Chantelle Cameron says Claressa Shields fight is off as she eyes Mayer rematch

The unified junior middleweight champion from Northampton turned away from the superfight only hours after saying she still hoped to make it, and hinted that a deal to face Mikaela Mayer again is close.

Chantelle Cameron believes a superfight with Claressa Shields will not happen and has told iFL TV she is moving on to a rematch with Mikaela Mayer.

The 35-year-old from Northampton, the unified junior middleweight champion, had been chasing a fight with the undefeated American, who is widely regarded as the best fighter in women's boxing. Cameron told iFL TV: “I was in really good talks with Claressa Shields, and I feel like that’s not gonna happen now.” She added: “I’m a bit disappointed, but I’ve got to get over that now and get on to what’s next.” In a separate interview released only hours earlier, Cameron had sounded relatively optimistic about the fight, saying: “I really do want the fight, and I hope it happens, but there’s just a few hiccups at the moment.” Where and when the talks broke down is unclear.

Shields made the first move after Cameron beat Mayer on points on 29 August in Birmingham, writing on X that she wanted to face Cameron before any rematch and wanted an opponent coming off a win. Shields, of Flint, Michigan, went on to publicly discuss possible venues, including Detroit's Ford Field and Atlanta.

Cameron (23-1, 8 KOs) was willing despite the size difference. Shields (19-0, 4 KOs) has fought as heavy as 174¾ pounds, while Cameron moved up from 140 pounds only within the past year and a half.

Her attention now turns back to Mayer (22-3, 5 KOs), whom she beat by unanimous decision with scores of 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94. Cameron hinted to iFL TV that a deal for the second fight was close to being signed.

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