Shields Confirms Cameron Talks Moving Quickly

Claressa Shields and Chantelle Cameron are negotiating a middleweight fight after the two exchanged messages on social media last weekend, with talks advancing rapidly according to Cameron.

Cameron, who unified three major titles at junior middleweight by beating Mikaela Mayer on August 30, told The Ring that her promoter MVP opened discussions with Shields' team immediately after Saturday's win in Birmingham. The bout would happen at 160 pounds, with Cameron willing to give away the weight despite her preference for 148 or below.

Cameron On Weight Concession For Shields Fight

"My promoters MVP are actually already talking to Claressa Shields' team because she said she wanted to fight me," Cameron said. "I said I'd love that opportunity so MVP have got straight on to her team. There have been phone calls since my fight at the weekend so the ball is rolling and it's moving quite quickly."

Shields stopped Kaye Scott on August 15 to claim the WBC and WBA middleweight titles. The 31-year-old former heavyweight champion once weighed over 174 pounds for a fight, while Cameron has never boxed above 151.

A rematch clause with Mayer was expected to complicate the timeline, but Cameron dismissed that obstacle. She said Mayer was looking past her toward a Shields fight, and now the junior middleweight unified champion believes winner-stays-on logic applies.

Cameron weighed 148 pounds for the Mayer fight and said she would not bulk up for Shields. "I do know from talks that she won't come lower than 160," the 35-year-old said. "But it's Claressa Shields and I'm happy to accept that. I wouldn't put on any weight, it would make me slow and sluggish so I'd just give that weight away."

No date or venue has been confirmed. Shields holds a 19-0 record with four knockouts, while Cameron is 23-1 with eight stoppages.

Source: ringmagazine.com