Fight of the year? Mayer and Cameron seek to cement greatness

It was cordial, until it wasn't. Courteous, until it wasn't. Captivating, already. <p>Mikaela Mayer and Chantelle Cameron need not marinate Saturday night's main event with any further spice, but few will grumble over a new dimension to the rivalry.</p><p>Each had been complimentary of the other's accolades, willingly acknowledging the elite talents of one another and mutually admiring the ease at which a rare pound-for-pound collision has come to fruition as they teased a fight-of-the-year contender.</p><p>But a subdued build-up exploded into life on Friday as the pair needed to be <strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/13578101/mayer-vs-cameron-mikaela-mayer-and-chantelle-cameron-split-by-security-after-clashing-at-fiery-weigh-in">split by security</a></strong> after butting heads and trading insults at a surprise clash during their weigh-in.</p><p>This was not in the script, for either.</p><ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/13578101/mayer-vs-cameron-mikaela-mayer-and-chantelle-cameron-split-by-security-after-clashing-at-fiery-weigh-in">Mayer and Cameron split by security after clash at fiery weigh-in</a></strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/13577937/mayer-vs-cameron-claressa-shields-is-jealous-and-caroline-dubois-is-a-puppy-says-alycia-baumgardner">Baumgardner vs Dubois? 'Shields said I'm scared - she's jealous!'</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://www.skysports.com/boxing/news/12183/13577984/mayer-vs-cameron-expert-predictions-who-wins-super-welterweight-title-fight-at-mvpw-06-in-birmingham"><strong>Mayer vs Cameron expert predictions</strong></a></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.sky.com/tv/sports?dcmp=Ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank">Get Sky Sports</a> or <a href="https://www.nowtv.com/watch-sky-sports-online?DCMP=ilc_skysports_nc_articlelink" target="_blank">stream boxing and more with no contract</a></strong></li></ul><widget id="8"></widget><p>"I've had some heated build-ups before, but that's only because it was just very genuine and authentic," WBA and WBC champion Mayer had told Sky Sports, speaking ahead of the weigh-in. "I didn't go looking for it. And Chantelle seems to be a pretty chill, down-to-earth person, so I don't think she would even go there if she felt some type of way."</p><p>WBO belt-holder Cameron, also in reference to their relaxed build-up, had added: "I think it shows we're two great fighters. You don't need all the trash talk and the bad blood. Just putting on a circus is not needed. We're just two good fighters that are going to beat each other up."</p><p>How it all changed.</p><h3>Mayer vs Cameron - fighter records</h3> <widget id="3"></widget> <widget id="4"></widget><p>Intentional or not, things would turn up a notch on the eve of their super-welterweight world title showdown in Birmingham. By the end Cameron had vowed to "smash her head in".</p><p>Before now it loomed as a fight capable of selling itself based on resume, based on skillset and based on the magnitude of two greatness-bound fighters sharing the ring; Mayer arrives as a three-weight world champion, while Cameron has reigned in two weight classes and as the only woman to defeat the great Katie Taylor as a professional.</p><p>The closely-matched pair had prompted familiar fence-sitting among peers and pundits understandably struggling to forecast Saturday's headline act.</p><p>"I know I believe in myself, she believes in herself and the exciting part about this is we genuinely both think that we're better fighters," said Mayer. "Now we get to go in there and prove it.</p><p>"I think it's split in the public. Half the people think that Chantelle's a better fighter, and half the people think that I'm the better fighter. So that's what's going to sell this fight.</p><p>"I know I'm going to win, but the public doesn't. That's what makes this exciting and intriguing."</p> <widget id="10"></widget><p>Among the themes to emerge this week has been Mayer's insistence that it would be "impossible" for Cameron to train for this version of her, such has been the American's self-proclaimed evolution alongside coach Kofi Jantuah over the last two years.</p><p>"As I'm shadowboxing I don't even do the same combos anymore," said Mayer. "It takes time for a coach to instil what he's trying to show a fighter, especially an older fighter like me - I have to change habits.</p><p>"He's really made me a better fighter. It's been a 10-month lay-off, but not a lay-off, because I've been in the gym every day perfecting all that stuff that he's trying to drill into me..</p><p>"I just seriously don't think you can train for me because I'm not throwing the same stuff. I'm not moving the same way."</p> <widget id="11"></widget><p>Cameron, fighting at super-welterweight for the second time after April's win over Michaela Kotaskova, has meanwhile cast doubt on how much growth there is left for Mayer at this stage in her career.</p><p>"I think that's just insecurity speaking," Cameron said. "She's not going to change that much. That's just doubting yourself and having to be insecure and speaking up for good hype. I don't get too much into that."</p><p>As far as storylines surrounding Cameron go, her victory over Taylor has been unsurprisingly heralded as a defining moment in her career.</p><p>The Northampton fighter defeated Taylor by majority decision in May 2023 to retain her undisputed super-lightweight champion status, before losing the rematch via the same outcome later in the year.</p><p>"Styles make fights and that's yesterday's news," she said. "I've done it, I'm proud of it, but it's yesterday's news.</p><p>"I've moved on from that and now I've got another good opponent and I want to take the win on Saturday to say I beat another legend in boxing. I think that's going to really cement my resume.</p><p>"I think this will be one of my best performances. I think the way my career's been, it's just per...

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