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Caroline Dubois is chasing the legacy of Ronda Rousey and Serena Williams

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Caroline Dubois has always followed her own path.

As a teenager, she pretended to be a boy in order to keep boxing a good level since girls were not allowed to box. Her resilience was rewarded with a brilliant amateur career, winning gold at the 2018 Youth Olympics and then representing Great Britain at the 2020 Tokyo Games, as well as a string of national titles.

She quickly made a name for herself as a professional, winning the WBC lightweight title in 2024, just two years into her career. Last year, tired of waiting for up-to-date opportunities to arise, Dubois signed with Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and within 10 days she was fighting on the Paul vs. undercard. Anthony Joshua in Miami.

In the week leading up to the fight, she had a verbal exchange with Alycia Baumgardner; a battle that few saw coming, but at times it stole the show.

As the 25-year-old enters the next stage of her career, on Sunday she will face rival Terri Harper for the unified lightweight titles. [Sky Sports in U.K., ESPN in U.S.]Dubois (12-0-1, 5 KO) wants to strike outside the ropes.

Growing up, Dubois says there weren’t many female boxers she could identify with. Instead, UFC star Ronda Rousey and tennis legends Serena and Venus Williams inspired her to follow her dreams, showing that women can blaze trails in sports.

Now he wants to do the same.

“I think she is [Rousey] she was the first woman I really paid attention to,” Dubois told ESPN.

“Even through boxing, there was no one… And then Ronda came on the scene and changed the game… Not just for the UFC, but for combat sports as a whole. I see her as [what] everyone should try and strive for their goal.”

The boxers did arrive, and Dubois admits they made an impact. Natasha Jonas, Nicola Adams, Katie Taylor, Claressa Shields, and those who came before Dubois’s time, like Laila Ali, laid the groundwork.

Dubois looks at her own legacy and wants to shape women’s boxing.

“We saw Ronda do it in the UFC. We saw Venus and Serena do it in tennis. I think you’ll see it again in my example in women’s boxing. My intention is to push the sport,” Dubois said at a news conference opening Sunday’s fight.

“I love boxing, but more importantly, I think I’m an artist.”

MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian says Dubois has what it takes to make the goal of transforming women’s boxing a reality.

“She’s an amazing youthful woman in terms of her confidence and the passion she has for not only the sport but also for the people,” Bidarian told ESPN.

“I believe Caroline at her age has the potential to become the Ronda Rousey of women’s boxing. It will take 3-4 years… It will require fantastic finishing, but she has all the right ingredients.”

And although the British wants to change the game in her own way, she knows that it cannot be forced. It has to be genuine.

“You should strive to be the best, best athlete,” Dubois says. “Because of this, through your actions, people will see something worth being admired for. And people will be inspired by it. And that’s all I was trying to do.”

Coach Shane McGuigan says her development is even more remarkable given her somewhat unconventional upbringing.

“Caroline didn’t go to school… She went to school for a year,” McGuigan tells ESPN.

“You grow a lot, just like a human being going through school.”

Dubois’ boxing gym became her community. As with her brother, former world heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, Caroline was closely guided by her father. Caroline has since distanced herself from her father, and McGuigan is impressed by how much she has grown in the last few years.

“Unfortunately [Dubois has] she had a falling out with her brother and dad and is having a tough time finding her feet at this stage,” McGuigan continues.

“But sometimes people… They grow in these situations. That’s where that resilience and strength and growth really comes from.”

Dubois would be the first to say that there will be more growth in the future as a person and as a boxer.

But since she’s been so forceful in forging her own path so far, being the next Ronda or Serena doesn’t seem out of the question.

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Robert Garcia picks who deserves a higher spot in the all-time rankings between Mayweather and Pacquiao

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Robert Garcia picks who deserves the higher all-time ranking between Mayweather and Pacquiao

Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao are considered two of the greatest of all time, but despite their meeting in 2015, fans still argue over which man was the greatest. Now the world-famous coach Robert Garcia has spoken.

Pacquiao is the only eight-division boxing world champion in history. In his legendary career, he ruled the flyweight division in 1998 and then ruled every division from super bantamweight to super welterweight.

Although unlike the self-proclaimed “TBE”, “Pac Man” was defeated eight times, including a loss to Mayweather, who famously retired with a 50-0 record, having won world titles in five different weight classes.

However, in clip captured by RyckesportsTVGarcia stated that he believes Pacquiao ranks higher in the “GOAT” debate because of the love he has received outside the ring as well as his skills in it.

“I think Pacquiao was better. Mike Tyson told me something: ‘To be the GOAT, it’s not just because of your boxing records, you have to be loved and accepted by the fans’ – and everyone loves Pacquiao.

“As Tyson says, [you must be able to] walk down the street with no bodyguards, everyone who comes up to you shakes your hand, if you can’t do it, you can’t be the GOAT if you can’t do it.

in September Pacquiao could end Mayweather’s unbeaten record after reportedly agreeing a shocking professional rematch that will air live and exclusively on Netflix.

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Jake Paul’s $200 million call for Canelo immediately backfired

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Jake Paul films himself on a phone during a public appearance amid fresh Canelo Alvarez fight speculation.

Jake Paul’s final call to Canelo Alvarez backfired before he even opened his mouth.

Days after admitting that doctors may never clear him to fight again following his disastrous loss to Anthony Joshua, Paul suddenly resurfaced, talking about a $200 million fight against boxing’s biggest busy star.

The moment immediately raised eyebrows as Paul no longer looks like a man in full control of his future in boxing.

Paul’s comments were made while standing in front of a brand associated with his bookmaking interests, making the moment feel less like an actual fight negotiation and more like another attempt to force a viral spectacle while uncertainty continues to surround his future.

After all, if Paul is unable to fight again, questions will immediately begin to arise about the long-term future of his relationship with Netflix and the massive crossover business model built around it.

This is the first problem.

Jake Paul has health concerns

Paul is still recovering from a brutal knockout loss to Anthony Joshua that left him with a double jaw fracture that required surgery and titanium plates implanted in his face.

Joshua dropped Paul four times before knocking him out in a one-sided beating that changed the entire perception of Jake Paul as a boxing attraction.

Over the years, Paul has carefully controlled the danger, selling the illusion of risk against former MMA fighters and aging names.

Joshua destroyed this illusion in one night.

Now all major fight explanations come back to the same question: Can Jake Paul physically withstand the punishment of elite-level boxing anymore?

This is the second problem.

Canelo’s contract reality

The third problem may be the most essential of all, as Paul appears to be targeting the one superstar who is currently least available to him.

Canelo is already locked into a lucrative, long-term, season-long deal in Riyad with Turki Alalshikh, who has never seemed enthusiastic about “Jack Paul,” as Turki calls him, or about influential boxing entering the elite side of the sport.

Paul already lost Canelo once when the Mexican superstar walked away from previous negotiations in favor of a Saudi-backed deal reportedly worth more than $200 million.

Since then, Canelo’s game plan has become more structured.

The Mexican icon is expected to face Christian Mbilli in September, with Hamzah Sheeraz potentially replacing him as titles begin to reassert themselves in the super middleweight division.

There is also continued hope that Osleys Iglesias and Jaime Munguia will be able to eventually unify the belts, potentially setting up another undisputed championship scenario for Canelo later in the Riyadh Agreement.

Barring a possible Terence Crawford rematch, it doesn’t appear that Saudi Arabia will deviate from this structure in favor of a crossover with Jake Paul.

This reality leaves Paul chasing a fight that already seems to be moving away from him.

Jake Paul’s desperation?

None of this means that Jake Paul can’t continue to generate huge amounts of money.

He remains one of the biggest crossover attractions in combat sports and understands social media promotion better than almost anyone else in boxing.

However, the timing of this last call created a challenging perception problem.

Flashing back to retirement concerns and long-term health issues, then suddenly saying he had $200 million ready for Canelo the next, made the whole situation seem more desperate than realistic.

Instead of reviving the post-Joshua vigorous, the call-out may have reminded boxing fans that Jake Paul suddenly looks much closer to the end of his boxing career than the beginning of a recent era of superfights.


About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

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Tim Bradley Claims Keyshawn Davis Is Behind Shakur Stevenson

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Image: Tim Bradley: Keyshawn Davis “Second Fiddle” To Shakur

“Keyshawn, Shakur is taking down all his opponents, brother. Your second fiddle. Straight ahead,” Bradley said on his YouTube channel. “You are Shakur’s second fiddle. Shakur is the dad. You are the son.”

Things get more complicated because Keyshawn and Shakur still call each other brothers and show little interest in fighting each other. This puts Keyshawn in an awkward position at 140 pounds because he is ranked No. 1 by the WBO while Shakur holds the title.

If Shakur doesn’t advance or vacate the belt again, Keyshawn’s path to a world title shot will be blocked by the same fighter Bradley says has been ahead of him all along.

This is a real problem for Keyshawn’s career because he is already 27 years venerable and still chasing the breakout fight that will make him a massive star.

The uncomfortable part about Keyshawn is that his career slowed down at the wrong time. He is already 27 years venerable and still has not had a decisive fight that would make him a real attraction. Instead, he’s headed to a rematch with Albright, a fight many fans feel like they’ve seen before.

Keyshawn recently said Top Rank wanted a rematch with Albright, but the bigger problem may be that there weren’t many realistic alternatives available. Bradley openly pointed out the risk-reward issue with Keyshawn.

“Keyshawn’s a damn good player, but he doesn’t have what it takes to be that player, man. I’m willing to take that risk,” Bradley said.

This issue is unlikely to go away at lightweight or 140 as Keyshawn’s size has become part of the discussion. After losing four pounds before the canceled fight with Edwin De Los Santos, many fans already expect him to jump higher.

At this point, Keyshawn might be better off stopping the constant promotion talk and just doing it. A move up to welterweight or even junior middleweight could create modern opportunities and remove some of the criticism about his weight issues.

More importantly, fighters at 147 and 154 are unlikely to treat Keyshawn the same way as smaller fighters. The threat factor changes when he is no longer the naturally bigger man entering the ring.

Bradley still picked Keyshawn to beat Albright in the rematch and predicted a stoppage if he played like he did against Jermaine Ortiz.

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