Irish boxer Katie Taylor secured a crucial victory in her rematch against British champion Chantelle Cameron, redeeming herself after a prior loss to become the undisputed champion of the women’s super lightweight division. The highly anticipated 140 lbs undisputed match took place at the 3Arena in Dublin on Saturday, November 25th, with all of Cameron’s world titles and her lineal on the line.
Despite the significance of the bout, it was marred by controversial refereeing, questionable judging, and fan bias, painting a different narrative than the actual events in the ring. The match unfolded amidst heightened tensions in Dublin, stemming from recent unrest that started on November 23rd due to issues surrounding immigrant policies. While our platform avoids intertwining politics with sports, understanding the context is crucial to comprehending the corruption on display during the fight.
The main event reflected a biased match where Taylor’s (23-1, 6 KO’s) infractions were overlooked, while Cameron’s (18-1, 8 KO’s) were disproportionately emphasized. Despite commentators praising the bout, both fighters displayed a lack of discipline, marked by unwarranted clinches, rabbit punches, and headbutts. Taylor’s tactics went largely uncriticized, creating a narrative that contradicted her reputation as one of the humblest and competitive fighters in women’s boxing.
The rounds were challenging to describe objectively, with Taylor’s favoritism evident. In the first round, Cameron’s effective pressure was countered by Taylor’s adeptness on the backfoot. A pivotal moment occurred when Cameron’s well-timed jab sent Taylor to the ground, ruled as a slip instead of a knockdown, setting the stage for pervasive corruption.
Subsequent rounds saw both fighters adopting effective approaches, but Taylor’s excessive clinching tactics went unnoticed. Her rough and crude methods disrupted Cameron’s attacks, allowing Taylor to launch combinations, eliciting frenzied reactions from the crowd. Taylor’s questionable tactics, coupled with biased refereeing, undermined the credibility of officials and further fueled frustration from Cameron, who received warnings for rabbit punching.
The fight concluded with Taylor declared the winner by majority decision (95-95, 98-92, 96-94), securing her status as a two-weight undisputed champion. CompuBox stats, while not conclusive, suggested Cameron may have edged out Taylor by a slim margin. Despite Taylor’s achievements and iconic status in Ireland, her performance, marked by desperation and dirty fighting, deserved more scrutiny.
The co-main event, featuring the lightweight bout between Irish contender Gary Cully (17-1, 10 KO’s) and British lightweight Reece Mould (18-2, 6 KO’s), also faced controversy. Cully’s split-decision victory, possibly influenced by nationality and political factors, overshadowed Mould’s arguably deserving performance.
In conclusion, both fights underscored the controversial nature of boxing, with results that should be viewed skeptically. The Cameron-Taylor match, in particular, demands a thorough and objective analysis, sidestepping correlations with political situations. The sport’s pervasive corruption and bias, from fans to officials, were evident, emphasizing that boxing is far from being considered a credible sport.
Despite Taylor’s home advantage and fan support, her questionable tactics ignored by officials should prompt questioning from mainstream media outlets. The remainder of the card, promoted by Matchroom, featured women’s featherweight Australian contender Skye Nicolson (9-0, 1 KO’s) securing a career-defining victory by stopping her opponent [first KO of her career], Swedish fighter Lucy Wildheart (10-3, 4 KO’s), and winning the WBC interim featherweight title, setting the stage for a potential bout against undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KO’s) in the near future.
