Caroline Dubois retains WBC lightweight title – but Shin provides priceless experience for unbeaten South Londoner
BY RICHARD CAWLEY
richard@slpmedia.co.uk
Caroline Dubois retained her WBC lightweight title with a majority points decision victory over Bo Mi Re Shin last weekend.
The 24-year-old South Londoner earned the decision by 98-93 and 98-92 on two of the judges’ scorecards with the other marking it 95-95.
Dubois, from Greenwich, is unbeaten in 12 professional bouts and was upgraded to full WBC champion when Irish great Katie Taylor vacated.
South Korea’s Shin had been on a three-bout winning streak.
Dubois’ first defence of her title ended in a technical draw after a clash of heads with opponent Jessica Camara.
“It was very rough and tough, said Dubois. “Watching her fights previously with the team, that’s what she does. Charges in, head down and swings. She did exactly what I expected.
“I feel like I need to learn how to fight on the inside.
“It’s one thing doing it in sparring, but it’s another thing doing it in the ring. The crowd, the lights, the judges, it’s important to master that. I tried to do it, I don’t know if I was successful but I tried.
“I’m going to be undisputed by the end of the year and I’m going to be in some hard fights – Beatriz Ferreira (IBF champion), Terri Harper (WBO) and whoever has got the remaining belts.
“I need to be beating these girls if I want to be undisputed. To be the best you have to beat the best.
“I’ve come a long way. It’s mad. I look back at my progression and think ‘wow, I’ve done a lot and I’ve achieved a lot’. I’m a similar weight but I have got so much bigger – that is just on the physical side. On the mental and skill side there has been a lot of growth.”
Catford’s Ellie Scotney, the IBF, WBO and Ring Magazine super-bantamweight champion, was doing punditry work for 5 Live Boxing.
She said: “There is no ceiling with Caroline and tonight you saw her getting questions asked from a physical standpoint.
“It was Shin’s ability to soak up shots and still be in there – to fight the last two rounds like the first two. She was ready to go all night.
“I feel like Caroline will go on to look back on tonight, when she has gone on to become undisputed and a world champion in multiple weight classes, and remember Shin.
“She will be thankful for the lesson because you can’t learn them in the gym. Caroline didn’t want to just go in there and retain her belt, she wanted to go in there and mark herself out as the one.”
Big punching Penge cruiserweight Aloys Youmbi (9-1, 8KOs) is set to box on a Glasgow show on May 24.
The 21-year-old, nicknamed The Animal, will face Scotland’s David Jamieson (13-3, 10KOs) in a defence of his WBA Continental title.
Brixton heavyweight Dillian Whyte has withdrawn from his bout against Joe Joyce on April 5 due to a hand injury.
Joyce will still feature on the Manchester show which includes Walworth’s Richard Riakporhe facing Lawrence Okolie.