Chantelle Cameron discovered her superpower in a small patch of grass on the grounds of Standens Barn in Northampton.
“I didn’t feel any pain when I was younger… I don’t really feel pain, it’s kind of weird and I’ve always loved fighting,” the world’s best pound-for-pound female boxer says of casting her. Let’s recall a formative scene that could not have been in sharper contrast to his rival beating Katie Taylor in front of 10,000 fans in Dublin.
“I come from council housing where we had nothing, not even a playground,” Cameron recalls. “He was just hanging out in the streets. We had some grass and made our own little games.
“I used to play with Barbies and make little Polly Pockets, but I got bored and started play-fighting with all the boys. I was making the boys cry. Their mother would come to my house and chat with my mother. It was just starting all the time.
When he was 10, Cameron joined the local kickboxing club, where he once again found himself channeling his passion for fighting alongside the boys.
“There is this excitement, there is this excitement,” he says. “And I didn’t hesitate to respond. I could have taken a shot, I could have even kicked me in the head or kneed me in the head, I did that for myself. Competition categories will be mixed. I would fight boys and never get hurt. “I would go to school for three hours every night and go to the kickboxing gym.”
When did he realize he was okay? “When I won competitions,” Cameron says, smiling as he recalls an occasion when he was surrounded not only by the winner’s trophy but also by the men he had defeated. “This probably wasn’t one of the photos where they were there. [the boys] I went to show it to everyone at school. My parents didn’t like me doing this at first, but they saw that I won medals and stayed out of trouble. “That kept me disciplined.”
What did it feel like to inflict punishment besides feeling no pain? “You’re there to hurt someone,” he said matter-of-factly. “That doesn’t mean I want to go around hurting everyone and causing havoc. A fight is a fight. They want to hurt me, so I’d rather hurt them than them hurt me.
Cameron became a National Amateur Boxing Association champion in 2010 and was told he needed to focus on boxing to have a chance at selection for the Olympics and other international competitions.
He was already better with his fists than his feet, and his pure boxing journey will culminate further this weekend with a rematch against Taylor for the undisputed world super lightweight title at the 3Arena in Dublin.
While Cameron remains unbeaten professionally, Olympic gold medalist and two-weight world champion Taylor will look to avenge her only defeat when what was billed as “Homecoming” fell apart in May.
It is an intriguing prospect that also serves as a timely reminder to men that there is nothing more fascinating in boxing than a genuine encounter of the best against the best.
Cameron describes the atmosphere in the first fight as “pretty breathtaking”, but it’s also easy to sense his disappointment at having to travel to Ireland again for the rematch, even if he was the winner. He would love the chance to eventually fight on a similar stage in Northampton, perhaps at Franklin’s Gardens, home of the Northampton Saints rugby team.
‘I accomplished what was difficult and I’m proud of it’
“I’ve fought in arenas, entertainment venues, event rooms, stadiums,” he says. “I started small and grew big. I did it the hard way and I’m very proud of it. Nothing was given to me and I won’t change that. Especially in boxing, if something is given to you, you become indifferent. You get a little ungrateful… and you qualify. I overcame obstacles and obstacles. “I’m on top of the world and I have to keep it that way.”
Cameron, 32, hopes he “will be remembered as one of the best to ever do it” but is also acutely aware of a wider potential legacy. There is a debate over whether women’s championship bouts should follow the men’s format of 12 three-minute rounds or remain with 10 two-minute rounds.
“I would love to push myself to do what men do,” she says. “There’s a lot more punch thrown in the two-minute rounds – more intense – but in the three-minute rounds you can’t argue with the pay. Women should receive equal pay as men because we do the same. It also makes the job more exciting because there will be more stops.
“Three-minute rounds… you’re going to tackle your opponent, you’re going to get to them and I think it’s going to be easier for the referees to score. “Three-minute rounds suit my style better.”
‘I let my fists do the talking’
Aside from that obvious boxing legacy, Cameron also hopes his behavior outside the ring sets an example. The absence of any disrespectful or abusive remarks towards Taylor certainly feels like a refreshing throwback to more dignified times.
“When I retire, I want people to talk about my fights and inspire the next generation to be a good fighter, but also to think that you don’t need to sell yourself in certain ways, like trash-talking. You won’t see me badmouthing other fighters or being mean or harsh on the internet.
“People love you too. They see the real you and they don’t think, ‘What the f—— is this? You can be yourself. I don’t box for people’s approval. I do it because I enjoy it and I let my punches do the talking.”
“There is no hostility [with Taylor]. I respect him. He’s a great role model, but at the end of the day, I beat him and I need to beat him again. “This is a selfish sport.”
Beyond that, when Cameron thinks back to growing up on an estate in Northampton, there’s a message for other young girls with big dreams.
“If you have a dream, you have to persevere because it won’t be easy,” he says. “But don’t let anyone tell you you can’t do something. Never back down. “You just have to remember what you set out to do and keep going because one day you will achieve it.”