Caroline Dubois beats Terri Harper to hold WBO and WBC world lightweight titles

By Damian Spellman, Press Association

Caroline Dubois added the WBO world lightweight title to her WBC crown with a unanimous points victory over fellow Briton Terri Harper.

The London-born younger sister of heavyweight Daniel Dubois scored a 98-91, 97-92, 98-91 win to see off Harper at London Olympia on Sunday night.

Dubois struggled to get to her opponent initially, but floored her in the sixth round and never looked back as she moved a step closer to unifying the division.

Asked afterwards if that was now her aim, she told Sky Sports: “A hundred per cent. That’s the plan. I only want big fights from now on.

“I’ve got two more fights this year and I want to make them two of the biggest.”

The fighters had traded verbal exchanges during the build-up to the contest with Harper shoving Dubois in a tense face-off on Wednesday, but she insisted there was nothing in the animosity on her part.

She said: “It was never personal for me. It was always personal for Terri. I’m a fighter and I’m an entertainer, I put myself out there to show up for you guys, I talk the talk to be entertaining for you guys, and this is why this fight was the most talked about, the most exciting.”

In a cagey opening round, neither fighter landed a meaningful blow of note with Harper easily side-stepping an expansive left hook from Dubois, although the 29-year-old did get a straight right hand through in the second.

Dubois enjoyed the better of the close-quarter action in the third round and as the tempo increased in the fourth, it was she who started to score, delivering a series of body blows and a solid right hook.

Harper largely managed to keep herself out of range, but was caught with a heavy left which sent her to the canvas with 11 seconds of the sixth round remaining, to Dubois’ clear delight.

Sensing an opportunity, the 25-year-old stepped up a gear and with Harper bleeding heavily after a clash of heads in the eighth, she went toe-to-toe with her opponent knowing she needed something special in the closing rounds.

Both remained on their feet after an attritional final two minutes, but a confident Dubois ultimately got the verdict she wanted.

Earlier, Ellie Scotney had unified the super-bantamweight division by beating Mayelli Flores on points to take her WBA belt to go with the WBO, WBC and IBF world titles she already held.