Chantelle Cameron sends ‘statement’ to Katie Taylor with victory over Patricia Berghult

Chantelle Cameron remains in the hunt for a third fight with Katie Taylor after easing to victory over Patricia Berghult at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.

The 33 year old was awarded scores of 99-91, 100-90 and 98-92 at the conclusion of a largely one-sided fight, after which she may conclude she could have been even more convincing.

Later in November, Taylor fights Amando Serrano for the second time – for the undisputed title she won from Cameron – on the undercard of Mike Tyson’s ill-advised fight with Jake Paul.

Should, as expected, she win, the biggest remaining fight for her will be that against Cameron, who in May 2023 inflicted her only ever defeat.

Cameron and Berghult had previously fought as amateurs, when the Englishwoman won over four rounds. In Birmingham as professionals she then proceeded to almost immediately hurt Berghult, 30, by landing a strong right hand.

As early as the second round Cameron’s advantages in speed, strength and stamina were becoming apparent, and she took advantage of them by targeting her Swedish opponent’s body. 

A double jab, followed by another powerful right hand, followed in the fourth, and in the fifth Berghult was at risk of being bullied.

It was in the sixth when Berghult increasingly struggled, when she was trapped towards the ropes and Cameron again punished her to the body.

After an eighth round in which Berghult showed further signs of being broken down by increasingly slowing down, Cameron fell into a comfort zone and, perhaps for the first time, lost a round.

Her superior work-rate was recovered in the 10th, when further right hands again demonstrated Cameron’s dominance and made one-sided scorecards seem almost inevitable.

“I made a big statement there,” she told broadcasters TNT Sports, post-fight. “I won’t get a shot for a long time if they can avoid me. [My trainer Grant Smith’s] reset me. There’s a lot of things I’ve learned. He’s tidied me up. I’m still making progress – I’m not the finished article. That’s how I’ll be champion again.

“I’m just hoping that I’ll get the chance to fight for [the undisputed title] again. I need to sit down with my team. It’s boxing and I may not get that opportunity again. There’s other big fights out there. I’m grateful to [promoters] Queensberry for keeping me active this year – that’s the main thing.”

Ekow Essuman had by then earned a majority decision to defeat Ben Vaughan at the conclusion of 10 entertaining-and-competitive rounds. 

Vaughan had never previously gone 10 rounds, and by the final bell he had been cut and both of his eyes were swelling shut. One score of 95-95 was perhaps generous to Vaughan; those of 97-94 and 97-93 in Essuman’s favour, in a reflection of his superior boxing abilities, were more just.

Ezra Taylor won after 24 seconds of his light-heavyweight fight with Kristaps Bulmeistars, who returned to his feet after a right hand but was regardless rescued by the referee Lee Every.

Eithan James, in a 10-round welterweight contest, earned a unanimous decision over Jermaine Osbourne-Edwards when he was awarded scores of 97-93, 99-91 and 99-92.

On his professional debut, the heavyweight Lewis Williams won in the second round of his fight with Lamah Griggs.

At middleweight, Eoghan Lavin stopped Remi Scholer one minute and 56 seconds into the second round. 

Bradley Thompson, at super flyweight, earned a score of 40-36 over Sean Jackson.

The bantamweight Mykyle Ahmed recorded his second professional victory, over Yin Caicedo, via a score of 40-35.