Why Katie Taylor should fight Chantelle Cameron before Amanda Serrano [Opinion]
Katie Taylor, Chantelle Cameron, and Amanda Serrano are counted among the world's top boxers today. Cameron and Serrano haven't fought one another yet, but 'KT' has competed against both. Taylor is a former undisputed lightweight (135-pound) champion and the reigning undisputed super lightweight (140-pound) champion.
Taylor defeated Serrano via split decision to defend her undisputed lightweight title in April 2022. Puerto Rico's Serrano boasts the distinction of having won world titles in seven weight classes. She'd moved up in weight to challenge Taylor for the latter's undisputed lightweight title.
After beating Serrano, 'KT' defended her lightweight throne by defeating Karen Carabajal in Oct. 2022. Taylor then moved up in weight to challenge then-undisputed super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron in May 2023 and lost via majority decision.
In their immediate rematch in Nov. 2023, Taylor exacted revenge by defeating Cameron via majority decision to become the new undisputed super lightweight champion. Intriguingly, in early 2023, Taylor was to rematch Serrano, but the latter was ruled out of it due to an injury.
Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron both handed each other their first professional boxing defeats. Besides, Taylor handed Serrano her second-ever boxing defeat. To say that these three great fighters' careers are intertwined would be an understatement.
Katie Taylor should fight Chantelle Cameron before Amanda Serrano
Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) hasn't competed since beating Chantelle Cameron (19-1, 8 KOs) last November. Cameron bounced back by beating Elhem Mekhaled via majority decision on July 20, 2024, winning the vacant interim WBC super lightweight title.
Meanwhile, after losing to Taylor in April 2022, Amanda Serrano (47-2-1, 31 KOs) returned to the featherweight (126-pound) division and became the undisputed champion there. Serrano, who's now a former undisputed featherweight champion, is on a five-fight win streak.
Incidentally, Amanda Serrano's most recent fight transpired on the same night (July 20, 2024) as Chantelle Cameron's. Serrano defeated Stevie Morgan via second-round TKO in a non-title super lightweight bout, which served as the co-headlining match of the Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry card on July 20.
Initially, YouTuber-cum-boxer Jake Paul was to fight boxing legend Mike Tyson in a heavyweight bout on July 20, but Tyson withdrew due to an ulcer flare-up and Paul faced Mike Perry in a cruiserweight bout instead.
Amanda Serrano was expected to rematch Katie Taylor, this time for the latter's undisputed super lightweight title, on the card. Unfortunately, after Tyson's withdrawal, the highly-anticipated Taylor-Serrano rematch was rescheduled for the Nov. 15 card that'll be headlined by Paul vs. Tyson.
Considering the variables at play, the smarter choice for Katie Taylor would be to complete her trilogy with Chantelle Cameron before the rematch against Amanda Serrano. For that, Taylor may have to forgo the opportunity to compete on the high-profile Paul-Tyson card this November.
Regardless, a potential fight between Ireland's Taylor and England's Cameron at Croke Park (a venue previously suggested by Taylor!) would be a fight fan's dream come true.
Taylor's two fights with Cameron and one fight against Serrano have all been closely contested and thrilling, but the Irish fighter's legacy would benefit more by beating the heavier Cameron than by beating the significantly smaller Serrano.
Serrano is a bonafide legend, but the fact remains that she's a featherweight champion — jumping over the super featherweight and lightweight divisions to super lightweight for the Taylor rematch.
Depending on the clauses of the Taylor-Serrano rematch contracts, 'KT' might have to face Serrano in back-to-back fights if she loses. At 38, Taylor can't risk giving the 33-year-old Cameron more time to evolve in her athletic prime.
Taylor should surely pull the trigger on the trilogy this year and ideally defeat the naturally bigger Cameron first. Taylor can then move to a rematch against the 35-year-old Serrano.
Furthermore, Cameron, too, has consistently maintained that she's keen to decisively end her rivalry with Taylor and would love their trilogy fight to materialize. In the same vein, it's noteworthy that the interim WBC title victory has made Cameron the WBC mandatory challenger for Taylor who currently holds the WBA, WBC, WBO, IBF, and Ring Magazine super lightweight belts.
Watch newly-crowned interim WBC super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron call out Katie Taylor below: