Chantelle Cameron is due to begin 2023 with a mandatory title defense to follow her 2022 Fighter of the Year-level campaign.
When and where it will take place depends on which promoter will get to stage the bout—if it happens at all.
BoxingScene.com has learned that an ordered WBO junior welterweight title fight between England’s Cameron—the division’s undisputed champion—and mandatory challenger Christina Linardatou will head to a purse bid hearing. The bout was ordered on November 10 and accompanied with a 30-day negotiation period.
A grace period unintentionally permitted by the WBO still failed to produce a deal, initially prompting the sanctioning body to expedite matters.
“On December 22, 2022, WBO In House Counsel Mr. Gustavo Olivieri, Esq., wrote an email communication to the parties requesting an immediate update of the negotiations, if any, as ordered,” WBO Championship Committee chairman Luis Batista-Salas noted in an official letter on December 27 to Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn and DiBella Entertainment’s Lou DiBella on behalf of Cameron and Linadartou, respectively. “Nevertheless, neither party responded as requested. “Therefore, considering the foregoing, the parties are hereby ordered to confirm within the next 48 hours upon issuance of this notice whether an agreement has been reached or purse bids will be scheduled in the next 10 days thereafter.”
The final 48 hour-period was met without confirmation of the two sides reaching terms, with the WBO to now schedule a purse bid within the first two weeks of the new year. BoxingScene.com has since learned of the unfortunate likelihood that the matchup makes it to a purse bid, never mind making its way to the ring.
Cameron (17-0, 8KOs)—a 31-year-old, supremely gifted boxer from Northampton, England—became the true queen of the 140-pound division following a ten-round win over Jessica McCaskill, the reigning undisputed welterweight champion who dropped down in weight for their November 5 clash. Cameron added the vacant WBO and WBA titles to her collection while successfully defending the WBC and IBF belts.
Original plans heading into 2022 called for Cameron to face unified WBO/WBA champ Kali Reis, who was inactive on the year as she chose to tend to matters outside the ring. The Providence native won the WBA belt in November 2020 and added the vacant WBO belt in a ten-round win over Jessica Camara last November 19 in Manchester, New Hampshire. Cameron was ringside for the fight, with the intention of establishing a launching point for their undisputed clash that never came to fruition.
The WBO belt was available in the Reis-Camara fight after Linardatou—a former two-time WBO 140-pound titlist—withdrew from the 2021-established tournament after learning she was pregnant. Per WBO Regulations,“A Female WBO Champion who during her reign becomes inactive due to pregnancy, shall relinquish the WBO Championship and upon her return request designation as the Mandatory Challenger if the Championship was filled during her absence, or request contesting to fill the vacancy as the case may be.”
As such, Linardatou (14-2, 6KOs) was installed as the number-one contender following a July 27 win in her ring return in Kavala, Greece. The 34-year-old Dominican Republic-born former champ—who resides in Athens, Greece—was guaranteed the winner of Cameron-McCaskill given such placement.
However, a dispute over the purse split created problems to where it figures to become a dealbreaker even before the purse bid hearing.
Linardatou’s side contends that she should be due an even 50/50 split, whereas the WBO has installed the standard 75/25 arrangement in favor of Cameron as the reigning champion.
Linardatou—the only boxer to hang a loss on current lineal and unified junior lightweight champion Alycia Baumgardner (13-1, 7KOs)—entered her first title reign following a ten-round decision over unbeaten Kandi Wyatt in June 2019.
Her title reign was one-and-done, dropping a competitive but clear unanimous decision to Katie Taylor (22-0, 6KOs), who briefly moved up from her undisputed lightweight championship reign in a bid to become a two-division champion. The legendary Irishwoman accomplished that goal following their November 2019 meeting in Manchester, England, before immediately vacating the belt.
Linardatou regained the belt in her next fought, outpointing Prisca Vicot in February 2020 in Hammond, Indiana. The combination of the pandemic and her pregnancy disallowed a title defense.
Cameron first became champ following a ten-round shutout of unbeaten Adriana dos Santos Araujo, who missed weight for their October 2020 WBC junior welterweight title fight. Four successful defenses followed, including a thrilling ten-round win over Mary McGee in their WBC/IBF unification bout last October 30 at The O2 In London. The feat was followed by victories over Victoria Noella Bustos and then McCaskill in a stellar 2022 campaign to emerge as a bona fide Top 10 pound-for-pound entrant.
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox