Cameron vs Mayer 2 could steal Jake Paul’s Christmas Eve show

Jake Paul will headline Christmas Eve in Dubai, but Chantelle Cameron and Mikaela Mayer have a strong claim to the night’s most compelling contest.

Cameron will defend her WBA, WBC and WBO super welterweight titles against Mayer in a 10-round rematch at the Coca-Cola Arena on Thursday 24 December, Most Valuable Promotions has confirmed.

Cameron vs Mayer 2: what MVP announced

The fight is the co-main event under Paul against Cédric Doumbé. Alistair Overeem against Jimi Manuwa is also on the card, and tickets go on sale on Sunday 15 November.

“We agreed to the rematch before the first fight, so we both kept our word,” said Cameron. “And now the rematch is on the biggest stage in boxing.”

MVP has not yet confirmed whether it will be over two-minute or three-minute rounds, and that detail could matter a lot.

How the first fight went

The pair met at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham on 29 August. Cameron won a unanimous decision, 97-93, 97-93 and 96-94, over ten two-minute rounds in front of her home fans.

She added Mayer’s WBA and WBC belts to her own WBO title, making the Northampton fighter the unified champion at 154lbs.

Mayer was furious. She insisted she had won and said Cameron had been “lucky in her little backyard”. It was her third professional defeat, and all three have come on English soil, after close losses to Alycia Baumgardner and Natasha Jonas.

She later admitted she had let her emotions take over. “I heard her on the mic talking trash, and it triggered me,” she told Sky Sports. “I feel like I acted in a way that I shouldn’t have.”

The demands that shaped the rematch

A rematch clause was already in the contract, but both fighters had conditions.

Cameron’s was about the rounds. “I want to do this again,” she said, as ESPN reported. “It’s up to Mikaela, but I want to do three-minute rounds.”

That is not straightforward, because ESPN also reported that Cameron may have to give up the WBC belt to get them.

Mayer’s condition was about the venue. “You can have your rematch, but it won’t be here. It won’t be in the UK,” she said.

Dubai gives her that. It is neutral ground, and not Cameron’s backyard.

Why this one matters

Cameron is one of the best fighters in women’s boxing. She is a former undisputed champion at 140lbs, and the only woman to beat Katie Taylor.

Mayer is no pushover either. She is a three-division world champion and currently holds the WBO welterweight title.

Both rank highly pound for pound. MVP lists Cameron third with ESPN and second with The Ring, and Mayer ninth and fifth respectively. Cameron is 35 and Mayer 36, so neither has time to waste.

A second win would settle the argument for Cameron. A Mayer victory would leave them level at one win apiece.

A big Christmas Eve in Dubai

Paul headlines in an eight-round cruiserweight fight, his first since facing Anthony Joshua. Doumbé is a former GLORY kickboxing champion and PFL star. You can catch up on that fight in our Jake Paul vs Cédric Doumbé piece.

Cameron’s title defence gives British fans another major reason to watch. For more fight news, visit our boxing hub.