Andy Lee: Cameron poses bigger threat to Katie than Serrano

Andy Lee has warned that Chantelle Cameron poses an even bigger threat to Katie Taylor than Amanda Serrano would have ahead of their mouthwatering Dublin showdown on Saturday night.

Taylor beat Serrano via a split decision in a memorable contest at Madison Square Garden a year ago.

The pair were supposed to have a rematch at the 3Arena this month, but Serrano pulled out in February after suffering an injury.

Taylor could have opted for a straightforward fight to keep her ticking over. Instead, she’s taking on undisputed light-welterweight title holder Cameron, a very highly-rated operator who will fancy her chances of spoling the homecoming party.

“It probably is a harder fight than Serrano,” Lee told RTÉ Sport.

“She’s been in with Serrano and she beat her. If you beat somebody once, you’re likely to beat them again and do it in a better fashion.

“Chantelle Cameron is bigger, younger, an undisputed champion. This is a huge moment for her. They both couldn’t have picked a harder fight.

“Katie has picked the hardest challenger out there but also Chantelle has picked the hardest fight; she has to come to Dublin to fight Katie. It’s a great match-up.

“I’m quite close with [Taylor’s manager] Brian Peters, I talk to him regularly. When the fight with Serrano was cancelled I said, ‘beautiful, you can pick your opponent now’. Everyone would have forgiven her for having an easy fight, but she made the fight.

“It shows the desire she has… she wants to be the best. We’re all full of praise for Katie. As a person, as a fighter, they don’t come much better.”

Paddy Donovan, left, with Sam O’Maison and promoter Eddie Hearn

It’s also a massive night for Limerick man Paddy Donovan, the classy southpaw who is under the tutelage of former world champion Lee.

The welterweight faces Sam O’Maison on the undercard of Taylor’s first fight in Ireland as a pro, with Lee confident he will fully embrace the occasion.

“I was out of boxing, I was retired, quite happy not to be involved,” he said.

“I went down to the National Stadium to watch this kid fight and I said, ‘who is he?’.

“It’s the reason I got back into boxing. His talent is phenomenal, he’s a a sensational talent. Hopefully I can guide him right, train him right and he can be a world champion and emulate Katie some day.”

Follow a live blog of Chantelle Cameron v Katie Taylor for the undisputed super-lightweight world title from the 3Arena on Saturday night on the RTÉ News app or RTÉ.ie/Sport