Caroline Dubois Dominates Amelia Moore to Retain Titles

Caroline Dubois did what champions are supposed to do. She walked into Birmingham as the heavy favourite, kept her belts, and walked out still on course for the fight she really wants.

It was controlled, often cruel, and at times a little too comfortable.

Dubois in cruise control

Inside BP Pulse Arena, Dubois defended her WBC and WBO lightweight titles with a dominant points win over Amelia Moore, the judges scoring it 99-90, 99-90, 98-91. The scorecards told the story: one-way traffic.

Dubois never looked rattled. She stalked. She pressed. She imposed herself. The British star leaned on power, presence and physicality rather than blistering speed, and that choice meant the contest stretched to its long, predictable conclusion. She was in charge, but she wasn’t ruthless.

The standout moment came in the fifth. Dubois uncorked a booming left hand that dumped Moore on the canvas, the kind of shot that usually closes the show. Moore bounced up almost instantly. Hurt, yes, but defiant. From there, Dubois simply moved her around the ring, circling and prodding, like a cat toying with a mouse that refused to stop running.

Moore, in just her fifth professional outing, showed why she was a respected amateur and a two-time American national champion. She had heart, plenty of it. What she didn’t have was the seasoning or sharpness to seriously disturb a champion who has boxed 70 more professional rounds and knows every inch of the terrain.

Four inches shorter, Dubois still found the angles, slipping danger and stepping inside with authority. Moore’s courage kept her upright. It never came close to turning the tide.

Dubois is now unbeaten in 15 professional fights, with 14 victories on her record. The belts stay with her. The bigger questions lie ahead.

Baumgardner watching – and talking

Ringside, Alycia Baumgardner watched closely. She called it a “scouting mission”. It quickly turned into something more.

As soon as the final bell rang, the real theatre began. Baumgardner accused Dubois of “tightening up” and looking “tired”. Dubois, leaning into her new MVP-moulded persona – brash, unapologetic, and utterly convinced of her own status – fired straight back, reminding the American she had stepped into “my division – I am the best here”, in an exchange laced with expletives.

The animosity is not new. The two have been sniping at each other for a year, including separate media conferences in Birmingham on Thursday to promote their respective upcoming fights. This felt like the latest episode in a slow-burn build.

The path is clear enough. Baumgardner, the unified super-featherweight champion, plans to step up to lightweight. If the 32-year-old successfully negotiates IBF champion Elif Nur Turhan in Texas on 8 November, a showdown with Dubois is expected next year, likely topping another MVP showcase of women’s boxing.

That possibility now hangs over everything Dubois does.

A champion in transition

Away from the ring lights, Dubois is already shifting gears. She has split from Shane McGuigan, the trainer who helped steer her to two world titles at lightweight. It was a bold break from a successful partnership.

She has relocated to Los Angeles to work with renowned US trainer Manny Robles, a move designed to push her to what she believes is the next level. New camp, new voice, same ambition.

The performance against Moore showed both the strength and the question marks of this new chapter. Dubois controlled every second, yet could not find the finish. Against Baumgardner, the margins will be slimmer, the punishment for waste sharper.

For now, though, the belts are secure, the rivalry is simmering, and the stage is slowly being built.

Harper’s bright restart

Earlier on the Birmingham card, Terri Harper reminded everyone she is not done yet.

The former opponent of Dubois – beaten on points by the champion in April – stepped up to welterweight and dismantled Miranda Reyes in two rounds. It was a must-win fight for a woman who had already stared retirement in the face after losing to Sandy Ryan in 2024.

Harper bounced into the ring with bright yellow gloves and matched the colour with her intent. She seized the centre from the opening bell, digging in body shots and forcing Reyes back. The tempo, the aggression, the clarity of purpose – all of it signalled a fighter who had decided she still belonged at the top level.

At the start of the second, she went through the gears. Reyes hit the canvas twice in quick succession. A burst of body work opened the door, and a short left hook slammed it shut. The referee stepped in after just 47 seconds of the round, Harper’s yellow-clad corner exploding in celebration.

Harper called it “one of the best performances of my career” and delivered her own message: “You can’t get rid of me this easily… It’s way too early [to say goodbye] – I’ve got a lot to give yet.”

It was her seventh knockout win from 17 victories in 22 bouts, a timely reminder of her power and pedigree at a moment when she needed both.

On a night built around a reigning champion protecting her throne and a looming super-fight, Harper’s resurgence added another thread to a division brimming with storylines. The question now is not whether these women can draw a crowd.

It’s who will still be standing when the biggest nights finally arrive.