Caroline Dubois has set her sights on a showdown that would crown her the undisputed champion of the lightweight division, and she is already mapping out the steps she needs to take to get there. Her immediate focus is on the upcoming bout between American contender Alycia Baumgardner and Turkey’s IBF lightweight champion Elif Nur Turhan, a fight that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the early hours of Monday, November 9. Dubois believes that the winner of that encounter will become her next opponent in a quest to unify all the major belts.
Currently holding the WBC and WBO titles at 135 pounds, Dubois is not content to sit on the sidelines while the division’s other champions battle it out. Instead, she has announced her intention to capture a third belt – the WBA title currently held by Stephanie Han – before the year is out, or at the very latest, early in the following calendar year. "I want to become undisputed and I want to be involved in relevant fights.
To unify the division is my dream right now. The only other champion [available] is Han and we'll just have to see if I can get it in before the end of the year. If not we'll have to go early next year," Dubois told Sky Sports.
"Hopefully we'll be unified world champion by the end of this year or early next. One belt away from becoming undisputed." Dubois’s confidence is backed by a recent successful title defence. In Birmingham last month she stopped Amelia Moore in a convincing performance that not only retained her WBC and WBO belts but also reinforced her reputation as the division’s most dominant force. The victory was quickly followed by a heated exchange of words with Baumgardner, who Dubois believes is both intimidated and envious of her rapid rise.
"She's most definitely intimidated by me. She's frightened of what I bring to the table. When she looks at me I know that she sees a younger, better, stronger, more talented, more everything better than her. Everything I do is just better than her.
I feel like she's threatened by that," Dubois said in a post‑fight interview. She went on to contrast her own swift ascent with Baumgardner’s longer road to the top: "Everything that she has had to work so hard to get I've had it and I've achieved it in such quick succession. She's threatened, she's jealous. She's feeling a lot of emotions and all I can say is I hope she can focus herself, get that win [over Turhan] and we can find out who's the best." Dubois made it clear that she is not merely a spectator in the Baumgardner‑Turhan clash.
"I hope she wins the fight. I'm going to be real upset if she doesn't win because I need to show her something," she added, underscoring her desire to test herself against the victor. "Elif Turhan, the champion, versus Alycia Baumgardner, the contender, is going to be an awesome fight.
I want the winner. I've made it very clear.
I feel like I have been very vocal about the fact that I want to become undisputed." The British fighter also hinted that the path to undisputed status is becoming clearer. "The path has revealed itself to me. The path has become clear now... So close, but so far," she reflected, acknowledging both the proximity of her goal and the remaining hurdles.
If Baumgardner defeats Turhan, the next logical step for Dubois would be a bout that pits her WBC and WBO crowns against Baumgardner’s newly acquired IBF belt. Such a match would essentially be a de facto unification fight, with only the WBA title remaining to be claimed. Conversely, should Turhan retain her belt, Dubois’s focus would likely shift to a direct challenge against the Turkish champion, a scenario that would still bring her one step closer to the coveted undisputed status.
The stakes are high for all parties involved. For Baumgardner, a victory would not only secure an IBF world title but also position her as the immediate challenger to Dubois, potentially catapulting her into the limelight of a historic unification bout.
For Turhan, defending her title against a hungry American contender would cement her standing and possibly force her into a high‑profile clash with Dubois later in the year. Dubois’s ambition is not merely about collecting belts; it reflects a broader desire to dominate the lightweight division and cement her legacy as one of the sport’s greats.
Her recent comments reveal a competitive mindset that blends confidence with a clear strategic plan. By targeting Stephanie Han next, she aims to close the final gap in the belt lineup, while keeping a watchful eye on the outcome of the Baumgardner‑Turhan showdown. Fans can catch the Turhan versus Baumgardner fight live on Sky Sports on November 9, an event that promises to shape the landscape of women’s lightweight boxing for months to come. Whether the result leads directly to a Dubois‑Baumgardner clash or sets up a different configuration, the British champion’s resolve remains unwavering: to unify the division, become the undisputed champion, and prove that she is the best in the world at 135 pounds.