LIAM CAMERON has been forced to grapple with the passing of his best friend as he gears up to face Troy Jones on November 1.
The Sheffield man is no stranger to that feeling of grief, having previously been confronted with the tragic death of his step-daughter, Tiegan, in 2021.
Back then, Cameron, 23-7-1 (10 KOs), was still in the process of recovering from alcohol addiction, his body a severely overweight version of what it is now.
But eventually, the former Commonwealth middleweight champion shaved off enough pounds to complete a gruelling 100-mile run, using the money he raised to purchase a bench in memory of Tiegan.
That same attitude, it seems, is now beginning to take shape, with Cameron responding to the loss of his best friend, a man commonly known as ‘Blobby’, by channelling his emotions into each training session.
That is not to say he was merely coasting in the gym beforehand, but rather a familiar sense of pain has only added to his typically robust mindset.
Yet even so, there is no denying that the devastating news, which arrived last week, came as an almighty shock for Cameron.
“He was my best friend,” the 34-year-old told Boxing News. “When I was on my arse, he helped me – he pushed me through – and got me back to boxing.
“I spoke to him about everything. He was a big boxing fan and, even when the odds were stacked against me, he’d always find a way to tell me that I was going to win.
“So it’s hard because, when you’re used to speaking to someone every day, and they’re gone, it’s like, ‘What do I do now?’”
While others may have considered postponing their upcoming fight, Cameron has instead maintained his focus on the task at hand.
“I’m a tough individual,” he says. “Training’s kept on going as usual; I’ve been pounding the hills in the Peak District.
“That’s what he [‘Blobby’] would’ve wanted. He always said to me, ‘Get them big fights and change your life, Liam.’”
While he was already set to feature on the undercard of Joshua Buatsi vs Zach Parker, an injury to Daniel Lapin has meant that Cameron is now sharpening his mind and body for a showdown with Jones, 13-1 (6 KOs), at the Co-op Live Arena, Manchester.
For him, this represents an opportunity to push his career forwards, especially since his last outing ended in a rather demoralising second-round stoppage defeat to Ben Whittaker.
But while he acknowledges that Jones is no slouch, Cameron equally has no idea what to expect of his aggressive light-heavyweight opponent.
“After that Whittaker fight [in April], I gave myself three weeks off, but I’ve been in the gym ever since,” ‘The Cannon’ insists. “It must be coming up for about 15 weeks now.
“I don’t watch any of my opponents now. The last mistake I made was watching Lyndon Arthur, splattering everyone on YouTube, so I’ve not seen anything of Troy Jones.
“I’m not being horrible, but my last three fights have been massive fights on paper – far bigger than this one with Troy Jones. So it’s me vs me now; I’m not looking into anything that he’s going to do.”