Cameron to fight on 'for couple more years'

Chantelle Cameron has won world titles at two different weights

Chantelle Cameron said she only plans to fight on for a couple more years after giving up her WBC light-welterweight world title.

The 34-year-old vacated the belt at the end of last month in protest at not being able to fight under the same rules as male boxers.

Women's world title fights are usually over 10 two-minute rounds, but Cameron said the three-minute duration in men's bouts would suit her better.

"It's been a long, hard career and I've achieved everything I set out to do, so I want to enjoy it, have some fun with it, and then open up my own gym and help others.

"I don't want to be [in my] late 30s and still boxing because I want to do other things in my life too," she told BBC Radio Northampton.

"I've not had the wear and tear, so I could go on and on and on, but I want to have my health intact. I don't want to take too much punishment.

"It's a tough industry, you've got to look after yourself and think, 'When is enough enough?'"

Cameron has won 21 of her 22 professional fights - her only defeat coming in a rematch with Ireland's Katie Taylor in 2023 after beating her six months earlier.

She was upgraded from interim world champion in September after Taylor told the WBC she was taking time away from the sport.

"The last two years I've been chasing the trilogy [fight] that was never going to happen and that meant holding on to the WBC route," Cameron said.

"I could have been chasing Mikaela Mayer, the Lauren Prices, [Alycia] Baumgardners - there's so many big names - but I wanted the trilogy that much and wanted to settle the score, it got me stuck in a bit of mud.

"I just want a crack at one of the world champions but at the minute, everyone's tied up again, so it's a little bit frustrating."

Women fighters have been campaigning for the longer rounds for the past couple of years, but the WBC says research shows they are at greater risk from concussion.

Cameron, however, said a change to the rules would be better for boxers and fans alike.

"I train three minutes, I spar three minutes, and then I get in the ring and I'm doing two minutes and I don't feel I have enough time to do the damage I want to do.

"Every boxer wants stoppages on their record because that's what the fans want to see as well. My style is fan-friendly as it is, but with three minutes it will be more fan-friendly.

"There's pros and cons, but as a woman, it should be our decision. If you're an amateur going into pros, you're actually going backwards because you're doing two-minute rounds."

Chantelle Cameron was speaking to BBC Radio Northampton's Annabel Amos and Graham McKechnie