Caroline Dubois Dominates Amelia Moore, Sets Sights on Alycia Baumgardner
Caroline Dubois barely broke stride, never mind sweat.
Under the lights at BP Pulse Arena in Birmingham, the WBC and WBO lightweight champion eased past Amelia Moore on the cards, banked another defence, and kept the road clear for the fight she really wants: Alycia Baumgardner in 2027.
This was control, not chaos. Domination, not drama.
Dubois in cruise control
From the opening bell, Dubois fought like a champion who knew exactly where every second of this contest was heading. She pressed, stalked, and dictated the geography of the ring, using her physicality and presence to pen Moore in and slowly strip away her resistance.
The scorecards told the story: 99-90, 99-90, 98-91. Unanimous, wide, and never in doubt.
Dubois was the heavy favourite and fought like it. She didn’t rush. She didn’t chase. She walked Moore down, round after round, leaning on her power and size rather than any need for frantic combinations or blistering hand speed. The trade-off was obvious: the bout went the distance, a long march to an inevitable conclusion, but one she controlled almost entirely.
The major flashpoint came in the fifth. Dubois finally uncorked the shot she’d been threatening, a booming left hand that sent Moore crashing to the canvas. For a moment, the arena rose, sensing the finish.
Moore got straight up.
She didn’t just survive; she refused to fold. The American, in only her fifth professional fight, showed the kind of guts you can’t teach. Twice a national champion back home, she bit down and stayed in it, even as Dubois began to move her around the ring like a cat toying with a mouse.
Skill and seasoning told. Dubois has boxed 70 more professional rounds than Moore, and it showed in every exchange. Despite giving away four inches in height, she slipped danger, closed distance, and kept Moore right where she wanted her. The challenger simply lacked the quality and experience to turn courage into threat.
Dubois left with her belts, her unbeaten record intact, and another tick in the win column: 15 professional fights, 14 victories.
But the real noise started after the final bell.
Baumgardner watching – and talking
Alycia Baumgardner was not just in the building; she was locked in. The unified super-featherweight champion labelled her night at ringside a “scouting mission”, and she didn’t like everything she saw.
As Dubois celebrated, the two finally collided verbally. Baumgardner accused the Briton of “tightening up” and looking “tired”. Dubois fired straight back, her new MVP-polished persona fully on display – brash, unapologetic, dripping with the kind of self-belief that sells big fights.
She made it clear: Baumgardner is stepping into her world.
Her message was simple and sharp – this is “my division – I am the best here” – delivered in a heated, expletive-laced exchange that underlined the simmering feud between the pair. They have been sniping at each other for a year, through interviews, social media, and now, face to face with cameras rolling.
Both had held separate media conferences in Birmingham on Thursday to promote their respective upcoming fights. Both know the real event is the one being teased down the line.
For that to happen, one more piece has to fall into place. Baumgardner, 32, must first step up to lightweight and get past IBF champion Elif Nur Turhan in Texas on 8 November. She has already said she “absolutely” wants Dubois. If she backs that up in the ring, the stage is set for another MVP-fronted showcase of women’s boxing, this time with real needle and genuine star power.
A champion on the move
Dubois is not standing still while she waits.
Away from the ring, she has already made one of the boldest calls of her career, splitting from Shane McGuigan in London – the trainer who guided her to two world titles at lightweight. It was a shock decision, but it underlined her ambition.
She has moved her base to Los Angeles and linked up with renowned US trainer Manny Robles, a switch designed to sharpen her game for the elite level she wants to dominate. The change in camp, the louder public persona, the willingness to embrace the spotlight – all of it points in one direction: bigger nights, bigger names, bigger risks.
Baumgardner is the obvious next step. The tension is real. The timing feels right. One more win for the American, and there will be nowhere left to hide for either of them.
Harper reminds everyone she’s not done
Earlier in the night, another familiar name started writing a new chapter.
Terri Harper, beaten on points by Dubois in April and previously left contemplating retirement after losing to Sandy Ryan in 2024, walked into the arena in bright yellow gloves and a must-win mindset. She had stepped up to welterweight to face Miranda Reyes knowing her status as a top-level operator depended on the result.
She fought like someone who had no intention of fading quietly.
From the first round, Harper seized the centre of the ring and never let it go. She dug in body shots, dictated tempo, and looked sharp, focused, and dangerous. The energy from her ring walk carried straight into her work.
Then she turned it up.
At the start of the second round, Harper went through the gears and closed the show with ruthless efficiency. A sustained attack downstairs softened Reyes, and a short left hook finished the job. Reyes went down twice in quick succession, and 47 seconds into the round, the referee stepped in.
Her corner, decked out in the same vivid yellow, erupted. Harper had her statement win.
Afterward, she called it “one of the best performances of my career” and made her intentions plain: “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.”
The numbers back her up. It was the seventh knockout of her career, part of a record that now reads 17 wins from 22 bouts. For a fighter who had stared down the idea of walking away, this was a powerful reminder – to herself and everyone else – that she still belongs in serious conversations.
On a night built around a dominant champion, a looming super-fight, and a resurgent former title-holder, one question lingered as the arena emptied: when Dubois and Baumgardner finally share a ring with no ropes between them, whose version of themselves will be enough?
