Katie Taylor vacates lightweight world title with Caroline Dubois crowned new champion

Reuters

Britain's Caroline Dubois, sister of IBF heavyweight world champion Daniel, was handed the WBC lightweight belt on Wednesday after Ireland's Katie Taylor vacated the title.

Dubois was the interim champion and will make a first defence of the world title on January 11th, her 24th birthday, against Canada's Jessica Camara in Sheffield.

The Briton was given the belt by WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, who was re-elected for a new four-year term, at the body's annual convention in Hamburg.

"It's always been my dream to become world champion, and this is just the start of the journey for me," said Dubois, who turned pro after the 2022 Tokyo Olympics and has a record of 10-0.

Taylor, the 2012 Olympic gold medallist and WBC's super-lightweight champion, had held the belt since 2019 but had not fought at lightweight since 2022.

Daniel Dubois was promoted from interim status to IBF heavyweight world champion after Ukraine's Oleksandr Usyk shed the title. The Briton successfully defended it against compatriot Anthony Joshua last September.