Caroline Dubois has vowed once more to knock out Terri Harper in clinical fashion on Sunday, but Harper warned her she will have problems if she fails.
Their icy exchanges met Harper’s stern composure during a fiery build-up to the unification clash, Friday’s final press conference ending with a brief flexing-arm moment that prompted security to step in as the pair posed for tight photos on stage.
Dubois has driven much of the verbal back-and-forth, but Harper asserted herself this week after shoving her opponent at a fight-week face-off. Both played down personal animosity as they traded final words; Dubois defending her vocal approach and Harper questioning her rival’s mentality.
“I’ve won every battle since the moment this fight was signed, I’ll continue to win every battle, come fight night I’ll win the battle,” Dubois said. “This is war, there is absolutely no way my hand isn’t being raised on Sunday. This fight is not going past seven rounds.”
Harper, the WBO lightweight champion, joked at one point that her microphone could be switched off because Dubois was doing all the talking. Dubois approved, but the mic stayed on.
“Caroline needs to hope she gets the knockout, otherwise she knows she’s in trouble,” Harper said. “Caroline says talk is cheap but that’s all she’s doing the last 12 weeks. I’ve been fully focused on the job I have to do Sunday. I’ve been quiet on my socials, Caroline has been arguing online, getting sucked into everything and I feel like she’s overlooked this fight.”
Harper described WBC belt holder Dubois as the best opponent on her resume—alongside names such as Alycia Baumgardner, Sandy Ryan, Natasha Jonas and Cecilia Braekhus—but dismissed the idea that Dubois must earn her respect. Having mostly taken a backseat during the build-up, Harper used this week to make her presence felt.
“I’m just making her aware I’m not here to make up the numbers,” she said. “I feel there’s only so much you can let her get away with without standing up for yourself. She tried to push me, she’s a lot weaker than I imagine. Her mindset [is her weakness], she gets too emotionally invested and caught up with everything. It will be who keeps their head and stays disciplined. I’ve experienced everything you can as a fighter and Caroline hasn’t yet, she’ll have to answer some questions.”
Dubois said she relishes the noise around a fight and sees psychological warfare as part of the job. “Win by any means, the minute you sign for this fight it’s psychological warfare, physical warfare. You do anything to get that edge on fight night,” she said. “I’ve gone after the most experienced and biggest women in the division. On paper she’s my toughest challenge. I don’t see how it makes me a bully, I’m a challenger, I’m a fighter. I thrive off challenge and pressure. I think she’s been trying to copy me, she knows I’m taking the limelight, it’s the Caroline Dubois show. She wants to make it more about her. I’m not going to dim myself to give her more space. Her weakness is she’s just not as good as me. Forget power, she’s not as good a boxer as I am.”
Harper plans to meet Dubois in the middle of the ring and said the first half will be where Dubois is most dangerous, while she expects to use her engine and conditioning in the later rounds.
“That’s a bit sad,” Dubois replied to Harper’s claim about engine and stamina. “I would hate to be going into a fight thinking all I have is an engine. That’s a scary place to be. All she has is an engine. We got skills, power, a jab, grew up sparring only guys, had my first female spar when I was 16. I’d love it to get ugly, it’s going to be great, I hope she comes, I believe she boxes on the back foot and I have to go get her.”
Dubois conceded Harper could be “the nicest woman in the world” and insisted there was no personal dislike—only rivalry born from mutual stakes. “Talking isn’t going to win or lose a fight. What I love about boxing is anything you say you have to back up,” she said. “We’re fighters, we step into the ring and 100 per cent back up our words. From my side there is no animosity, it’s a rivalry, she believes she’ll take everything I’ve worked for since I was nine and that she’ll stop me in my tracks and prevent me from moving onto what I believe are bigger and better fights and moments. That’s the rivalry, that’s where it comes from.”
Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper this Sunday live on Sky Sports from 7pm.