Who wins Katie Taylor vs Chantelle Cameron: Prediction and preview for undisputed title fight

Undisputed lightweight champ Katie Taylor will move back up to 140 looking to go double undisputed on Saturday, facing 140 lb queen Chantelle Cameron in a huge main event from Dublin, where Taylor will fight for the first time as a professional in her home country.

All the expected incredible atmosphere and hero’s welcome aside, what about the fight? Who wins this outstanding matchup on Saturday?

Scott Christ (43-20)

As far as style matchup goes, I think this is a pretty good one for Katie Taylor at 36 and going back up to a weight she basically admitted she didn’t like the one time she fought at it in the past. But she did win that night, too, and Cameron’s not exactly flashy or going to do something Taylor hasn’t seen before. Cameron’s a good, basic fighter, and honestly, Taylor is also a basic fighter in her style.

But where Taylor has been special, truly, is her will to win. She has had it long before she started boxing as a pro. Her entire career is owed to her complete desire to be in a boxing ring in the first place. She was told “no.” She did not take “no” for an answer. And women’s boxing has gotten bigger than ever largely on the back of Katie Taylor’s determination — along with other names, of course, but Katie was banging down the doors at the amateur level before Claressa Shields or anyone else, which is not disrespect to Shields, it’s just that Shields was a child then. When Taylor won the 2005 European Amateurs, Shields was 10 years old.

Taylor has been through the wars as a pro, too. Delfine Persoon gave her a lot of trouble, so did Amanda Serrano. She arguably could have lost fights with both of them when they went to the cards. Natasha Jonas was a handful. But she has come through all of them, and even if she’d gotten an L in any of those fights, I think she would have been right back wanting the rematch with the woman who beat her. Cameron has not really had to prove that sort of spirit yet.

I just can’t go against Katie Taylor here, but I will say, with fighters who have had a few “lucky” nights with the scorecards, sometimes that catches up and they wind up dropping a fight a lot of people thought they should have won. More than Cameron’s youth, lack of in-ring miles, or size advantage, that’s what I look at most here if I’m thinking upset, honestly. Taylor UD-10

Wil Esco (49-14)

I often mention how shallow the talent is in women’s boxing, which makes it a bit difficult to make a lot of compelling, competitive fights. Luckily, I think this is one of those where we’ll be in for a good, hard-fought battle between these two. Katie Taylor has proven her mettle over the years, and with her ability to blend her boxing with some fighting I do think she’s got the edge over Cameron here. And it’s not that I think Cameron won’t pose any threats or give Taylor some trouble, but when it comes down to it I just think Taylor is better than her in just about every category, and she’s fighting at home. So, you know, Taylor UD-10

John Hansen (45-18)

More than one Katie Taylor fight has ended with me thinking she’s in decline and vulnerable — and, of course, she is. She’s 36 years old. This Cameron matchup feels like a pitfall without even any camouflage, but Taylor keeps rising to the occasion and winning fights like it. It won’t be a walkover, but I do think Taylor will once again do enough to take the decision. Taylor MD-10

Patrick Stumberg (49-14)

Taylor’s greatest struggles come against fighters who can weather her flurries and stay in her face from bell to bell. Even with a size disadvantage, she’ll have an easier time against a more conventional boxer in Cameron. Taylor looks to be the faster of the two by a solid margin, and as she boasts considerably better footwork than the likes of Jessica McCaskill, getting into the pocket shouldn’t be a huge issue.

I just don’t see Cameron consistently keeping someone as sharp as Taylor at the former’s preferred distance or keeping up with her on the inside. She’ll be game and competitive from beginning to end, but there won’t be any question as to who earned the win. Taylor UD-10

Quick Picks!

Terri Harper vs Cecilia Braekhus

• Scott: Harper UD-10
• Wil: Harper UD-10
• John: Braekhus UD-10
• Patrick: Harper UD-10

Dennis Hogan vs JJ Metcalf

• Scott: Metcalf SD-12
• Wil: Metcalf MD-12
• John: Hogan UD-12
• Patrick: Hogan SD-12