‘I’m capable of beating them all’: British champion has no plans to relinquish her world title

Chantelle Cameron is the new WBC super lightweight champion and tells Andy Baber how her first taste of success has only made her hungrier

WBC super lightweight champion Chantelle Cameron (Mark Robinson)

Chantelle Cameron has no intention of resting on her laurels after claiming her first world title, insisting that one is not enough as she looks to unify the division in 2021.

The Northampton fighter delivered a superlative performance when her time finally arrived in October, winning every round of her bout against Brazil's Adriana Dos Santos Araujo.

Her unanimous points victory took her record to 13-0 since turning professional in 2017 as she secured the WBC super lightweight title relinquished by Jessica McCaskill.

But rather than toasting her success and newfound stardom under the Matchroom stable, the 29-year-old has already turned her attention to bigger and better things in the new year.

“It’s a great achievement and I’ve achieved one of my goals but when people think your life will change when you become a world champion, it hasn’t,” Cameron said.

“It’s just made me hungrier really, it’s made me hungrier to hold on to my belts and go get the other belts. Now I’ve got this belt, I’m a target and I’ve never been a target before.

“I’m hoping to go for unification, there are talks about a unification fight. I think they are looking at me going for all of the belts next year which is great as I want all them belts.

“One is not enough. I’m think I'm capable of beating them all. I’ve been told the end of January so hopefully it will be then. People are going to shoot you down when you’re doing something right.

“You can keep hating but I’m the one with the belt and I’m not giving this belt up. Whoever is going to try and take this belt off me is going to have to be unstoppable.

“There is no chance this belt is going away from me easily. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and my style can’t please everyone but it’s going to take someone special to beat me.”

Cameron has already noticed her profile rise since making her debut under Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom banner, revealing she has been recognised more since her world title triumph.

And while the extra attention inevitably comes with more pressure, she does not see her champion status as a burden but as an opportunity to secure the fights she has already targeted.

“Mary McGee, Kali Reis or Christina (Linardatou), I genuinely don’t care who I fight as long as I get to fight for the unification. At the end of the day, I want to fight them all,” she said.

“I feel like I’ve had a big kick up the ass, I’ve never felt so motivated because I am a target and people are coming for me and I love it, I just think I can’t wait to punch your head in.

“When I see them saying this and that, I just think wait until you get in the ring. I like it because I’m looking to unify the division and there’s no chance I’m letting this belt slide from underneath me.

“It’s a motivation for me and the more people say they want to fight me and take my belt, beat me and all this, I just think you’re doing me a favour because you’re making me work hard.

“I’m working harder than ever and that’s my motivation, people coming for me now, whereas I’ve always been the one chasing the belts and trying to get the big fights.

“Now I’m in a position where people are coming for me and it’s given me a massive boost. Now I’m in this position I’ve got to work as hard as possible to make sure that I don’t lose.

“No one wants to lose but I’ve not achieved my goal and unifying the whole division is my goal. If I end up losing the WBC belt I’m back at the bottom again and I can’t allow that.”

Cameron previously called out Ireland’s undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor but ultimately decided to move up a weight after being frustrated by not getting a look-in.

But while the fight is no longer top of her priority list now she has changed divisions, Cameron has not ruled out the possibility of facing her in the future after she unifies at super lightweight.

“I think Katie Taylor is not on my radar at the moment because I’m in the super lightweight division and I’m trying to unify and she’s busy shouting out [Cris Cyborg] and whoever else,” she said.

“My name is not in that list so there’s no point wasting my energy on that fight, it probably won’t happen. I think if I do unify super lightweight then why not fight me?

“If I have all the belts and she has all the belts, lets meet down at lightweight and get that on. I’m mandatory at lightweight anyway, I won that over a year ago now.”