Terry Harper claims that their growing animosity will only spur her on in her fight with Caroline Dubois.
Harper and Dubois will fight for the WBO and WBC lightweight world championships, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports on Sunday, April 5.
They had exchanged heated words in the run-up to unification, with Harper slamming the rival champion.
“I don’t like rude people. I don’t like bullies either. That’s the vibe she gives me. She just rubs me the wrong way,” she told Sky Sports News.
“But that’s great because that’s what I need, because I’m probably a little bit laid back.
“She gave me the fire in my belly that I needed, and I actually wanted to go out there and give her a job.
“There’s no pressure for me. It’s Caroline who’s keeping quiet.”
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Caroline Dubois vows to bring back Terry Harper’s nightmare in their world title unification match on April 5th.
He added: “It’s nice to have her say so much. She does the dirty work for us and picks up fights. If we were quiet and polite like me, it would have been very difficult. Now that Caroline has finished her work, it’s time for me to work on Sunday night.”
Harper, the current WBO belt holder at 135 pounds, is an experienced three-division world champion. She believes she has a decisive advantage over her younger opponents.
“As a fighter, I feel like I’ve been through everything I could possibly go through. Broken hands, cuts, being out the morning of a fight, but as a fighter I’ve been through a lot and I know I can use it to my advantage that night,” Harper said.
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Caroline Dubois and Terry Harper faced off on “The Globe Are Off.”
“That’s a huge thing and it’s my advantage. I’ve been through it all and I kind of know how to play a round in a certain scenario that night, so I’m going to use it all to my advantage.”
She believes she can exploit a weakness in Dubois’ arsenal.
“She’s going to be 100 percent tired. The pattern is set, you can see it,” Harper declared. “Caroline is going to America for three weeks of training, but it’s not going to miraculously improve her fitness. I need to focus on myself and do my best.”
“I would be very surprised if she retained that power, as you can see her fading in the latter stages of the fight.”
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Caroline Dubois reiterated her claim that she considers Terry Harper “irrelevant” and said the April 5 victory was just the beginning of her boxing legacy.
Harper is looking forward to a landmark night in his career.
“It’s everything I’ve dreamed of since I was a young amateur,” she said.
“I’ve been so focused on the work that needs to be done. When it’s all over, I can sit back and understand what I’ve done.”
