A Masterclass In The Chief Support
Right then — while the O2 was watching a heavyweight earthquake, Birmingham got a lightweight masterclass. Caroline Dubois took an unbeaten, ambitious Amelia Moore and simply schooled her over ten rounds: 99-90, 99-90, 98-91. When the judges hand in near-shutouts against an undefeated challenger, that tells you everything about the levels involved.
The moment of the fight came in the fifth, when Dubois detonated a left hook that put Moore on the canvas. Credit where it's due — the American got up quickly and kept trying to make a fight of it. But from that point on this was an exhibition of southpaw craft: angles, timing, and shot selection that Moore, at 4-0 coming in, simply had no answers for.
The Trainer Question, Answered
All the pre-fight noise was about Dubois splitting from her trainer weeks out — I flagged it myself in the fight night preview as the one genuine wobble in the picture. Consider that question answered. This was arguably the most composed, complete performance of her career. Some fighters shrink when the corner changes. The best ones announce themselves all over again.
Luke's Final Word
Let's not beat around the bush: at 14-0-1 and still only 25, Sweet Caroline is the best lightweight in the world not named on her own belts — and it's time to prove it properly. Unification is the only fight that makes sense next, and the name that keeps coming up is Alycia Baumgardner. Make that fight and Dubois wins it — she's levels above everyone at 135. On a night Chantelle Cameron unified three belts in the main event, British women's boxing owned the weekend. Brilliant, all of it.