A firm stance to try to move the lines. At the end of September, Chantelle Cameron was crowned WBC super-lightweight world champion after the break of the undisputed Irish champion Katie Taylor. But only a month later, the Briton chose to give up her belt to mark the occasion.
Not satisfied with the current rules of boxing, the 34-year-old boxer regrets in particular the inequality in the number of rounds between female and male fights: among women, the title fights are played in ten rounds of two minutes each while the men are decided in twelve rounds of three minutes.
“Still progress to be made” in women’s boxing
“Women’s boxing has come a long way, but there is still progress to be made. I have always believed in equality and that includes the choice to fight in as many rounds, with the same chances and the same respect,” Chantelle Cameron explained to the BBC.
“I am proud of my success in becoming a WBC champion, but it is time to take a stand on what is right and for the future of this sport,” she continued.
This request to harmonize the number and duration of rounds between female boxers and their male counterparts is not the first in the world of women’s boxing. In October 2023, around twenty female boxers, including the featherweight world champion at the time, Amanda Serrano, expressed the same wish in a press release. Two years later, the rules have not changed.