Caroline Dubois has announced that she will no longer be training under Shane McGuigan as she prepares to defend her WBC and WBO lightweight crowns against Amelia Moore in Birmingham on August 29, a bout that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The split comes after a productive partnership that began in 2021, during which McGuigan—widely regarded as one of the sport’s elite trainers—helped Dubois climb to the summit of women’s lightweight boxing.
Under McGuigan’s guidance, Dubois secured notable victories over Maira Moneo and Bo Mi Re Shin, and most importantly captured the unification win over Terri Harper in April, cementing her status as a unified world champion. Despite the success, Dubois explained that her decision to join forces with Manny Robles—a coach famed for working with Andy Ruiz Jr., Oscar Valdez and Brandon Figueroa—was motivated solely by her ambition to dominate the sport even further. She emphasized that her gratitude toward McGuigan remains undiminished.
"Most of the time a fighter parts ways with a coach after a loss, looking for a scapegoat. That’s a weak approach," Dubois said.
"I’m incredibly proud of what Shane and I achieved together. We turned me into a unified world champion and placed me on the biggest stage in women’s boxing, all with Shane as my coach and a key member of my team. I want to extend a massive thank‑you to Shane—he’s been a phenomenal mentor, and I’m honoured and privileged to have worked with him." Dubois added that the decision to move to the United States and try a different coaching environment is part of a broader quest for greatness. "That work doesn’t disappear; it adds to my foundation.
I’m on a mission to become the best fighter anyone has ever seen. A boxer should never stop learning, growing, or limiting themselves," she explained. The upcoming fight will be contested at 135 pounds over ten two‑minute rounds at the BP Pulse Live Arena. It will be part of a card headlined by Mikaela Mayer versus Chantelle Cameron, featuring an all‑female lineup of British and American pugilists.
While Dubois is eager to defend her titles, she expressed frustration at being forced into a defense rather than a unification bout. She had been pursuing a clash with Turkish contender Elif Nur Turhan, but negotiations fell apart over what Dubois described as an "astronomical, ridiculous" purse demand. "The amount she asked for was absurd—so high it sounded like a joke. It was the kind of money that would set someone up for life and never fight again," Dubois remarked.
Despite the setback, Dubois believes a fight with Turhan could still materialise in the future. She is also keeping an eye on a potential showdown with WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han. Earlier this year, Dubois publicly called out Alycia Baumgardner, insisting that their highly anticipated encounter "has to happen sooner rather than later." McGuigan, reflecting on his former protégé, has consistently praised Dubois’s talent.
In 2023 he predicted she would "capture all of the belts" and declared her "the best lightweight in the world." He noted that the lightweight division is perhaps the most competitive segment of women’s boxing, yet Dubois has been "blitzing everybody." McGuigan also hinted that he envisions her eventually becoming an undisputed champion across multiple weight classes, stating, "I genuinely believe she can succeed at lightweight, super‑lightweight and welterweight. She’s still developing and getting better all the time." Former undisputed champion Ellie Scotney echoed these sentiments, telling Sky Sports, "Caroline is a generational talent; she’s only just scratching the surface. Nothing was going wrong that forced her to move, but sometimes a change is necessary, and I think she’s at that point." The fight on August 29 will be streamed on Sky Sports, with options to watch without a contract via NOW. Fans can also tune into the weekly Toe2Toe podcast for deeper analysis and catch the latest boxing highlights and videos online.
In summary, Dubois’s split from McGuigan marks the end of a fruitful chapter and the beginning of a new era under Manny Robles. While she remains grateful for the foundation built with McGuigan, she is determined to push her career to even greater heights, seeking new challenges, broader horizons, and the ultimate goal of undisputed status across multiple divisions.
The upcoming defense against Amelia Moore will be the first test of this new partnership, and all eyes will be on Birmingham to see whether Dubois can continue her meteoric rise in the sport.