Caroline Dubois can already see the finish line. Undisputed. All the belts at 135lbs. And she’s in no mood to wait for anyone to catch up.
The unified WBC and WBO lightweight champion has set her sights on American rival Alycia Baumgardner, with the pair seemingly on a collision course for next year. But while Baumgardner prepares to face Elif Nur Turhan for the IBF lightweight world title in the early hours of Monday, November 9, live on Sky Sports, Dubois is plotting her own move.
She wants all the marbles – and she wants them quickly.
Dubois refuses to sit and wait
Dubois expects to meet the winner of Turhan vs Baumgardner for the undisputed crown, yet the idea of sitting idle on the sidelines holds zero appeal. Instead, she is pushing to add another piece of the puzzle: the WBA belt currently held by Stephanie Han.
“I want to become undisputed and I want to be involved in relevant fights. To unify the division is my dream right now,” Dubois told Sky Sports, laying out her plan with typical clarity.
“The only other champion [available] is Han and we'll just have to see if I can get it in before the end of the year. If not we'll have to go early next year.
“Hopefully we'll be unified world champion by the end of this year or early next. One belt away from becoming undisputed.”
That is the timetable. No detours. No tune‑ups for the sake of it.
Birmingham win, and a brewing rivalry
Dubois comes off a commanding defence of her titles against Amelia Moore in Birmingham last month. She kept her belts, kept her momentum, and then, once the final bell had gone, lit the fuse on a rivalry that could define the division.
She and Baumgardner clashed in a heated exchange after the fight, a verbal spar that hinted at the intensity of a future meeting.
“She's most definitely intimidated by me. She's frightened of what I bring to the table,” Dubois said.
“When she looks at me I know that she sees a younger, better, stronger, more talented, more everything better than her. Everything I do is just better than her. I feel like she's threatened by that.”
There was no attempt to soften the edges. Dubois believes her rapid rise has unsettled the American.
“Everything that she has had to work so hard to get I've had it and I've achieved it in such quick succession. She's threatened, she's jealous. She's feeling a lot of emotions and all I can say is I hope she can focus herself, get that win [over Turhan] and we can find out who's the best.
“I hope she wins the fight. I'm going to be real upset if she doesn't win because I need to show her something.”
One path, one goal
Before any talk of grudge matches or legacy nights, Baumgardner must first deal with Turhan. The IBF champion will not roll over, and Dubois knows the stakes for both.
“Elif Turhan, the champion, versus Alycia Baumgardner, the contender, is going to be an awesome fight. I want the winner. I've made it very clear,” she said.
“I feel like I have been very vocal about the fact that I want to become undisputed.
“The path has revealed itself to me. The path has become clear now... So close, but so far.”
For Dubois, that path runs through Stephanie Han, through the winner of Turhan vs Baumgardner, and straight into history. The belts are scattered, the rivalries are real, and the clock is ticking on a division that suddenly belongs to her ambition.
