Caroline Dubois Dominates Amelia Moore to Retain Titles

Caroline Dubois barely broke stride. Amelia Moore never really stood a chance.

Under the lights at BP Pulse Arena in Birmingham, Dubois coolly defended her WBC and WBO lightweight titles with a dominant points win, a performance that kept her unbeaten record intact and her path clear towards a huge clash with unified super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner.

The scorecards told the story: 99-90, 99-90, 98-91. Wide, emphatic, and never in doubt.

Dubois in cruise control

Dubois walked in as the heavy favourite and boxed like it. She controlled the tempo, the geography, and the tone of the fight from the opening bell, leaning on her physical strength and ring presence rather than blazing hand speed.

It made for a long, steady beating rather than a spectacular finish, but the gap in class was obvious.

The defining moment came in the fifth. Dubois uncorked a booming left hand that sent Moore to the canvas, a statement shot that underlined the gulf between a reigning world champion and a fighter in just her fifth professional outing. Moore bounced back up, stubborn and unshaken in spirit, but from there she spent long spells being shepherded around the ring, Dubois stalking and prodding like a cat toying with a mouse.

Moore, a two-time American national champion with a solid amateur pedigree, refused to fold. She showed guts, kept firing when she could, and never stopped trying to close the distance. What she lacked was the quality and experience to truly unsettle a champion who has boxed 70 more professional rounds and knows how to stay safe even when giving away four inches in height.

By the final bell, the result felt inevitable. Dubois had done enough, comfortably, and never once looked like she might lose control.

Needles out at ringside

If the fight itself was one-sided, the real edge came after the final bell.

Baumgardner sat ringside on what she called a “scouting mission,” and once Dubois’ hand was raised, the words started flying. The American accused the Briton of “tightening up” and looking “tired,” jabbing verbally where Moore hadn’t quite managed to physically.

Dubois, now 15-0 with 14 wins to her name, snapped back with the brash confidence that has become her new calling card under the MVP banner. She reminded Baumgardner she had stepped into “my division – I am the best here,” lacing the exchange with expletives and intent.

This wasn’t a new feud. The pair have been sniping at each other for a year, their rivalry simmering through separate media conferences in Birmingham in the build-up to this event. Saturday night simply turned up the heat.

The next step is clear enough. Baumgardner has already said she “absolutely” wants Dubois. First, though, the 32-year-old must move up to lightweight and take care of IBF champion Elif Nur Turhan in Texas on 8 November. If she does, the stage is set for a headline showdown on another MVP card, with Dubois waiting to prove that her new edge outside the ring matches her authority inside it.

A new corner, the same authority

Dubois’ performance came with another layer of intrigue. She has uprooted her training base, leaving Shane McGuigan in London – the coach who guided her to two world titles at lightweight – and relocating to Los Angeles to work with renowned US trainer Manny Robles.

It was a bold, surprising call for a reigning champion, a move that signals not complacency but ambition. On this evidence, she has lost none of her composure or control in the ring. The knockout didn’t come, yet the dominance did. The real question now is whether Robles can sharpen the edges further in time for Baumgardner, should that fight land in 2027 as expected.

Harper’s bright restart

Earlier on the Birmingham card, Terri Harper offered a reminder that her story is far from over.

The former world champion, who lost on points to Dubois in April and had previously considered retirement after defeat to Sandy Ryan in 2024, stepped up to welterweight for what felt like a must-win bout against Miranda Reyes. She didn’t just win; she tore through it.

Harper bounced to the ring in bright yellow gloves, her corner in matching colours, and carried that energy straight into the opening round. She took the centre of the ring, dug in hard to the body, and immediately pushed Reyes onto the back foot.

Then she stepped on the gas.

At the start of the second, Harper unleashed a sustained assault downstairs before clipping Reyes with a short left hook that sent the Houston fighter to the canvas. Reyes was down twice in quick succession, and with just 47 seconds gone in the round, the referee waved it off. Harper’s corner erupted, a blur of yellow and relief.

“One of the best performances of my career, I’m very happy with that,” Harper said afterwards. “You can’t get rid of me this easily! I am excited for what’s next. It’s way too early [to say goodbye] – I’ve got a lot to give yet.”

It was the seventh knockout of Harper’s career and her 17th win from 22 fights, a sharp, timely reminder of what she can still do at elite level.

In Birmingham, then, one champion stayed on course for a super-fight, another former champion reignited her climb, and the women’s lightweight picture tightened. If Baumgardner does her part in Texas, Dubois’ next walk to the ring might be the one that defines this era.