Exclusive: Health Problems Hamper Liam Cameron’s Career-Defining Title Quest

Liam Cameron has revealed his preparations for what proved a career-defining fight with Ben Whittaker were hampered by a health problem which prevented him from sparring, as he chases a second bout against the former Olympian.

Speaking exclusively to SportsBoom, Smith admitted he decided to face Whittaker in Riyadh despite being banned from sparring for nearly a month. 

Health Problems Hamper Cameron’s Career-Defining Title Quest

News that the 34-year-old light-heavyweight elected to go ahead with the contest, which controversially ended in a draw when Whittaker claimed he damaged an ankle when the pair fell out of the ring, is likely to win him even more followers after the overwhelming majority of observers at ringside in mid-October expressed concerns the judges’ scorecards failed to accurately reflect his performance during the bout. 

Whittaker, who had been expected to win at a canter after rubbishing Cameron’s credentials beforehand, was later accused of feigning injury to avoid his first defeat since turning professional following the Tokyo Games - claims the 2020 silver medallist has strenuously denied.

“I hadn’t sparred for three weeks, probably a little bit over that, before facing him,” Cameron told SportsBoom.com. 

“I had a badly broken nose and so that ruled me out of any sessions like that."

“It was pretty painful, but that’s boxing and there’s no way it was going to make me pull-out. No way at all."

“I did hide it from everyone outside of my camp during the build-up, because we didn’t want anyone to know about it and give Ben’s team the heads-up. But it didn’t hamper me during the fight. I just got on with it."

“Okay, so my build-up didn’t go as planned. It’s not how I’d normally get ready for a night like that."

“But we’re in the fight game so that’s what you do - you grit your teeth and fight.”

Nose Damage

Cameron, from Sheffield, traced the damage to his nose back to a meeting with Lyndon Arthur - which took place four months before he locked horns with Whittaker on the undercard of Artur Beterbiev’s victory over Dmitry Bivol for the unified light-heavyweight titles.

“I think that’s when I broke it,” continued Cameron, reflecting on his split decision loss to Arthur. 

“I’m lucky to be a pretty quick healer but, looking back, I don’t think it had probably healed properly (going into the clash with Whittaker)."

“It was pretty painful when I got caught during one sparring session and that’s when the call was made to stop doing it - to avoid the risk of making anything worse - because there’s no way I wasn’t going in there against him (Whittaker)."

“It’s all okay now, though. Everything is fine.”

Cameron, who held the Commonwealth super-middleweight belt before being banned after testing positive for a recreational drug, returned to the sport in 2023 - recording three straight wins before challenging Arthur for the vacant WBA intercontinental crown.

The story of how he bounced back from personal tragedy and alcohol issues during his enforced absence earned Cameron the respect of boxing fans across the globe - even before his clash with Whittaker.

As well as capturing the imagination of the public with his display against the 27-year-old from Walsall, Cameron’s bravery also earned him a promotional deal with Frank Warren’s Queensberry stable.

“I think a rematch with him (Whittaker) is inevitable,” said Cameron. “It has to happen, whether he likes it or not."

“But I’ve got a lot more clout behind me now. I want to face him again, 100 percent. And I think I will, definitely.”