Camara’s Massive Challenge

By Vincent Morin

Photo Credit - Andréanne Lambert

Through the Matchmaker’s Eyes

After Alexis Barrière and Tammara Thibeault, it’s now Jessica Camara’s turn to see her name added to the summer card at the prestigious Madison Square Garden in New York. But unlike her fellow Canadians, she’ll be stepping into the ring for a world title on July 11, as part of the undercard for the highly anticipated trilogy bout between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor.

Trained by Ian MacKillop, Camara (14-4-1, 3 KOs) is facing a monumental task: she’ll go up against Britain’s Chantelle Cameron (20-1-0, 8 KOs), who will look to defend her interim WBC super-lightweight (140 lb) title for the second time.

Dubbed “The Cobra,” Camara enters the bout as the clear underdog. But could she sink her fangs into the Big Apple and leave with a championship belt on July 11?

Cameron, known as “Il Capo,” held the undisputed super-lightweight crown (WBC, WBA, IBF, WBO, and IBO titles) in 2022 and 2023. She cemented her status atop women’s boxing’s pound-for-pound rankings—just behind Claressa Shields—after back-to-back victories over Jessica McCaskill and Katie Taylor.

However, the 34-year-old English fighter lost her rematch with Taylor in November 2023, dropping her belts in a majority decision. Both fights against the Irish star ended via majority decision—Cameron winning the first, falling short in the second.

Since then, she has bounced back with two decision wins in 2024 on home soil—one over France’s Elhem Mekhaled (who’s set to face Leila Beaudoin in Montreal on June 27), and another over Sweden’s Patricia Berghult.

As for Camara, the Montreal-based fighter originally from Ontario will be making her second high-profile road appearance of 2025. Back on January 11 in Sheffield, she took on hard-hitting southpaw Caroline Dubois for the WBC lightweight (135 lb) world title. That bout ended in a no-contest in the third round after an accidental headbutt left Camara with a cut.

It was a rough night for the 37-year-old, who was knocked down early and clearly shaken before the clash of heads halted the fight.

Prior to that, Camara was riding a four-fight win streak, which included capturing the WBA Gold title in South Korea—her comeback following a surprising loss to Karla Ramos Zamora on March 16, 2023, at Place Bell.

She may not be the oddsmakers’ pick on July 11, but “The Cobra” will be looking to make life miserable for “Il Capo.”

Camara has fought eight times in the U.S., while Cameron has made just one appearance on American soil. That may be the only edge the Canadian holds against a younger, taller, stronger, and more decorated opponent.

Yes, it’s a colossal challenge. But Madison Square Garden has a way of creating magic, and Jessica Camara has everything to gain at the home of the Knicks and Rangers. All the pressure is on Cameron, who will be making her debut under the Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) banner after signing with Jake Paul’s firm on May 12.

With a chip on her shoulder, the proud Quebec fighter knows she was brought in as the “opponent.” She’ll look to flip the script—and maybe even etch her name onto the long list of world champions who’ve left Midtown Manhattan’s iconic arena with a WBC belt strapped around their waist.