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 at the BP Pulse LIVE Arena in Birmingham on August 29. The bout will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and will feature a ten‑round, two‑minute format at 135 pounds, sharing the card with headline fights between Mikaela Mayer and Chantelle Cameron and a lineup composed entirely of female fighters from the United Kingdom and the United States.
Dubois first linked up with McGuigan in 2021, and the partnership quickly produced impressive results. Under his guidance she secured victories over Maira Moneo and Bo Mi Re Shin, and most notably captured the unified lightweight titles by defeating Terri Harper in April. McGuigan, now recognized as one of the premier boxing coaches worldwide, helped Dubois rise from a promising prospect to a dominant champion on the sport’s biggest stages.
Despite the success, Dubois has decided to join forces with Manny Robles, the acclaimed trainer behind Andy Ruiz Jr., Oscar Valdez and Brandon Figueroa. She explained that the move is driven purely by her ambition to reach even higher levels of achievement in boxing. "Most fighters leave a coach after a loss looking for someone to blame; that’s a weak approach," she said.
"I’m incredibly grateful for everything Shane has done for me, but my quest for greatness means I have to keep evolving, and that includes trying a new coaching environment in the United States." Dubois praised McGuigan, calling him a "phenomenal coach" and expressing pride in the journey they shared. "We turned me into a unified world champion and put women’s boxing on the biggest stage possible.
That work doesn’t disappear; it adds to the legacy of the stable," she added. She emphasized that a fighter should never stop learning or limiting themselves, and that moving to a different training team is part of her broader strategy to become "the best fighter you’ve ever seen." The decision comes at a time when Dubois has voiced frustration over the limited options for unifying her belts.
She previously sought a clash with Turkish contender Elif Nur Turhan, but Turhan’s financial demands were described by Dubois as "astronomical" and "absurd," effectively ending that negotiation. "She asked for a sum that sounded like a joke. It’s the kind of money that would set someone up for life, not a fight fee," Dubois remarked, adding that she would rather focus on opponents who match her competitive drive. Looking ahead, Dubois has identified a potential showdown with WBA lightweight champion Stephanie Han as a logical next step, and she has also called out Alycia Baumgardner, insisting that their highly anticipated matchup "has to happen sooner rather than later." These statements underline her desire to continually test herself against the top talent in the division.
McGuigan, reflecting on Dubois’s progress, has previously predicted that she could capture every belt in the lightweight division and even become an undisputed champion across multiple weight classes. "She’s blitzing everyone in a division that’s arguably the most contested in women’s boxing," he told Sky Sports.
"I genuinely believe she can succeed at lightweight, super‑lightweight and welterweight as she continues to develop." Former undisputed champion Ellie Scotney also weighed in, describing Dubois as a "generational talent" who is only beginning to tap her full potential. "Nothing was going wrong for her to make this move; sometimes a change is necessary, and she’s at that point in her career," Scotney said. Dubois’s upcoming fight against Amelia Moore will be a crucial test of her new partnership with Robles. Moore, a rising British contender, will provide a stern test at 135 pounds.
The event, promoted as MVPW‑06, promises a night of high‑octane women's boxing, with the added allure of a Sky Sports broadcast and streaming options that require no contract. Fans are encouraged to watch the fight live on August 29, either through a Sky Sports subscription or via a contract‑free streaming service.
The bout not only represents Dubois’s first defense under a new trainer but also serves as a statement of her relentless pursuit of excellence and her willingness to make bold changes in order to achieve boxing greatness.