Caroline Dubois promised to punish Terry Harper for pushing her in the first showdown of Fight Week.
Dubois and Harper will clash on Sunday in a unification bout for the WBC and WBO lightweight world titles, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
Dubois and Harper had exchanged verbal abuse in the run-up to the fight, and on Wednesday, after facing off in front of the cameras at the Olympia in Kensington, Harper shoved her rival during a photo shoot, apparently in response to Dubois stepping in front of her.
Harper then walked away, saying, “You’re an idiot. You’re an idiot. What a clown…I’m bored.”
Dubois previously predicted they would win their fight by seventh-round knockout. Now she has vowed to achieve it within four years.
“When we started camp, I thought I was going to stop her in the sixth or seventh inning,” Dubois told Sky Sports. “But now I believe it will be four times.”
Reflecting on Harper’s shoving, she added: “I was surprised, I didn’t know she was doing that. But that’s okay. If you want to be ugly, you can be ugly. I understand that we’re going to fight on Sunday, and we shouldn’t hurt each other now.”
“That way we can keep it clean, we can keep it respectful and we can keep our hands on our toes.
“If she wants to be ugly, I’ll be ugly too.”
WBC titlists took this as a sign that Harper was upset. “I think she’s an idiot, I really do,” Dubois said.
“The game plan is the game plan. What happens in the ring will happen in the ring. None of this will affect that.
“I’ve always believed in myself, but it’s about knowing, not just believing, but knowing, and I know.”
“I don’t think the goal should be to intimidate anyone. I think that would be very unsuccessful,” Dubois said.
“That’s not going to happen. All you have to do is let them know where you are and what your time is like. I’m in the game. This week is game week and there’s a few days until the game, but I’m in the game. I’m going to let her know my energy.”
Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terry Harper live on Sky Sports on Sunday 5th April



