Taylor beats Cameron in thrilling rematch, becomes 2-division undisputed champ

Six months after losing to Chantelle Cameron in a long-awaited homecoming bout at Dublin's 3Arena, Katie Taylor exacted her revenge inside that very building.

In one of the greatest boxing matches of the year, Taylor defeated Cameron via majority decision (95-95, 98-92, 96-94) Saturday evening to capture the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO super lightweight titles and become the undisputed champion at 140 pounds.

Taylor entered the rematch as the undisputed lightweight champion and is the second women's boxer - after Claressa Shields - to hold two undisputed titles simultaneously.

"That was the longest six months of my life, waiting for this rematch," Taylor said postfight. "All I ever was thinking about was the rematch. I'm so glad I got it done with my home crowd. This is my real homecoming tonight."

Taylor suffered a majority-decision loss - and her first career defeat - to Cameron in May after moving up in weight to challenge for the undisputed super lightweight championship. It was Taylor's first professional bout in her home country of Ireland, a homecoming years in the making. After the fight, Taylor and Cameron both expressed interest in a rematch, and it became a done deal in August.

Taylor was much improved Saturday, using speed and tenacity to outland Cameron. To many, this came as a surprise. The 37-year-old was the underdog in the rematch after being favored in the first fight.

"Whoever wrote me off obviously don't know me very well," Taylor said. "I'm nearly offended that I was the underdog going into this fight. Don't ever doubt me."

Taylor is eyeing a trilogy bout with Cameron next. She said she wants to do it at Croke Park, an outdoor stadium in Dublin that has a capacity of more than 80,000. Taylor's promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, said he wants to do the third Cameron fight or a second meeting against undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano at that mega venue.

"For everybody out there, everybody in Ireland, the Irish government, Croke Park has to happen," Hearn said. "It has to happen. (Taylor has) done everything for this sport. She's done everything for this country. She deserves it more than anyone.

"Next spring (or) summer, we will create an event you will never forget."

The rematch was thrilling from start to finish, with Taylor and Cameron exchanging punches for all 10 rounds.

It was quickly clear that Taylor was fighting with greater intensity and aggression than in May. But Cameron also started strong. In fact, Cameron appeared to drop Taylor in the first round, but the referee controversially ruled it a slip.

As the fight went on, Taylor's volume, speed, and ring presence seemed to be the difference-maker. Taylor stayed busier than Cameron in several rounds, landing hard shots in the pocket.

Cameron struggled to gain control with her jab, one of her best weapons in the first fight. Her size advantage didn't seem to come into play as much as it did last time.

The seventh round was the best of the fight. Taylor and Cameron were both brilliant, trading heavy punches for two minutes straight.

After 20 minutes of nonstop action, Taylor just edged Cameron in total punches by a margin of 89-83. But Taylor landed several more power punches than her opponent at 74-57.

Taylor said she wasn't at her best in the first fight but showed up to win Saturday.

"The last fight, you've seen the worst of me and the best of Chantelle," Taylor said. "I think it was still a close fight. Tonight, you've seen the real me. When I box like that, nobody can beat me."

With the victory, Taylor moves to 23-1 as a professional. She's widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in women's boxing history.

Cameron suffered her first career loss, with her record now standing at 18-1. The 32-year-old Brit had been the undisputed super lightweight champion since November 2022.