sealed and delivered in 24 hours.

It is unprecedented for Katie Taylor to make such a public intervention which contained a veiled criticism of Eddie Hearn.

Unusually, there is no written contract between Taylor and Matchroom but having taken a punt on Taylor back in 2016 when she decided to go professional, Hearn has built up an excellent working relationship with Katie and on a personal level they are friendly.

Having scarcely put a foot wrong during the last seven years Matchroom’s handing of Katie long-anticipated home coming fight has turned into a fiasco which may have prompted her unexpected intervention.

So far there has been no comment from Eddie Hearn, who is a prolific user of social media.

It is understood that in the wake of Amanda Serrano pulling out of the May 20 fight after citing an unspecified injury, Hearn was in favour of postponing the entire Dublin show until June or July.

Then Taylor would face Cameron, the current unbeaten World light welterweight (or super lightweight) champion and provided the Bray fighter won she would then face Serrano in September possibly in Croke Park. This sounds far-fetched given Matchroom’s refusal to meet the price demanded by the GAA to stage a fight there in May.

On May 20 the giant hole in the DAZN network scheduled which had been booked for Taylor v Serrano will be filled be a Nottingham-based show headlined by former World champions Leigh Wood and Josh Warrington.

Despite the eagerness of Taylor and Cameron, who was formerly managed by MTK, to face each other in Dublin there are considerable obstacles to be overcome.

Significantly, Taylor mentioned in her post on Instagram that she was willing to take on Cameron who she beat in the semi-final of the European amateur championships in 2011, in the 140lb light welterweight division.

All but one of Taylor’s 22 professional fights have been in the 135lb lightweight class. From Taylor’s perspective there is a one significant advantage in offering to move up a weight.

Depending in the negotiations it is possible that Taylor’s four lightweight World belts would not be fought for on May 20. So, regardless of the result she would remain the World lightweight champion.

The disadvantages are that Taylor’s punching power is not her strongest suit though she has comfortably survived in the lightweight division. But it is risky moving up a weight where she faces a naturally heavier puncher who is five years younger.

Furthermore, even though Cameron has long sought a fight against Taylor she and her manager/trainer former European light middleweight champion Jamie Moore will still demand certain conditions.

They could insist on a ‘winner take all fight’ in Dublin with both Taylor’s and Cameron’s belts on offer to the winner. At the very least they will want a rematch clause in the contract which would allow Cameron to get another fight against Taylor if the Northampton native loses. This in turn would complicate plans for Taylor-Serrano II.

Cameron is also promoted by Matchroom who have announced she will be defending her light welterweight World belts on April 1 in London O2 Arena on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s comeback fight.

In 2019 Katie Taylor beat Greek native Christina Linardatou, then the defending WBO World light welterweight, in the Manchester Arena.

However, the Bray fighter had to relinquish the belt because under WBO rules no fighter is allowed to hold World belts in the two different weights. Taylor was already the WBO lightweight champion at the time.

Aged 31 Cameron made her professional debut in 2017. She was crowned World undisputed light welterweight champion last November when she dethroned the defending champion Jessica McCaskill, a former Taylor opponent, in Abu Dhabi. She is unbeaten in the pro ranks with 17 wins, eight inside the distance.