Mayer and Cameron clash at final face-off ahead of Birmingham unification bout

Mikaela Mayer and Chantelle Cameron clashed at their final face-off at the Friday weigh-in ahead of Saturday's light-middleweight unification bout in Birmingham. The confrontation at BP Pulse Arena required security to separate the pair after they pushed heads and exchanged verbal insults.

WBA and WBC champion Mayer and WBO champion Cameron had been cordial during the build-up but tensions spilled over at the weigh-in. Both fighters recorded weights of 10st 8lb (67kg), 6lb under the light-middleweight limit. The event in Birmingham brought the two champions together for the undercard and main event build-up.

As they came together to face off, Cameron pushed her head into Mayer's and the American pushed back before they ended up side-by-side trading insults. Security intervened and separated them; after the first interruption Cameron declared: "She isn't intimidating me." She added: "All that yapping and getting in my face - just watch tomorrow."

Mayer, 36, said Cameron, 35, had claimed she would be "too slow", a remark the WBO champion dismissed during the exchange. Cameron responded: "That's in your head, you're deluded. Shut your mouth, you're so deluded and you're making things up because you don't believe in yourself," and warned: "You're going to get humbled." After they were pulled apart for a second time Mayer said: "I didn't know this Cameron existed, she's going to need it."

Cameron is a former undisputed light-welterweight champion who has won 22 of her 23 professional fights, with her only defeat coming in a rematch with Katie Taylor in 2023; eight of her 22 wins have come by stoppage. Mayer is a three-weight world champion with 22 victories from 24 contests, her losses coming to Natasha Jonas and Alycia Baumgardner.

There was also tension at the co-main event face-off between WBC and WBO lightweight champion Caroline Dubois and Amelia Moore. Dubois rolled her eyes and laughed during Thursday's news conference when Moore said she had the tools to hand Dubois a first defeat; on Friday they stood nose-to-nose with the weigh-in host placing a microphone between them and Dubois saying: "I told her I'm coming to take her head off."

Moore, who has fought four times as a professional and enjoyed a long amateur career that included three Olympic cycles with the USA, said: "It's very generic, she is saying the same thing to me that she's says to everyone." She added: "It's a fight, Caroline. Welcome to the game. This is my world, I've been here a long time." Moore weighed 9st 8lb (61kg) with Dubois one pound heavier; Dubois has won 13, drawn one and is unbeaten in 14, and has five victories by knockout.

Both bouts are scheduled for Saturday's card in Birmingham, with Mayer versus Cameron the unification contest and Dubois against Moore designated as the co-main event.