American boxer Mikaela Mayer admitted she acted inappropriately after losing her unified super-welterweight world titles to Chantelle Cameron in Birmingham on Saturday night.
Mayer lost her WBA, WBC and WBO super-welterweight belts in a breathless contest between two of women's boxing's pound-for-pound elite, with the judges scoring the bout 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94 in Cameron's favour. The defeat was only the third of Mayer's professional career.
Speaking to Sky Sports News a day after the fight, the 36-year-old former super-featherweight and welterweight world champion acknowledged that post-bout friction overshadowed what had been billed as a landmark fight in the 154-pound division.
Mayer explained that her angry reaction inside the ring was sparked by comments made by Cameron on the microphone immediately after the decision was announced.
"In the heat of the moment after the fight, I felt I had won, but I knew it was close, and I was prepared to go to the mic and give her her props and say I'm looking forward to the rematch," Mayer said.
"I'm not going to lie, I heard her on the mic talking trash and it triggered me. It brought something out of me and I feel like I acted in a way that I shouldn't have."
Weigh-in Altercation and In-Ring Friction
The ill feeling between the two fighters had escalated during the pre-fight build-up. Security personnel were required to separate Mayer and Cameron following a physical altercation at Friday's official weigh-in.
Tensions boiled over again inside the ring on Saturday night when Mayer confronted Cameron after the official scorecards were read out, telling the newly crowned unified champion, "I did beat you."
Reflecting on how the friendship dissolved, Mayer traced the rivalry's main flashpoint to an earlier face-off between the pair.
"We were always actually really cool, and the only thing that kind of triggered that rivalry was me getting in her face during the face-off," Mayer said, adding that Cameron may have "had all those words to say" about her "deep down."
Cameron, a 35-year-old fighter from Northampton who previously held the undisputed light-welterweight titles, admitted she had genuinely respected Mayer before their pre-fight exchanges turned bitter. The British boxer believed that hostility ultimately worked against her opponent.
"I was looking at her before the bell rang and thought, 'I'm going to smash your head in,'" Cameron said after the fight. "And it worked. I was feeling the energy, she didn't want to be in there."
Physical Toll and Revised Stance on Decision
The bout lived up to expectations but took a visible toll on both competitors inside the ring. By the ninth round, both fighters showed severe facial swelling, with Mayer suffering a cut near her eye while Cameron bled from hers. Despite the fierce action, the rivals embraced at the final bell before verbal hostilities resumed during the post-fight interviews.
Although Mayer disputed the verdict in the immediate aftermath of the bout, the former Olympian struck a markedly different tone 24 hours later.
"I have not watched the fight back, but I am open to the idea that it was too close," Mayer said. "I told myself I would not let the fight get close, and I didn't do that. I let it get too close, and so I can't be upset at the decision."
She added: "It wasn't my night, and I have to give her the props for the win. She's a great fighter, and I'm just excited to go fix my mistakes and do better."
Victory in Birmingham further strengthened Cameron's standing among the greatest female boxers of her generation. Her record already includes a historic win over Irish star Katie Taylor, inflicting the only professional defeat of Taylor's career in Dublin in May 2023.
Despite her achievements, Cameron played down suggestions that she should be considered the greatest female fighter of all time, insisting American star Claressa Shields, an undefeated multi-division champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, still holds that title.
Contractual Rematch Clause and Round Duration Options
Attention has already turned to a potential second bout between the pair, with Mayer confirming that a rematch clause was written into the original fight contract.
"I don't see a way that it doesn't happen because it's in the contract," Mayer said. "We both want it and we'll make it happen."
A key point of contention for any rematch involves the duration of rounds. Standard women's professional boxing matches consist of 10 two-minute rounds, rather than the three-minute rounds standard in men's professional boxing.
Mayer revealed she had previously declined to vacate her WBC title to accommodate three-minute rounds for Saturday's fight, leaving the decision with the new champion.
"I wasn't willing to vacate my WBC belt in order to go three-minute rounds," Mayer explained. "In order to go three-minute rounds, I had to vacate that WBC belt but I know how much the belts play a role in your negotiation."
With Cameron now holding the belts, Mayer stated she is open to contesting three-minute rounds in the rematch. "She has the belts and she wants to go three-minute rounds. We can absolutely do that. I have no problem with that. It's her choice now, just like it was my choice for this fight."
Cameron made three-minute rounds a clear condition for a rematch in the immediate aftermath of her victory. "I want to do this again," Cameron said on Saturday night. "It's up to Mikaela, but I want to do three-minute rounds."
Her trainer Jamie Moore, a former British light-middleweight champion, noted that Cameron could choose to vacate the WBC belt if the sanctioning body refuses to sanction three-minute rounds.
Promoter Reaction and Future Fight Opportunities
Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), welcomed the prospect of a second fight while highlighting Cameron's ambition to face other elite names in women's combat sports.
Bidarian revealed that Cameron has actively sought fights against Claressa Shields and Welsh Olympic gold medalist Lauren Price from the beginning of her tenure with the promotion. He argued that the 35-year-old Briton is unequivocally among the top two or three female boxers of all time, if not the greatest.
While Mayer had insisted on Saturday night that any rematch should take place in the United States, she made no reference to the venue when speaking a day later. Instead, the American expressed her gratitude to British boxing fans and promised to return to the United Kingdom.
"I love you guys, I can't wait to come back," Mayer said. "I'm here for your entertainment."
