- Joe Hewlett
- 3 August 2021
History is made as Galal Yafai guarantees himself a medal in Tokyo
“Now I’ve got a medal, but obviously I don't want it to be bronze"
Dubois was an amateur boxer, who represented Team GB at the Olympics before turning pro in October 2021.
Aged eight, Dubois pretended to be a boy to get her chance at the Repton Amateur Boxing club and even took on the name 'Colin' so she could fit in.
She moved on to Dale Youth which has produced the likes of James DeGale and George Groves. After watching her spar they were delighted to take on Dubois.
A talented southpaw, among her inspirations are America's Claressa Shields, Ireland's Katie Taylor and England's Nicola Adams.
She is a four-time European Youth champion and a World Youth champion. Her proudest moment to date is winning gold at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Argentina.
Dubois won the SportsAid One-to-Watch award for 2018 and was named BBC young Sports Personality of the Year in 2019.
Dubois moves to 7-0
Dubois moved to 7-0 after a dominant points win over Yanina del Carmen at the York Hall in June 2023.
Dubois may not have got the knockout, but she dropped the tough Argentine in the fifth round. Her opponent, ranked sixth with the WBA went the eight rounds though.
But Dubois took the fight 80-71 on the scorecards.
Dubois can be a great - McGuigan
Trainer Shane McGuigan believes Dubois can become one of the biggest stars in the sport in double quick time.
In an interview with
Seconds Out
, he said: "Honestly, I think she's going to be one of the best female fighters on the planet in the next 12 months. She's there now, in my opinion.
"She only spars men now. She doesn't spar any girls. We can't get any girls to come and do any rounds with her.
"She punches extremely hard. She's calm under pressure now, whereas a lot of time she used to panic. Not panic as in scared. The amateur system is hit and not get hit, do everything in your power not to even give one shot off."
Pro debut
Dubois earned a shutout victory on her professional boxing debut in February 2022.
Fighting on the Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Williams undercard Dubois beat veteran Vaida Masiokaite 60-54 over six rounds.
"It was amazing, to be honest. The crowd was amazing. It was a good atmosphere to be apart of and good to get it out of the way," Dubois said after beating the 34-year-old Lithuanian.
Turning pro
Dubois confirmed her arrival in the professional ranks after signing for promotional team BOXXER after the Olympics.
Although lightweight is a hotly-contested division, Dubois plans to challenge for titles.
"My weight there is that depth," Dubois told Sky Sports.
"You've got Mikaela Mayer, Terri Harper, Natasha Jonas. A lot of people who look good, a lot of people who are world championship level and it's a busy division. I'm excited to be a part of it."
She was due to make her pro debut in November 2021 on the undercard of Richard Riakporhe's world cruiserweight title eliminator.
However, she fell ill and had to postpone her bow, giving Jonas the chance to fight.
Tokyo 2020 Olympics
Dubois kicked off her Olympic career by beating Kosovo's Donjeta Sadiku in the round of 32.
The exciting British prospect won via a unanimous decision to line up a last-16 bout with USA's Rashida Ellis.
Dubois took control of the fight from the off and caught her opponent with her left hand whenever she came into range.
She was the more composed and accurate throughout the three-round contest. And she dealt well with Sadiku's late charge in round three.
The 22-year-old momentarily pinned Dubois on the ropes, but the GB star escaped and landed her left hand to reach the next round.
Dubois faced Sudaporn Seesondee in the quarter-final. Sadly, the Brit's Olympic journey came to an end here. She was knocked out of the competition via a split decision loss to the Thailand-born fighter.
Olympic qualifying
Lightweight Dubois needed two victories at the Paris event in June to reach Tokyo.
She had defeated Ala Staradub of Belarus at the Copper Box in March in the first round of the qualifying event before the Covid-19 pandemic saw the tournament postponed.
Dubois returned to France and defeated world number two and Rio 2016 bronze medallist Mira Potkonen. It was a scrappy contest but Dubois overcame her more experienced rival's street fighting style to score a unanimous win.
Italy's Rebecca Nicoli was then dispatched in the quarter-finals, again by a unanimous decision as she showed maturity beyond her years. Dubois though found Ireland's Kellie Harrington too good on the day in the final.
Her more experienced opponent took a split decision, getting the nod from four of the five judges.
However, her silver medal in the 2020 European Boxing Olympic qualification tournament meant that Dubois was on her way to Tokyo 2020.
Gold in Buenos Aires
Aged 17, Dubois won the lightweight title at the Youth Olympics in October 2018 in Argentina. The Londoner defeated tough Thailand boxer Porntip Buapa.
After winning the first two rounds, Buapa came running after her in round three. But she kept her composure and kept producing a check hook right hand, which BBC boxing correspondent Mike Costello likened it to the shot that Floyd Mayweather used to see of Ricky Hatton.
Overall Dubois' sharp combinations and front-foot style were too much for her opponent with all five judges calling the fight in favour of the Brit.
It was a valuable experience being away from home at such a young age, taking home the gold for the United Kingdom.
Dubois stated that, "it taught me how to be a strong person and independent. Being away from home for three weeks was something I'd never done before."
Personal life
Caroline Dubois is the sister to previous British heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, and is one of 11 children.
When growing up, Dubois was also a fan of "Sugar" Ray Leonard and the late Marvin Hagler.
Net worth
Caroline Dubois' net worth is reported to be £1million.
