Junior Welterweight
Chantelle Cameron has looked ultra-dominant in her last three fights, easily outpointing Anahi Sanchez in 2019, Adriana Araujo in 2020 (for the vacant WBC title), and in her last bout, knocking out 41-year-old Melissa Hernandez in round 5. The division is not the deepest, but she has demonstrated the talent to be #1 in our ratings at 140lbs.
Cameron (WBC titlist) is scheduled to fight Mary McGee (IBF titlist) on October 30th, and Kali Reis (WBA titlist) is scheduled to fight Jessica Camara on November 19th (also for the vacant WBO belt). The winners are on a collision course to clash for all the belts. All this sounds like a neatly designed elimination series to crown the true champion of the division, but as is usually the case, crowning the true champion of a division is not dependent on the sanctioning bodies.
Reis and Camara are going head-to-head for the vacant WBO belt, but what did Camara do to earn the right to challenge for a vacant world title? Her last fight was a close points win over career featherweight Heather Hardy (who hadn’t fought for two years) at 135lbs, and in her fight prior to that she lost to Melissa St. Vil at lightweight. Camara’s last victory against a junior welterweight was two years ago against 6-2-1, Beatriz Aguilar.
Kali Reis is an experienced veteran who has mixed it with the best, but of her 26 professional fights, only two (her last two) have been at junior welterweight. Reis won her vacant WBA belt in a points victory over 10-1, Kandi Wyatt (#5 in our ratings) in November 2020. Wyatt is a solid fighter, although she had been KO’d by Christiana Lindartatou the year before and most recently, lost her last fight to Alma Ibarra in August 2021. Reis’ first defence of the belt came in August this year when she narrowly outpointed 42 year-old Diana Prazak via majority decision.
Mary McGee’s last three fights have been victories at 140lbs, and she hasn’t lost a fight for 8 years. In 2019 McGee won the vacant IBF belt with a TKO of Ana Esteche, and then defended last year with a TKO of Deanha Hobbs. Reis may go on to prove people wrong, but right now, based on recent performances, we have McGee ranked at #2, above Reis (as do The Ring).
Traditionally, lineal vacancies are filled via “#1 Vs #2” match-ups or occasionally, if it is seen as worthy, a “#1 Vs #3” match-up.
Even so, some members of our Ratings Panel were still in favour of the junior welterweight finale crowing the champion, and not the Cameron/McGee fight. David Avila stated: “The finals, not before. Got to let it play out.” Julian Haramboure agreed, saying he too, would “wait for the tournament to end.”
Ultimately though, the consensus among our panel was with the Cameron/McGee clash.
Canadian Ratings Panelist, Mac Ross, felt strongly about Cameron/McGee filling the lineal vacancy, saying that is was important to “stick with the rankings,” or “people will cry foul.”
Australia’s Anthony Cocks, concurred: “I think it (the vacant Lineal Championship) simply has to go to the winner of our #1 Vs #2, Cameron Vs McGee. Reis (who I thought was quite lucky against the aging and inactive Prazak), will get her chance if she makes it through to the final of the tourney.”
As already stated, Cameron is the clear #1 in the weight class in our ratings, and Mary McGee is firmly in the #2 spot, above Reis (and in The Ring’s). Camara is not in the top 5 of our divisional ratings.
The Lineal Championship has been vacant since former champion, Jessica McCaskill left the weight class. Cameron Vs McGee is a deserving fight to fill the vacancy and crown the true queen at 140lbs.
@LinealBoxChamp