Dubois Wants Taylor Fight After IBO Defence
Caroline Dubois has been aiming for the very top since turning over as a professional
fighter after winning gold at the 2018 Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. She linked up with
trainer Shane McGuigan and has an impressive 8-0 record. She’s now got an IBO title
defence coming up, and if successful, she still wants to fight Irish boxing legend Katie
Taylor.
Dubois, 23, has been manoeuvred well by McGuigan and co even though her career is
only at its very early stages. She’s already gotten into the number-one positions in both the
IBF and WBC rankings, and every opponent she comes up against, Sweet Caroline is
always the favourite to win, and this is the general sentiment when looking at boxing
betting markets . But, a fight against even an ageing Taylor would represent a significant
step up, especially after what will be a total of nine professional bouts at Lightweight.
Taylor has been involved in two fights with Chantelle Cameron , losing the first by majority
decision before going to avenge her first professional loss and regaining all the Super
Lightweight titles in the second bout, again by majority decision. Immediately after Taylor’s
victory over Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin, Dubois proclaimed, “I want that fight. Let me
at her,” on social media.
The first step for Dubois, sister of heavyweight boxer Daniel Dubois, is to defend her IBO
title that she won against Magali Rodriguez at York Hall by unanimous decision last
September. Her opponent for the IBO defence is unknown at the time of writing. Still, the
bout is scheduled to take place at Wembley Arena on the undercard of the rescheduled
Joshua Buatsi vs Dan Azeez headliner on February 3. If successful, which is the
expectation, all eyes will turn to Dubois’s next challenge immediately, with Taylor firmly in
her sights.
Interestingly, while Dubois was in a position to challenge for the IBF title that, when
originally calling Taylor out was hers, the title is now vacant after Taylor vacated the belt.
So, there could be an opportunity to fight for the vacant IBF title to become a world
champion in her own right. The WBO belt at 135lbs is also vacant too. There’s a reason
why continuing down the IBF route rather than aiming to fight Taylor could be the way
forward, at least for now.
After a defeat and a victory over Cameron, there will likely be a trilogy bout between the
pair to determine who is the best fighter overall. At present, it’s believed that negotiations
are underway, but that Team Cameron are looking for the third fight between the duo to
take place on neutral soil after the two bouts that have happened so far have come to pass
in Taylor’s native Ireland.
And at 37, it could prove to be Taylor’s last or one of her last fights as a professional if the
Cameron trilogy bout comes off, which means a chance for Dubois, who could take over
the torch Taylor at the weight, actually to win the metaphorical torch in the ring, could be
unlikely, which is why Dubois and the IBF makes sense right now.