Caroline Dubois makes no secret of her ambition. She is on “a quest for greatness” and the next step is unifying world championships against Terri Harper.
Dubois and Harper meet on Sunday for the WBC and WBO lightweight world titles, co-headlining an all-women’s TV card at London’s Olympia promoted by Jake Paul’s MVP. The winner will cement a place among the star names of women’s boxing, and the bout is live on Sky Sports.
Her journey began far from big arenas — in the north London pub where she had her first amateur contest in the Boston Arms function room, the same place Anthony Joshua debuted as an amateur. To get sparring she once pretended to be a boy named Colin, and on the handwritten programme she was listed as C. Dubois.
Even in that first competitive outing she displayed a refined skillset. She always knew she had something special. “God-given talent, I had it when I first started, I just had it, now I’m just learning how to maintain it,” she told Sky Sports. “Some people have it, some people have to work hard for it and I think I was born with it. It comes with it’s own pros and cons. You have to learn what it means to work hard, when you’re just born with it.”
She began boxing at nine and looks back on that young version of herself with pride. “Since I was nine to where I am now I’ve been making it happen and I’m very proud of my journey. I look back and I think my god I’m so proud of that nine-year-old girl, I’m so proud of what she has done and what she has gotten me to. So far we continue to make it happen.”
As an amateur Dubois excelled, never losing as a junior or youth, and she qualified for the Olympics but left Tokyo 2021 without a medal. Now 25, she is increasingly at home in the professional ranks and is embracing the entertainment side of pro boxing — including the trash-talk that was unnecessary in the amateur game. “Amateur boxing is a pure sport, professional boxing is entertainment, I’m here to entertain,” she said, acknowledging the shift in persona needed for the pro stage.
Dubois has enjoyed the performative aspects of fight week and the build-up with Harper, even when facing opponents from different backgrounds where trash-talk once felt irrelevant. She accepts the responsibilities that come with being a champion and the pressure of backing up bold words on fight night. “I say I’m on a quest for greatness. And when you’re on that quest you’re going to meet so many different challenges and hurdles and when you overcome them, you only get closer to that goal,” she added.
“This is the start. This is my first unification at the weight,” the Londoner said. “I think champions should always try to fight the other champions, it’s a no-brainer for me. It means a lot for my career, it’s the start. When I look ahead I think yes, I’m fighting Terri but there are so many hard challenges in front of me that I know are going to come. Whether Terri is that or not, I don’t really know. I have to be ready, I have to be ready for all of this. The pressure of fight night, the pressure of fighting and having to back up your words, all of that. This is the start and I’m excited to pass this test with flying colours.”
Watch the Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper lightweight world title unification on Sunday live on Sky Sports.