Katie Taylor says she's had to pinch herself at times to make sure her homecoming fight against Chantelle Cameron is really happening.
The Bray boxer, the undisputed lightweight world champion, takes on English fighter Cameron for the title of undisputed super lightweight world champion at the 3Arena in Dublin on May 20th. It will be Taylor's first pro fight in Ireland.
"This is another major milestone for female boxing," Taylor said during a press conference on Monday.
"A few years ago, we were worried about selling out York Hall and now we're talking about the 3Arena being too small. It's remarkable progress in such a short space of time.
"It's incredible that after 22 fights, I'm making my homecoming. Big time boxing is coming back to Ireland. It's not just coming back with any ordinary fight, it's coming back with two undisputed champions going head-to-head."
Initially, Taylor's homecoming bout was slated to be a rematch against Amanda Serrano. However, the Puerto Rican was forced to withdraw due to injury. In an uncharacteristic move, Taylor called out Cameron on social media.
🗣️ "Cameron is not the only one who has wanted this fight... Katie has wanted to fight her for years!" - @rosstraining #TaylorCameron pic.twitter.com/lmq0jn7Lpk
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) March 20, 2023
"A lot of people are saying they're surprised that Katie's taken this fight, 'Why is she taking this risk ahead of the Serrano rematch?'" said Taylor's trainer Ross Enamait.
"The reality is that Cameron is not the only one who's wanted this fight. Katie has wanted to fight her for the last three or four years.
"I like when people say they're surprised that we're taking the risk, or that they doubt us, because when you doubt Katie, it lights a fire.
"She's motivated right now like I haven't seen, even more so than when we fought Serrano. A motivated Katie Taylor is a dangerous Katie Taylor, so right now is the perfect time for us to be taking this fight."
Taylor said that once she heard Serrano was unavailable, her thoughts immediately turned to Cameron.
20 March 2023; Katie Taylor during a media conference, held at the Mansion House in Dublin, ahead of her undisputed super lightweight championship fight with Chantelle Cameron, on May 20th at 3Arena in Dublin. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
"I automatically thought that Chantelle was the obvious choice," said Taylor.
"She has a spotless career and has the style to make this another epic. This could be another competitor for Fight of the Year.
"I don't understand why people have said that I don't want this fight. The one thing that has marked my career is that I've always wanted the hardest fights. My first defence was against McCaskill. My Madison Square debut was against Persoon, who had dominated the lightweight division for years. Obviously, Serrano was a seven-weight world champion.
"This fight is happening because I wanted this fight. We could have went the easy route and chosen an easier opponent but that's not how I operate. I want those challenges, I want the toughest fights.
"I have the chance to make history, to become a two-weight undisputed world champion. This will be the biggest night of my career."
🗣️ "It's incredible that big time boxing is coming back to Ireland. This could be another fight of the year!" - @KatieTaylor #TaylorCameron pic.twitter.com/cN4HStRv5T
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) March 20, 2023
Enamait agreed that Cameron is a "tougher" match than Serrano. "Katie has proved time and time again that she finds a way to win. It's not just about skill. She's willing to go places that other people aren't," he added.
Cameron 100 per cent believes that she can win.
"I've got the strength and the power," said the 31-year-old, 17-0 in her career with eight wins by knockout.
"Katie is going to be my toughest fight. I'm not coming here saying it's going to be easy - this is probably the hardest fight I will ever have. I'm preparing for that. That's what excites me, gets me up in the morning and gives me that hunger, knowing I have the biggest challenge I will ever have in my boxing career.
"I've never had this motivation before. I feel like I'm going back to my amateur days when I first go onto TEAM GB and had that excitement for boxing.
"I've had a bit of frustration in my career, thinking I was never going to get the big fights, thinking it was never going to happen for me. I think it all happened for a reason.
"Those fights I had, the tough fights that got me the experience were all part of the process. If this fight happened a year or two ago, I think it would have been too soon for me."
Taylor believes that "Ultimately, I do have more experience in the bigger fights".
"I have fought the better opponents," she said.
"I will be going in mentally, physically and spiritually more prepared than ever."
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