Katie Taylor says she was not caught off guard by anything that Chantelle Cameron presented in the ring in their first encounter.
In May, women’s undisputed 140-pound champion Cameron of England defeated Ireland’s Taylor by majority decision at 3Arena in Dublin in what was Cameron’s first defense of her titles, which she earned by defeating Jessica McCaskill last year.
Their rematch has been set for Nov. 25 at the same arena.
Cameron’s win poured water over what was an Irish homecoming for Taylor, who lost for the first time in her career and had not fought in her homeland as a professional until that point. Taylor is still the undisputed lightweight champion.
In an interview with BBC 5 Live Boxing, a re-charged Taylor said she was not particularly bothered by Cameron’s abilities back in May.
“I don’t think there were any surprises what Chantelle brought to the table, really, from my point of view,” Taylor said. “Yeah, she was obviously the better fighter that night but I’m still as confident as ever that if I perform to my abilities that I will win, regardless of who’s on the other side of the ring. I still have an incredible amount of confidence coming into this fight.”
Asked if retirement entered her mind at all in the wake of the loss, Taylor said she never considered it.
“No, I think that would be a terrible way to bow out for me,” Taylor said. “The retirement never came into my mind. I’m just excited. I think this will increase my legacy with a win over Chantelle in November. Every fight is the most important fight, the next fight is always the most important fight for every single fighter. It’s a must win.…I certainly believe that a win in November will increase that legacy.”
Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.