Chantelle Cameron Wants Claressa Shields — But Mayer's Rematch Clause Looms

Chantelle Cameron unified three super-welterweight world titles last Saturday in Birmingham, outpointing Mikaela Mayer by unanimous decision to add the WBC, WBO and WBA straps to her collection. The 35-year-old from Northampton called it the best night of a career that already includes a majority-decision win over Katie Taylor in 2023 — and she's not shy about ranking it higher.

Now she wants Claressa Shields. The middleweight pound-for-pound star called Cameron out ringside the moment the result was read, and the two camps have already opened talks. There's just one problem written into the paperwork: a rematch clause that could send Cameron straight back to Mayer instead.

The Clause Problem

Cameron isn't pretending the risk doesn't exist. She told this outlet that boxing being boxing, Mayer could well demand her return bout, and admitted that if the roles were reversed she might have had to wait while Mayer chased Shields herself. Her counter-argument is simple: she won, Mayer didn't, and "winner stays on." The message to Mayer was that the rematch will happen — but it can wait.

If that second fight does come first, Cameron has one non-negotiable: 10 three-minute rounds rather than the standard two-minute women's format. That's telling, because even over the shorter rounds she felt she controlled the fight more comfortably than expected. She'd braced for a tougher night given Mayer's height and reach, but said she felt like the stronger woman and believed Mayer felt her power.

The Weigh-In Fire

The performance had an edge to it, and Cameron traces that back to a heated weigh-in where the pair traded insults. She said the confrontation lit a fire and lifted her tenacity — but she also isn't thrilled with how she carried it into the ring. Cameron admitted the trash talk turned her into, in her own blunt words, a bit of a dick, and questioned whether the tongue-out theatrics were a good look for women's boxing even if the crowd loved it.

That flash of self-criticism is part of why Cameron reads as the real deal. She's a two-division champion and a genuine role model, and she's already thinking about how to stretch her legacy further. Whether that means honouring the Mayer clause or rolling the dice on Shields, she's operating from a position of strength. The paperwork, not the boxing, is the only thing slowing her down.