Caroline Dubois wants Alycia Baumgardner after Baumgardner-Turhan IBF title fight on 8 November
Caroline Dubois told BBC Sport in a column that she wants to face Alycia Baumgardner and that Baumgardner will challenge Elif Nur Turhan for the IBF lightweight world title on Sunday, 8 November; Dubois said she wants the winner in 2027 and believes the pairing could become the sport's next great rivalry.
Dubois, Britain's unified lightweight world champion and holder of the WBC and WBO belts, is undefeated in 15 professional fights. In her column she framed Baumgardner as one of the biggest names in women's boxing and cited the sport's recent landmark rivalries: "We've had Katie Taylor against Amanda Serrano and Claressa Shields against Savannah Marshall." She argued women's boxing needs a new marquee fight as the current crop of champions moves on.
On the rivalry she made a direct claim about her own prospects, writing that she respects Baumgardner's achievements but is confident about the outcome: "I believe I'll knock her out." Dubois described existing friction between them, recalling that "Baumgardner called me a puppy when we exchanged words in Miami last year," and said she would be ringside for Baumgardner's fight with Turhan and ready to call out the winner.
Dubois set out commercial and staging requirements she sees as necessary for a fight of this magnitude, saying both fighters deserve appropriate pay and that the contest should take place on the biggest possible stage with the largest prize. She named the O2 Arena in London as her ideal venue and noted she fought on the undercard when Shields beat Marshall there in 2022, describing the atmosphere she remembers from that night.
On unification ambitions, Dubois reiterated her long-term objective to become undisputed. She said her team is working towards a fight with WBA champion Stephanie Han and that, after that unification, she would want the winner of Baumgardner-Turhan for the final belt. "To be the best, you've got to fight the best," she wrote, adding that the high-risk nature of the matchup means it must be staged on a major platform.
Dubois offered a breakdown of how she sees the Baumgardner-Turhan fight unfolding, praising Turhan's stoppage of Beatriz Ferreira as a sensational performance but saying Turhan has not looked as impressive since. She characterised Turhan as "heavy-handed, aggressive and dangerous, particularly early in fights," suggested Turhan could be vulnerable to three-minute rounds she has not previously experienced, and assessed that "Baumgardner is technically the better boxer, and if she survives those early rounds, I expect her to take control."
On potential post-fight confrontations Dubois signalled she would respond directly if challenged in the ring: "If Baumgardner calls me out afterwards, I'll stand up to her. I'm not somebody who scripts these moments. If I feel like getting in the ring and telling her exactly what I think, that's what I'll do." She also acknowledged her own position in the sport, saying she is 25 and still learning and recognising Baumgardner's work building her name.
Baumgardner must first get past Turhan on Sunday, 8 November, and Dubois is pursuing her own unification bout with Han; she says the winner of Baumgardner-Turhan is the opponent she wants in 2027. Caroline Dubois was speaking to BBC Sport boxing journalist Kal Sajad.