Liam Cameron Explained

Liam Cameron
Nickname:Cannonball
Weight:
Height:6 ft 2 in
Nationality:English
Birth Date:1990 10, df=y
Birth Place:Sheffield, Yorkshire, England
Style:Orthodox
Boxrec:506068
Total:31
Wins:23
Ko:10
Losses:6
Draws:1
No Contests:1

Liam Cameron (born 21 October 1990) is an English professional boxer. He held the Commonwealth middleweight title from 2017 to 2018 and challenged twice for the super-middleweight version between 2015 and 2016.

Professional career

Cameron made his professional debut on 24 October 2009, scoring a six-round points decision (PTS) victory over Matt Scriven at the City Hall in Sheffield.[1]

After compiling a record of 9–0 (3 KOs) he suffered his first defeat at the hands of Erick Ochieng, losing via PTS (77–74) on 28 May 2011 at the Hillsborough Leisure Centre in Sheffield.[2] He bounced back from defeat with three wins, one by knockout (KO), before suffering a second defeat on 23 June 2012, losing to Jez Wilson by PTS (97–95) for the vacant Central Area middleweight title at the Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield.[3] After three more wins, one by technical knockout (TKO), he faced Rod Smith for the vacant International Masters middleweight title on 13 December 2013 at IceSheffield,[4] losing by PTS (96–95) over ten rounds.[5]

Following the third defeat of his career, he faced Wayne Reed on 10 May 2014 at the Octagon Centre in Sheffield. Cameron won his first professional title, defeating Reed via unanimous decision (UD) over ten rounds to capture the vacant IBO Youth super-middleweight title. One judge scored the bout 98–90 while the other two scored it 98–92.[6]

After two more wins in non-title fights, including one stoppage by corner retirement (RTD), he faced Luke Blackledge for the vacant Commonwealth super-middleweight title on 4 April 2015 at the King George's Hall in Blackburn. Cameron lost by UD with the scorecards reading 117–112, 116–113 and 115–114.[7] After a TKO win against Giorgi Beroshvili in October,[8] Cameron was scheduled to face English super-middleweight champion, Jahmaine Smyle, on 29 May 2016. A week before the event, the bout was called off due to financial issues arising from low ticket sales.[9] Following 13 months out of the ring due to the cancellation, he next fought on 25 November 2016 against Zac Dunn at The Flemington Pavilion in Melbourne, Australia.[10] The fight would give Cameron a second attempt at the Commonwealth super-middleweight title after Blackledge vacated in favour of a British super-middleweight title fight.[11] Cameron once again missed out on the title, losing via twelve-round UD with the scorecards reading 117–111, 116–112 and 115–113.[12]

He moved down in weight for his next fight in a third attempt at a Commonwealth title, challenging Commonwealth middleweight champion, Sam Sheedy. Originally set to take place on 29 July, the bout was rescheduled to 13 October 2017, at the Ponds Forge Arena in Sheffield, after Sheedy suffered an injury during training.[13] In an action-packed fight, Cameron scored three knockdowns with body shots in the fourth round, with Sheedy receiving a point deduction in the round for a head butt. Cameron scored another knockdown in the seventh, again from a body shot, with Sheedy also receiving a standing eight count after being on the receiving end of a barrage of punches from Cameron. The end came in the following round when the referee stepped in to call a halt to the contest to save Sheedy from further punishment, awarding Cameron the Commonwealth title via eighth-round TKO.[14]

He was due to make the first defence of his title against Nicky Jenman on 24 April 2018 at IceSheffield, however, Jenman failed to make weight, prompting the Commonwealth Boxing Council (CBC) to withdraw its sanction for the fight.[15] The bout went ahead regardless. Cameron knocked Jenman down in the second round. Jenman was able to make it back to his feet before the count of ten before referee Terry O'Connor waved the fight off, handing Cameron a second-round TKO victory.

Following his win over Jenman, it was announced in July that Cameron had failed a post-fight drug test and was subsequently suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) pending further investigation.[16] Following the suspension, the CBC stripped Cameron of their title as he was unable to defend it against a mandatory challenger due to the suspension.[15] The UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) agency found Cameron guilty of the anti-doping violation and imposed a four-year ban. He appealed the decision in October 2019, but was unsuccessful.[17] Cameron confirmed his retirement after the ban was upheld, but resumed his career in 2023.[18]

On October 12, 2024, Cameron challenged fellow British boxer Ben Whittaker for the IBF International light-heavyweight title on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol. During the bout both boxers became entangled as Cameron pushed Whittaker towards the ropes, resulting in them tumbling over and Whittaker being forced to withdraw due to injury. The fight subsequently went to the judges' scorecards, as per the rules of the British Boxing Board of Control, with both boxers receiving a 58–57 score respectively as well as a 58–58 score, resulting in a split decision technical draw.[19]

Professional boxing record

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
31 DrawBenjamin Whittaker5 (10), 12 Oct 2024
30Loss23–6 Lyndon ArthurSD1021 Jun 2024
29Win23–5 Hussein ItabaTKO1 (6), 23 Mar 2024
28Win22–5 Harry MatthewsKO1 (6), 9 Feb 2024
27Win21–5 Robbie ConnorPTS66 Oct 2023
26NC20–5 Nicky Jenman2 (12), 27 Apr 2018
25Win20–5Sam SheedyTKO8 (12), 13 Oct 2017
24Loss19–5Zac DunnUD1225 Nov 2016
23Win19–4Giorgi BeroshviliTKO4 (10), 17 Oct 2015
22Loss18–4Luke BlackledgeUD124 Apr 2015
21Win18–3Tobias WebbUD1013 Dec 2014
20Win17–3Philip Kotey4 (10), 13 Sep 2014
19Win16–3Wayne Reed1010 May 2014
18Loss15–3Rod SmithPTS1013 Dec 2013
17Win15–2Zahari MutafchievPTS414 Sep 2013
16Win14–2Harry MatthewsPTS617 May 2013
15Win13–2Paul MorbyTKO1 (6), 15 Dec 2012
14Loss12–2Jez WilsonPTS1023 Jun 2012
13Win12–1Harry MatthewsPTS63 Mar 2012
12Win11–1Terry CarruthersPTS629 Oct 2011
11Win10–1Costas Osben2 (4), 3 Sep 2011
10Loss9–1Erick OchiengPTS828 May 2011
9Win9–0Jason BallTKO1 (8), 30 Apr 2011
8Win8–0Lester WalshTKO4 (6), 22 Jan 2011
7Win7–0Zahari MutafchievPTS610 Dec 2010
6Win6–0Ryan ClarkPTS49 Oct 2010
5Win5–0Dee MitchellPTS42 Jul 2010
4Win4–0Alex Spitko3 (4), 23 Apr 2010
3Win3–0Kevin McCauleyPTS620 Feb 2010
2Win2–0Ryan ClarkPTS620 Dec 2009
1Win1–0Matt Scriven624 Oct 2009

Notes and References

  1. Web site: BoxRec: Liam Cameron vs. Matt Scriven. 17 June 2020. boxrec.com.
  2. Web site: Dooley. Terence. 29 May 2011. Nicki Smedley, Liam Cameron Both Shocked in Sheffield. 17 June 2020. BoxingScene.com. en-us.
  3. Web site: BoxRec: Liam Cameron vs. Jez Wilson. 17 June 2020. boxrec.com.
  4. Web site: 16 December 2013. An early Xmas hangover. 17 June 2020. www.thestar.co.uk. en.
  5. Web site: BoxRec: Liam Cameron vs. Rod Smith. 17 June 2020. boxrec.com.
  6. Web site: Hill. Joe. 12 May 2014. Taylor Takes Title in 10 Round War. 17 June 2020. The Corner Stool. en.
  7. Web site: Black. Dan. 8 April 2015. Clitheroe's Luke becomes cream of the Commonwealth. 17 June 2020. www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk. en.
  8. Web site: BoxRec: Liam Cameron vs. Giorgi Beroshvili. 17 June 2020. boxrec.com.
  9. Web site: Jay. Phil. 6 June 2016. Hobson sheds light on Cameron v Smyle cancellation. 17 June 2020. World Boxing News.
  10. Web site: Armsden. Alan. 19 November 2016. No Dunn deal, but Zac up for title fight. 17 June 2020. www.heraldsun.com.au. en.
  11. Web site: 26 August 2016. Champ vacates his precious title. 17 June 2020. www.clitheroeadvertiser.co.uk. en.
  12. Web site: 25 November 2016. Zac Dunn Gets Commonwealth Belt, Defeats Liam Cameron. 17 June 2020. BoxingScene.com. en-us.
  13. Web site: Jay. Phil. 8 August 2017. Sam Sheedy v Liam Cameron rescheduled for Oct 13. 17 June 2020. World Boxing News.
  14. Web site: 13 October 2017. Liam Cameron wins Commonwealth title after stopping Sam Sheedy in thrilling all-Sheffield war. 17 June 2020. www.thestar.co.uk. en.
  15. Web site: Brown. Andy. 14 August 2018. Commonwealth Boxing Council refutes Liam Cameron corruption claims. 17 June 2020. Sports Integrity Initiative. en-GB.
  16. Web site: Jay. Phil. 9 July 2018. Liam Cameron has licence suspended following failed drug test, denies taking cocaine. 17 June 2020. World Boxing News.
  17. Web site: 13 January 2020. Professional boxer Cameron banned for four years. 17 June 2020. UK Anti-Doping. en.
  18. Web site: Foster. Elliot. 6 January 2020. Liam Cameron Retires After Drugs Ban Upheld. 17 June 2020. BoxingScene.com. en-us.
  19. Web site: 2024-10-12 . Boxing: Ben Whittaker fight ends in draw after boxer falls over the ropes . 2024-10-12 . BBC Sport . en-GB.