CAROLINE DUBOIS FLOORS TERRI HARPER TO BECOME UNIFIED WBC AND WBO CHAMPION
Caroline Dubois eyes undisputed glory after outclassing Terri Harper in a historic Most Valuable Promotions event.
Caroline Dubois finally settled things with Terri Harper, grabbing a unanimous win on Sunday and picking up the WBO lightweight belt. Now she’s a unified lightweight champion.
Walking in as the WBC titleholder, Dubois left no doubt, sweeping the scorecards: 98-91, 98-91, and 97-92.
Right after the fight, Dubois took a moment to soak in the crowd. “First of all, can I say a massive thank you to everyone? Like this atmosphere, this energy,” she told them. She didn’t hide how much support meant to her, pointing out how women’s boxing has always been left in the shadows. “Everyone who fought in the card. I wouldn’t be able to do this without you.” Then she gave Harper her props, even if Harper must’ve been disappointed. “But listen, Terri had a good show, and she showed why she is a very, very, very good boxer.”
The opening rounds felt more like chess than boxing; both fighters took their time, sizing each other up. Harper moved well; Dubois struggled a bit to find her rhythm and distance.
Things really started to heat up at the end of Round 6, when Dubois cracked Harper with a clean left hand, dropping her to the canvas. The bell rang before Dubois could press her advantage, but Harper found her feet again in Round 7. Dubois, though, looked more confident, hunting for openings.
She even admitted it afterwards: “I felt like I could have gone through the gears,” Dubois said. “I don’t want to make excuses, but yeah, it doesn’t matter. Yeah, I felt like I started really well. Terri was very [tentative], and we knew she was going to be, and it was a bit tricky to get her. And the sixth round arrived, and that’s what happened.”
Round 8 delivered the fireworks that fans came to see. Both landed solid shots. Dubois kept popping her left and the jab, and a cut opened up over Harper’s left eye.
Knowing she was behind, Harper seemed to dig deeper in Rounds 9 and 10, marching straight at Dubois and turning the fight into more of a slugfest. She landed a couple of strong rights and a clean left hook right as Round 9 ended, then let her hands go in the final round, but Dubois stayed steady. It wasn’t enough to sway the judges.
Dubois got a lift, literally, after the match, heavyweight champ Claressa Shields hoisted her up as they celebrated in the ring.
So what’s next? This win opens up some huge opportunities for Dubois. She says she wants to be undisputed at 135 pounds. Stephanie Han (also with MVP) has the WBA belt but is supposed to rematch Holly Holm in May. Elif Nur Turhan owns the IBF belt and fights under Matchroom.
Dubois has even said she’d take on Alycia Baumgardner, the unified junior lightweight champ, but Baumgardner isn’t convinced Dubois is ready for that showdown, at least not yet.
MANNY PACQUIAO BELIEVES HIS ELITE SPEED WOULD HAVE EASILY DISMANTLED ERROL SPENCE JR.
Manny Pacquiao reveals why he would have "easily beaten" Errol Spence Jr. and shares the secret to his 8-division success.
Manny Pacquiao didn’t need much time to give his take on a fantasy matchup with Errol Spence Jr. If their rumoured 2021 fight actually happened, Pacquiao says he knows how it would have played out.
Back then, Spence was already a big deal. He was a unified welterweight champ, a local hero in Texas, and he’d built up hype with Dallas Cowboys players and musicians. Undefeated, 27 wins with 21 knockouts. His star was on the rise in the US, and Pacquiao was the perfect name to take him to that next level, just like when Pacquiao beat Oscar de la Hoya and launched his own pay-per-view takeover.
But Pacquiao saw things differently. “I wanted to fight him because I know I can easily beat him,” he told ‘Inside The Ring’ on DAZN.
At that point, Pacquiao had fought 71 times. He’d done it all. Titles, wars, all of it. But he was quick to say he wouldn’t be the ageing de la Hoya in this story.
If he had beaten Spence, it would have been thanks to his speed. “It’s not about strength or how strong the punch is. It’s about skills and abilities in the ring and how you move. That’s boxing. That’s the secret to being an eight-division champion,” Pacquiao explained.
In reality, Pacquiao ended up fighting Yordenis Ugas instead, and it didn’t go well. He lost badly. Fans saw him days later, face swollen shut, being spoon-fed by his wife, Jinkee. After almost four years out, he came back in 2025 and nearly beat Mario Barrios, settling for a controversial majority draw.
Spence, on the other hand, bounced back to beat Ugas with a 10th-round stoppage but got knocked out by Terence Crawford in the ninth round in 2023. He hasn’t fought since, but he keeps getting linked to a summer fight with Tim Tszyu.
Last we heard, Spence was still undecided. He says he’ll only return if the right fight comes along.
WHY DID OLEKSANDR USYK STOP WATCHING FURY VS MAKHMUDOV DURING THE SIXTH ROUND?
Oleksandr Usyk ignores Tyson Fury’s win to pray, while Anthony Joshua brands Fury a "clout-chaser" in a ringside row.
Oleksandr Usyk didn’t bother finishing Tyson Fury’s fight with Arslanbek Makhmudov on Saturday. After six rounds, he switched off the TV and went to pray. He’s not thinking about fighting Fury again anytime soon either.
Fury stepped back into the ring after a year away, squaring up with Makhmudov at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The fight went the full twelve rounds, and Fury took home a unanimous decision win. It streamed live on Netflix, so fans everywhere got to watch.
But Usyk caught half the fight before leaving. He told the Mail, “I got a bunch of messages like, ‘Did you see my friend winning?’ I said, ‘Yeah, great,’ but honestly, I only watched the first six rounds. Then I left for church to pray. In rounds three and four, I got a little worried Makhmudov started landing, and I thought, ‘Come on, keep your hands up.’”
As for facing Fury for a third time, Usyk shot down the idea. After beating Fury twice in 2024, he’s ready to move on. “My plan’s the same. I’ve got three fights lined up, I know what I want. If Fury fits in, fine, but things are more complicated now.”
Back in May 2024, Fury put his WBC heavyweight belt on the line, dreaming of undisputed glory, while Usyk brought his WBA (Super), IBF, WBO, and IBO titles. Usyk edged out Fury on a split decision. They ran it back in December, and it wasn’t as close Usyk dominated and hit a clean 23-0 record with another unanimous points victory.
Next, Usyk is set to face Rico Verhoeven, the Glory heavyweight kickboxing champ, on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza. Not your average boxing event.
Meanwhile, Fury wasted no time calling out Anthony Joshua, who was ringside for his win over Makhmudov. Fury wanted to make the fight happen right then and there, but Joshua didn’t commit. That annoyed fans in the stadium and at home.
Joshua’s response? He wasn’t impressed. “Tyson, you’re clout-chasing,” he shot back. “I’ve never had a problem getting in the ring with you. I punched you up when we were kids, and after watching you tonight, I’ll do it again. You don’t tell me what to do.”
He doubled down. “I’ve been chasing you for ten years. When you’re ready, come see me. I’m the boss you work for me. I’m the landlord, remember that.”
