A little under eight weeks had passed since the 10-round victory over Troy Jones, which got his career on track, and Cameron had his feet up for the festive period. But there was one fighter in the gym who had completely canceled Christmas, given the first world title shot of his career was scheduled for January 10.

And, on Christmas Eve, Dalton Smith needed sparring.

“We’d been given two weeks out the gym because it was Christmas,” Cameron told The Ring.

“But Dalton’s stayed on it. At that point I’m 91 kilograms (200 pounds) and only half fit, but Grant [Smith] says, ‘Can you spar Dalton for eight rounds for two days to finish his camp off?’

“I thought he’s not going to hurt me is he? He’s only a little 10-stone fighter. So, I’ve gone in the ring, and it was one of the hardest spars I’ve ever had in my life. The speed, the accuracy, the power. I had to go and cry in the shower for about two hours.”

A few weeks later and Cameron was ringside in Brooklyn, New York where Smith, his friend and longtime gymmate, dramatically stopped Subriel Matias in the fifth round to become WBC junior welterweight champion.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever watched a fight and I was shaking,” Cameron recalled. “I was literally shaking and trembling. My legs were going funny. I’m thinking, ‘What’s happening here?’ And I nearly got up and walked out.

“Then Matias had a good fourth round and I thought I was having a panic attack. Then Dalton did him in. Then we’re all screaming.”

On his return to England, inspired by the achievement of his good friend, Sheffield’s Cameron (24-7-1, 10 KOs, 1 NC) was back into camp himself, with this Saturday night’s crucial clash with Brad Rea (21-2, 10 KOs) looming large.

As part of the undercard for Fabio Wardley’s WBO heavyweight title defense against Daniel Dubois, the pair will meet at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, the same venue where Cameron beat Jones.

DAZN will stream the Wardley-Dubois show to subscribers of its Ultimate plan, which costs $44.99 per month in the United States and £24.99 in the UK. It is available via pay-per-view for non-subscribers as well ($59.99 in the U.S.; £24.99 in the UK).

Cameron’s win against Jones was his first victory in a fight over 10 or more rounds since 2017 and ensured that the “Cannonball’s” unlikely return to the sport was not over before it had ever really got going.

Before the victory, he had failed to win in his previous three fights, following a defeat to Lyndon Arthur and then a technical draw with Ben Whittaker, who knocked out Cameron in the second round of their immediate rematch.

Cameron’s well publicized return from a nearly fatal battle with alcohol and drugs have marked him out as one of the most inspirational British boxers of this era. But now he wants to transform his position as the plucky, have-a-go underdog to a genuine light heavyweight contender.

“I’ve worked for it and now I’m back,” Cameron said. “So, I’m going to make the most of it. I’ve always known that if Liam turns up at his best, he’ll give anyone a good fight. But we’ve been blowing hot and cold sometimes. The circumstances just have not been 100 percent, not by anything in particular, just from past life creeping up and stuff.

“But I’ve got that under control and it’s all cleared now. Everything’s done. I can concentrate full time on my boxing, and everyone has agreed that this is my chance to give it everything.”

After more than five years out of the ring, the 190-pound Cameron returned to the sport in October 2023 with a low-key six-round points win over Robbie Connor (then 2-2-2).

The 35-year-old Cameron has since worked his way toward the higher reaches of the British light heavyweight scene via his promotional contract with Queensberry Promotions. It is a comeback which has paid dividends inside and outside the ring, but he’s not finished yet.

“For me, it was all about paying my house off,” Cameron said. “But I’ve actually just bought my second one. I’d have given my left ball for the first house and now I’ve got a second. But it reminds of this saying that I was once told. If a farmer has a field of gold, all he will want is a second one. All that graft I put in, and the appreciation for what it got me, that’s worn off now. Now I want the next thing. That’s what I’m working for.”