Caroline Dubois took down Terry Harper en route to defeating the rival world champion by unanimous decision.
After a shaky start, Dubois made his breakthrough by dropping Harper to the canvas in the sixth round.
The two fought fiercely until the end of the match, with Dubois winning a unanimous decision, 98-91 in the second round and 97-92, to unify the WBC and WBO world lightweight titles.
The animosity between the British rivals had grown to a ferocious intensity by the time they entered the Olympia in Kensington.
Harper is a three-division world champion and has established himself in British boxing. However, Dubois, a WBC titlist, did not hesitate to deny her achievements and threaten an early knockout.
Those words served as inspiration throughout the week leading up to the game as the usually mild-mannered Harper looked to get the upper hand on each other.
Dubois dropped Harper in six rounds (Photo: Most Valuable Promotions)
Yorkshire’s Harper had his pride hurt, but he had a point to prove against Dubois.
However, both players were impatient in the first round and were unwilling to make mistakes. They looked for jabs and Harper considered Dubois’ southpaw style.
As Dubois pushed Harper’s jab down, the Londoner landed a sudden double right and a rapid left, but Harper sailed wide.
Dubois made some feints, but couldn’t get much out of Harper. However, her right hook grazed the top of Harper’s head, prompting the WBO champion to intervene with a fast straight shot. Dubois smartly bounced it clear.
She slammed a left hook into Harper’s guard and the Yorkshirewoman smiled and stuck out her tongue.
Dubois went for a one-two combination to the body, and Harper landed a hard right to the stomach. The London native blocked a heavy cross from Harper, rolled under a left hook and landed a right hook.
Dubois dodged a straight punch, but when Dubois’ left went out of reach, Harper smiled at her again. Harper kept moving to make Dubois work. Her plan was to drain Dubois of energy, and she landed solidly before the end of the fourth round.
Dubois came forward with a powerful one-two, but remained seated on a stool, breathing heavily.
Dubois defeated Harper by unanimous decision
Dubois grabs the center of the ring and steps forward to land a body shot. A left hook caught Dubois as he backed out. He was stopped at close range and threw a punch with all his might, but was unable to find his target. At the midpoint, there was little difference between the two.
Dubois bent his left side down. She transitioned to a backhand again. Harper kept pedaling, but Dubois was getting closer and closer.
She attacked hard in the sixth round, striking body first before going upstairs and a hard left hook to the head knocked Harper down.
Dubois celebrates victory over Harper
Harper tried to respond by fighting back in the next round. But once she stepped forward, Dubois was able to calm down and take shots. She drove another heavy left into Harper’s glove, followed by a backhand.
As Harper retreated, she attacked the body and landed a jab to the head.
A cut on his left eyebrow left Harper with yet another problem to deal with. Dubois landed a right hook and continued his pursuit. A brutal right uppercut landed, and Dubois’ big left hit was powerful. Dubois continued to stare at Harper and she began to walk around her. As Harper leaned against the ropes, she fired off a combination.
Harper was now under pressure.
She held her ground and delivered a right hook. In the ninth round, the two men traded hard shots, with Harper scoring with a header. As soon as the bell rang, she also hit a left.
In the final round, Harper landed a series of left hooks and then brought in a right hook. Those shots caught Dubois, but she wobbled Harper with a fast right hook of her own. Both men attacked each other, but both refused to back down and Dubois landed a hard left.
Harper provided Dubois with his toughest professional exam yet. But that was something the young Englishman was passing by.
“What a great atmosphere. Women’s boxing has always been on the back burner, but today we put it at the forefront. Thank you to everyone who came together and fought on this card. I couldn’t do it without you,” Dubois told Sky Sports.
“I know Terry Harper fans will be upset, but she gave a great performance and is a very good boxer.
“This was never personal to me and it was personal to Terry as well. I’m an entertainer and I put myself out there for you guys.”
McGuigan: Taylor next after Dubois?
Trainer Shane McGuigan said more titles were on the horizon as Dubois worked towards an undisputed opportunity.
He also hinted that MVP is interested in a blockbuster showdown with Irish boxing icon Katie Taylor, who is nearing retirement.
“She wants big fights, more belts,” McGuigan told Sky Sports. “Nakisa (Bidalian) and the boys want her to box Katie Taylor.
“Katie is at the end of her career so I don’t know if she wants that.
“With all the accomplishments and accolades she has, I feel like she needs a farewell match.
“At the same time, Caroline is the new kid on the block and is here to stay. She has the slot to go from 140 to 147. It’s going to be an exciting few years.”
This night will test Dubois’ patience. Dubois’ early frustration was perhaps evidenced by her exuberant celebration after her decisive knockdown, which was largely resisted by Harper.
“I’m very proud of her because she’s very new to the professional game and she’s already a unified champion,” McGuigan said.
“She’s an incredible talent, but you can’t buy experience. She’s with players who really want to win. She needs to experience that.
“She had a girl who was fast, negative and had a good boxing IQ trying to nick her every round. It was a little wild at times, but she caught her with some good shots and it was a great learning match. She’s a sniper and a sharp marksman.”
