Chantelle Cameron Outpoints Elhem Mekhaled, Now WBC Mandatory For Katie Taylor’s 140-Pound Crown
Chantelle Cameron (right) lands right hand on Elhem Mekhaled in their July 20 interim WBC 140-pound title fight in Birmingham, England. Photo credit: Getty Images
Chantelle Cameron is back in the sights of her old rival.
The former undisputed 140-pound champion won the interim WBC title after a majority decision victory over Elhem Mekhaled. Their strangely scored ten-rounder saw one card at 95-95, overruled by scores of 99-92 and 98-92 for Cameron.
With the win, Cameron (19-1, 8 knockouts) is back in position to challenge Ireland’s Katie Taylor (23-1, 6 KOs) next year.
The entertaining affair saw Cameron force a furious pace and remain at that level for all ten rounds. The 33-year-old Brit was credited with throwing 864punches in just 20 minutes of action.
Mekhaled (17-3, 3 KOs) was not without her moments, particularly late in the fight. She stood her ground after Cameron briefly stunned her in round four. A two-way exchange ensured in center ring, a pivotal moment for Mekhaled who is a career 130-pounder. They combined to land 43 punches, each setting fight-high marks in the all-action frame.
Cameron quickly regained control in round five and relied on pure boxing skills and volume punching to outwork Mekhaled.
Mekhaled surged late but still struggled to keep pace with the tireless Cameron. It set up a high-octane tenth and final round, where the two threw a combined 194 punches.
The loss was Mekhaled’s second in her past four fights. She dropped a decision to Alycia Baumgardner (15-1, 7 KOs) in their undisputed 130-pound championship last Feb. 4 in New York City.
Cameron fought for the first time since her narrow defeat to Taylor in their rematch last Nov. 25 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. It ended her undisputed championship reign, a run which included a win over Taylor on the road at that same venue last May.
Taylor and Cameron are responsible for the other’s lone career loss. Saturday’s fight can force a trilogy, depending on the outcome of Taylor’s planned rematch with Amanda Serrano (46-2-1, 30 KOs) in November.
Cameron-Mekhaled aired live on ESPN+ in the U.S. and TNT Sports in the U.K. The bout was part of Queensberry Promotions’ latest installment of its ‘Magnificent 7’ series.
The show’s headliner saw Brad Pauls stop unbeaten Nathan Heaney in the 12th and final round of their middleweight rematch.
Pauls (19-1-1, 11 KOs) and Heaney (18-1-1, 5 KOs) fought to a spirited twelve-round draw on March 16. The sequel wasn’t quite as competitive, as Pauls immediately jumped on his countryman and twice sent him to the canvas.
The fight ending sequence saw Pauls pummel Heaney with a series of right hands. A final left hook and overhand right sent Heaney crashing into the ropes. Referee Michael Alexander counted him out at 0:53 of the 12th round.
