First Published: Sep 08 2026 | 10:07 AM IST

Chantelle Cameron is eager to secure a mega fight with Claressa Shields, but equally recognises that Mikaela Mayer could throw a spanner in the works.

The 35-year-old unanimously outpointed Mayer last Saturday, becoming a unified super-welterweight champion on what she views as the greatest night of her illustrious career.

But while there happens to be a rematch clause in their contract, Cameron has nonetheless turned her attention to pound-for-pound star Shields, who called out the Brit immediately after her triumph in Birmingham.

Since then, their respective teams have engaged in negotiations, yet Cameron has told Boxing News that Mayer could scupper their potential showdown.

“There is that risk [of Mayer demanding an immediate rematch] because it’s obviously boxing, isn’t it? If the shoe was on the other foot, I would’ve had to potentially wait for her to box Claressa Shields.

“But Mikaela Mayer didn’t win – I won, so it’s winner stays on. And Claressa Shields has said she wants to fight me. [Mayer will] have the rematch, but she can wait.”

As far as a clash with middleweight queen Shields goes, only time will tell, but Cameron insists that, if she is to rematch Mayer, it simply must be over a scheduled 10 three-minute rounds.

Even during the typical two-minute rounds, though, Cameron almost surprised herself at how convincingly she was able to defeat her American foe.

“I thought it was going to be a harder fight, if I’m honest. I do think some of the rounds were close but, physically, I felt like the stronger woman. I was catching her with some big shots and I think she felt my power.”

It was, indeed, a clear victory in favour of the Northampton woman, who ranks this triumph even higher than her majority decision win over Katie Taylor in 2023.

“I feel like it was definitely better than the Katie Taylor fight. I always knew I’d beat Katie Taylor – the only thing I was questioning was beating Katie Taylor in Ireland.

“So, for me to turn up and beat Katie in her country – on her show – was a huge ask. And I did it. But I feel like Mikaela Mayer was a bigger challenge.”

While she felt that Mayer was, on paper, a tougher challenge – given her height and reach advantages – Cameron ultimately rose to the occasion and produced one of her finest performances.

This, she explains, is partly because Mayer’s attitude at their weigh-in – where they exchanged unpleasantries – lit a fire that made her approach their contest with an added degree of tenacity.

At the same time, though, the WBC, WBO and WBA champion admits that she slightly regrets her behaviour during the fight itself.

“I am a bit gutted, because I generally did like Mikaela Mayer. I thought she was cool and I had a lot of respect for her.

“[The confrontation] definitely [elevated my performance] but I think it turned me into a bit of a dick, to be honest.

“Before the fight, she was sticking her tongue out at me. Then I did the same and was saying stuff to her during the fight. It was just stupid. It was entertaining for everyone else but was that sort of behaviour a good demonstration of women’s boxing? I’m not sure.”

Antics aside, Cameron remains a class act and role model, having become a two-division world champion and British boxing legend.

And, indeed, she will look to further enhance her legacy soon enough, whether it be in a rematch with Mayer or a dare-to-be-great encounter with Shields.

A race day workout at Randwick has the undefeated colt St Gotthard on course for a first-up run in the Run To The Rose, where he is set to encounter three talented stablemates.

The Group 2 winner was one of three colts from the Chris Waller stable to undertake solo exhibition gallops at Randwick on Saturday, alongside Fireball and Tron Bolt. All are being prepared for the Golden Rose lead-up next Saturday at Rosehill, with the Rosebud placegetter Central Europe also expected to participate in the sprint.

Tron Bolt recorded the fastest time of the three workers at Randwick, covering 1000m in 1:07.93 and completing his final 600m in 38.07 seconds. While Waller would prefer his charges didn’t have to compete against each other, he noted they were all gifted and pursuing Group One victories for their records.

“They are lovely colts and all on the same path. They’ve got to try and win Group Ones in the spring,” Waller commented. “Most likely, they start at Rosehill in the Run To The Rose. It is an important starting point for our three. It is unavoidable (they clash).”

Future targets were also mentioned: “The Golden Rose, Coolmore (Stud Stakes), big sprints, Caulfield Guineas and obviously big feature races in Sydney are in the plans.”

St Gotthard and Central Europe are raced by similar ownership groups, led by Coolmore, and both colts boast stallion-worthy pedigrees. Waller expressed it was unfortunate they were on an early spring collision course but confirmed the Run To The Rose (1200m) was the appropriate race for each. He believes Central Europe requires another run before the Golden Rose (1400m) on September 26.

“I would have liked to have split him and St Gotthard up with similar ownership,” Waller said. “But I think Central Europe needs another sprint race before he gets out to 1400 metres.”

The Run To The Rose is one of four black-type races at Rosehill on Saturday, alongside the Theo Marks Stakes (1300m), Sheraco Stakes (1200m), and the Ming Dynasty Quality (1400m).

With the Run To The Rose approaching, the betting sites are expected to offer competitive racing odds.

SMU did everything it could to give Florida State a chance to win Monday night. Instead, the Mustangs got out of Tallahassee with a 27-24 win after a 20-yard field goal from Nick Reed with 21 seconds to go.

Once the game finally started after a 100-minute delay because of a power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium, it was clear that SMU was the better team.

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Yet the Mustangs were also the team that kept making more mistakes. SMU turned the ball over four times, missed a field goal and committed a penalty on an FSU field goal attempt that led to a game-tying touchdown in the third quarter. It was an incredibly sloppy effort from SMU, yet Florida State could not capitalize.

The Mustangs’ fourth turnover came with 6:33 to go and the game tied at 24-24. Safety Ashlynd Barker read QB Kevin Jennings’ eyes for an interception and gave Florida State a chance to take its first lead of the night.

Instead, the Seminoles’ offense lost seven yards on three plays after Ashton Daniels was sacked on third down. That down was FSU’s nemesis all night. Florida State punted the ball back to SMU, and the Mustangs got into position for an easy field goal thanks to a 29-yard completion to Dramekco Green on third down with less than three minutes to go.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page posted an inspirational message after his win over Nursulton Ruziboev at UFC Paris.

The British star won via unanimous decision, and it was the last fight of his current UFC deal. Reports later confirmed that Page had been removed from the UFC rankings, suggesting that the promotion was not going to offer him a new deal.

The former Bellator star thanked his fans for the support and added that bigger things were on the way for him:

“Thank you Paris for having me. I’m grateful for the support you gave me. Stepping in the cage is a privilege I do not take for granted and I look forward to bigger challenges.”

Check out Michael Page’s comments on his UFC Paris win below:

Page was one of the hottest signings the UFC had made from Bellator, but his performances in the octagon weren’t all that impressive.

He won five of his six UFC fights, but didn’t have a single finish in those wins. The British star’s only loss came at the hands of Ian Machado Garry, with that fight also going the distance.

Page currently holds a 26-3 record in his MMA career, and the UFC hasn’t shared an official statement regarding his release.

Michael Page willing to change style after Paris win

While speaking backstage to the UFC after his win in Paris, Michael ‘Venom’ Page was keen on working on his game to become more exciting.

“The results show that I haven’t done enough. Probably, I need to push myself a little more, take a few more risks.”

The former Bellator star added that he believed there was more to give in the octagon, and that was frustrating for him. However, he believed he could beat everyone, but finishing opponents might not be for him:

“There’s not one person in the world that can stand with me. But there’s too many people that can survive with me. That’s the problem. That’s what I need to change.”

The 39-year-old added that he needed to work on his output and take more risks, and was keen on discussing his future with the UFC too:

“I gotta sit down with the UFC and have an honest conversation, and say I know I can do better, I’m aspiring to do better.”