Undisputed champion Chantelle Cameron reveals the secret of her stunning victory over Katie Taylor… and how she has been sparring with men to prepare for rematch

•  Chantelle Cameron will face Katie Taylor for second time in Dublin this weekend
• The 32-year-old has struggled with self-doubt despite her remarkable success
• Fury sharing the love with our Charlotte, but what did he say? Listen to The Hook 

Chantelle Cameron has opened up on the psychological training she underwent ahead of her first fight with Katie Taylor and revealed how she’s been sparring men to prepare for the rematch this weekend.

Taylor was initially meant to defend her WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO lightweight titles on May 20 in a rematch against Amanda Serrano but the Puerto Rican was ruled out due to injury.

Therefore, the Bray Bomber decided to step up to light-welterweight and challenge Cameron for the Northampton fighter’s four world titles at the 3Arena in Dublin earlier this year.

It was meant to be a night to remember for Taylor, but Cameron achieved her goal of spoiling the ‘homecoming’ by beating the Irish boxer via majority decision – with the judges scoring it 95-95, 96-94, 96-94 in her favour.

But, what was the secret to Cameron’s success? The British star has revealed how she worked closely with a psychologist in the build-up to the fight, claiming it was just as important to work on her mind as it was to work on her fitness and technique.

Chantelle Cameron  (above) will face Katie Taylor for the second time in Dublin this weekend

Speaking exclusively to Mail Sport, Cameron said: ‘My psychologist is called Ryan and he’s from mind excellence. He’s such a great guy and he’s been such a great part of my career as well.

‘People think it’s all about getting fit and being physically prepared but for me, it’s just as much about my mental training. We’ve been working together for this fight as well.

‘He makes sure I am prepared mentally and that we tick all the boxes for my mind. I am always cool, calm and collected but we work together to make sure I keep it like that.

‘I have to stay grounded and just enjoy it. Use the mental training he has given me, the tips and tricks, to stay calm and stay focused.’

Cameron has enjoyed a particularly successful career after making her professional debut in 2017 at the age of 26 against Karina Kopinska – winning the six round bout on points.

The British fighter went on to secure her first world title fight three years later against Adriana Araujo for the super-lightweight WBC (vacant) title and defended her title four times before facing Taylor.

Cameron’s highly anticipated bout with Taylor went the distance with the judges scoring it 95-95, 96-94, 96-94 in the favour of the visitor. A decision that silenced the Irish fans.

The 32-year-old champion has struggled with self-doubt despite her remarkable success

Beating Taylor cemented Cameron’s place amongst the greats and saw her become a boxing icon within the United Kingdom. However, the 32-year-old still struggles with negative self-talk.

When asked whether she still struggled with self-doubt, Cameron said: ‘Unfortunately I’ve still got it. I wish I didn’t because I am always so hard on myself.

‘If I don’t spar as well as I should, I get annoyed at myself. I beat Katie Taylor but I’ve kind of forgotten about that now because I’ve got to do it all over again.

‘I am going into the fight full of confidence but I’m also not an egomaniac, thinking I’ve got this in the bag. It’s not like that. It’s a fight. Anything can happen.

‘I am mentally prepared, I am the best I have ever felt, I am happy with everything that’s gone in my camp. I am happy with my training, the way I have been so I just have to make sure I cement it on Saturday night.

‘I can’t be complacent thinking I’ve beaten her once, I can beat her again. I need to make I put on a better show and preform the best I can because I think the last show, I wasn’t at my best.

‘I had an injury for the start and I think there were obviously a lot of nerves in there. No one expected me to win and there was a lot going on, but this time, I am just going into this fight doing what I love doing. It’s just another fight to me now.’

Cameron will head into Saturday night’s fight as the favourite, ditching the underdog status she held heading into the first bout. However, the Brit is adamant it’s not affecting her mindset.

Cameron takes part in a public workout at Liffey Valley shopping centre in Dublin

Cameron – who previously told Mail Sport she thrives when being overlooked – said: ‘To be honest, I am ignoring the fact I am the favourite. To me, I am the underdog.

‘Obviously it’s lovely to know that people are looking at me now as the favourite. But, to me, my mindset is that I am the underdog and that I’m not expected to win.

‘I am here, I am in Dublin, I am singing to Katie’s tune again but I need to make sure I go in there and spoil the party again. My mentality is that I am the underdog and I need to keep that mentality.’

Cameron started exceptionally well during the first fight. She came flying out of the corner and looked to land the first punch. It was an uncharacteristic approach from the 32-year-old but it worked.

Cameron kept coming forwards and used her strength to land powerful shots. While Taylor’s game plan was centered around her speed and quick combinations. However, it was power that ended up winning the fight.

When asked whether he was surprised by Taylor’s tactics in the opening couple of rounds, Cameron said: ‘Katie started differently to how I thought she would start. But, Katie’s not as strong as me. She can come and try meet me in the middle but I can fight on the inside, I can fight on the outside.

‘I am all wrong for Katie Taylor. If she comes out and tries to stamp her authority on the fight, she is going to meet me in the middle and she will come out second best.

‘Looking back at the first fight, there was obviously things I did wrong. I was looking back at the first fight thinking oh god, that wasn’t good. I looked at things Katie did, I looked at her flaws, her strengths and I looked back at that and thought it had to be a better fight.

Cameron retained her 140lb titles after winning a majority decision in Dublin in May

‘Katie came in with her head a lot. If you looked at my head at the end of the fight, there were a lot of lumps and they weren’t from punches. I had bruises on my arms from punches on the arms but not on my head.

‘I’ve got to make sure I keep my head out of the way of her head because she comes in with her head a lot. When she is holding too, I need to make sure I don’t let her. I’ve got to do what I’ve got to do. I am prepared for getting out of that hold. I need to make sure I make her pay for it when she does hold me too.’

Speaking ahead of the first fight, Cameron voiced her concerns about the potential bias she may face if her title fight with Taylor went the distance.

She worried the judges may have been inclined to score the fight in Taylor’s favour given she was looking to become an undisputed world champion in a second weight category on her Irish homecoming.

Cameron is glad the judges scored the fight correctly but recalled how fast her heart was beating when she heard one judge had scored it a draw.

When asked about Saturday’s fight, Cameron said she hopes the judges make the right call again as she believes controversial scorecards are ruining boxing.

‘I really hope the judges will be fair again. In the last fight, one of the judges scored it as a draw and that was bit of a shock. Obviously my heart was going, and I was thinking a thousand things.

‘I was thinking oh no, it’s happened. I am hoping we get fair judges again. I think it would be a shame for boxing all over. I think there have been so many bad scorecards at the moment, it’s spoiling boxing.

Taylor was devastated by the defeat but will get the chance for revenge this weekend

‘So, I am just hoping the judges are fair and honest. I just hope whoever the better fighter on the night is, is given the decision. So yeah, hoping for no shocks.’

Cameron finished by revealing how she had been sparring men in preparation for his rematch with Taylor. She said: ‘Sparring men is the best preparation. It’s the best rounds I can get.

‘You have the hard rounds in the gym, you have tough sparring against someone who is fitter, sharper, faster than your opponent is going to be. So, when it comes to fight night, it feels a little bit easier than it would be if you had been in the gym sparring lads.

‘So I would rather do those rounds in the gym, where I am getting a little bit beaten up so it makes fight night easier. That’s why I am undefeated. When it comes to fight nights I have done my preparation and I feel ready.’

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