Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron locked eyes for the last time when they stepped off the scales in the Mahony Hall in the Helix at DCU on Friday afternoon. Their next meeting, scheduled for about 10.30pm on Saturday night in the 3Arena, will determine the future trajectory of Taylor’s career as she arrives to the Dublin event again as the challenger, having been beaten by Cameron when the pair met in May at the same venue.
When both boxers took off their shoes and tracksuits they easily made the 140lb limit, Taylor weighing in at 139.6lbs and the defending, unbeaten Super Lightweight champion from Northampton, Cameron, coming in a fraction lighter at 139.5lbs.
The world champions arrived into the arena to the tune of Oró, Sé Do Bheatha ‘Bhaile played by two violinists before they stepped on the scales and faced off. Both were all business, Cameron the world champion at the 140 limit and Taylor the world champion at the lighter 135 limit, choosing silence and body language to the trash talk that had coloured several of the male weigh-ins before them.
Dublin’s Thomas Carty could be heard whispering to his opponent Dan Garber “you are going to sleep”. Olympian Emmet Brennan also drew healthy support when he arrived on stage in a Dubs T-shirt. Brennan, who competed at the Tokyo Olympic Games meets Jamie Morrisey for the Celtic Light heavyweight championship.
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The Taylor bout is the headline act on a card of nine fights, six of them for titles and two, including hers, for world titles. The other world title meeting is also a woman cast with defending champion Skye Nicolson meeting Lucy Wildheart for the Interim World Featherweight title. Australian Nicolson defeated Ireland’s Micheala Walsh in the 2018 Commonwealth Games final.
If Taylor ever had to think about what legacy she has already left on the sport of boxing, two world title fights involving women on a mostly male card is one. This arrangement could not have happened as recently as 10 years ago and is now common.
As the serious faces on both boxers suggested, there is a lot at stake especially for 37-year-old Taylor, who barely glanced at the belts held up by promoter Eddie Hearn, who was, as ever, the ring master and centre stage.
The card is due to start at 4pm at the sold-out arena, which can hold about 9,000 fans. An Garda Síochána, in a statement to The Irish Times, said that business will be as usual in Dublin on Saturday.
“Dublin city is open for normal business. An Garda Síochána will have enhanced policing plans in place over the course of the weekend and look forward to supporting and working with residents, employees, commuters, shoppers and citizens socialising in Dublin city Centre over the coming day,” it said.
On Thursday, a knife attack on a woman worker at an after-school day care facility and three young children sparked off a night of serious disturbances and looting in the city centre.
