Terri Harper steps into career-defining fight
Terri Harper will headline one of the most significant nights in women’s boxing when she meets Caroline Dubois in a unified lightweight world title clash at Olympia, London, on Sunday, April 5.
For Doncaster’s Harper, Britain’s first three-division women’s world champion, the bout represents both validation and opportunity. It's a chance to cement her place at the very top of the sport against one of its most highly rated fighters.
The 29-year-old WBO lightweight champion enters the contest with a record of 16-2-2 and a career that has already taken her from super-featherweight titles through to world honours at super-welterweight and lightweight.
Less than two years after turning professional, the Denaby Main fighter was a world champion and, six years on, remains one of the most accomplished female boxers Britain has produced.
"This fight has been a long time in the making" Harper, who headlined a world title defence at Doncaster Rovers' stadium in May 2025, said.
"I’m grateful to MVP for getting it over the line. I’m excited to be headlining MVP’s first UK show."
Standing opposite her will be London’s Caroline Dubois, the undefeated WBC lightweight champion whose amateur pedigree and rapid professional rise have marked her out as one of the standout talents of her generation.
Dubois, 25, is 12-0-1 and currently ranked ESPN’s number one lightweight in the world.
A 2020 Olympian and former BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year, Dubois won the WBC interim title in August 2024 before being elevated to full champion later that year.
She defended the belt twice in 2025 and arrives with momentum, youth and the backing of a growing fanbase.
"This is a massive fight in my career and for British boxing, both a legacy fight and unification" Dubois said.
"The goal is to become undisputed world champion and this is the first step."
For Harper, the matchup is a test of versatility and experience against Dubois’ speed, southpaw movement and amateur-honed precision.
It is also a reminder of the road she has travelled since early setbacks threatened to stall her progress.
Losses to Alycia Baumgardner and Sandy Ryan, both at Sheffield Arena, forced reinvention rather than retreat, and her move back down to lightweight in 2024 proved decisive, culminating in a clear points win over Rhiannon Dixon to claim the WBO title.
Since then, Harper has looked settled at 135lbs, defending her belt with authority and positioning herself for this long-anticipated unification.
Victory would not only add the WBC title to her collection but place her firmly in discussions about Britain’s greatest female fighters.
The bout headlines Most Valuable Promotions’ first UK event, a card stacked with world title contests.
In the broader landscape, Harper versus Dubois stands among the finest match-ups women’s boxing can currently offer.
Two reigning world champions. A genuine unification. Contrasting styles.
In terms of competitive depth, relevance and consequence, it sits alongside recent elite-level clashes such as Taylor-Serrano and Cameron-Taylor - not as a spectacle built on rivalry, but as a pure sporting contest at the top of a major weight division.
FACTFILE
Terri Harper
Age: 29
Hometown: Doncaster
Record: 16-2-2 (6 KOs)
Titles: WBO lightweight
Former titles: WBC/IBO super-featherweight, WBA/IBO super-welterweight
Notable achievement: Britain’s first three-division women’s world champion
Caroline Dubois
Age: 25
Hometown: London
Record: 12-0-1 (5 KOs)
Titles: WBC lightweight.
Former title: IBO lightweight.
Olympics: Tokyo 2021
Rankings: ESPN number one lightweight, BoxRec top 20 pound-for-pound
Amateur honours: Youth Olympic gold, World Youth champion, four European Youth titles
FIVE THINGS ABOUT TERRI
1: Unlike many elite fighters, Harper’s amateur career was short. She boxed just 17 times but still won three national titles and a European junior silver medal.
2: Before world titles and TV slots, Harper worked locally, including in a chip shop, while trying to keep her boxing career afloat.
3: Harper has held recognised world titles at 130lbs, 154lbs and now 135lbs – an unusually wide spread in women’s boxing.
4: Following defeats that stalled her momentum, Harper rebuilt her career by returning to a smaller, more familiar training setup locally, working again with people who knew her before the world titles.
5: Harper is one of the rare modern fighters to defend a world title in her home area, headlining a championship bout in Doncaster in 2025.