Katie Taylor is set for the biggest fight of her career when she takes on undisputed women’s super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron. For Taylor, it doesn’t get much bigger, it’s her homecoming and I cannot stop myself looking ahead to Saturday, and the energy before the first bell, it’s going to be electric!
Taylor will understand the task in front of her, it will not be easy. Cameron is a very good fighter and produced an accomplished performance against Jessica McCaskill in Abu Dhabi last year, and there will be so many questions going into the fight which will get answered.
Will the pressure of the crowd be too much for her? Or will it be the complete opposite with Taylor thriving off the buzz of the crowd and keeping those four 140lb world title belts in Ireland?
Cameron will be a completely different proposition compared to when Taylor fought Amanda Serrano last year. The defending champion is bigger, has a beautiful jab and is full of confidence. She will however need to be very disciplined in Dublin and pick her moments.
As has been proven in women’s fights of the past, the two-minute rounds are explosive, non-stop action and Cameron will need to match Taylor for work rate, or try and use her opponent’s momentum in her favour by stepping back and walking Taylor onto shots.
Cameron will need to be very busy with her jab and land big shots, in particular the right hand in the hope of silencing the crowd. Her coach Jamie Moore will have been thorough in his preparations and come up with a number of gameplans, but I believe Cameron will have to take the distance away from Taylor and make her fall onto shots, or mix fire with fire.
Taylor will also have to be busy and she will get that extra spurt of energy from a passionate crowd inside the 3Arena, and this combined with the high level of opponent will bring the best out of her.
When someone has achieved as much as Taylor has, you need challenges, something to wet the appetite, that opponent that scares you to some degree and Cameron is that. If Taylor cannot get up for this challenge, what can she get up for.
With a win over Cameron on Saturday night, it could be the perfect way for Taylor to bow out, but having spoken to her on previous occasions, I don’t think there are any intentions for Taylor to hang up the gloves just yet.