Trainer Shane McGuigan believes that recently crowned IBO lightweight queen Caroline Dubois is already ready to face the best despite only having eight fights as a professional.
McGuigan has coached Caroline throughout her young professional career and secured eight straight wins out of a possible eight while achieving their first piece of silverware in the form of the IBO crown in October.
Dubois would floor Magali Rodriguez three times on her way to securing a dominant unanimous points win to claim the IBO world title at York Hall in London.
Following Dubois’s title success, McGuigan is already hoping that Dubois can have one more appearance before 2023 rings to close so the momentum needed to entice the likes of Mikaela Mayer to step in the ring with the 22-year-old Dubois can continue.
“I want to get Caroline out once before the year’s end,” McGuigan told Sky Sports.
“She’s injury-free, she’s gone ten rounds, full of confidence - she wants the big fights.
“But we need to continue to build her status before boxing the [likes of Mikaela] Mayer’s.
McGuigan spoke of his excitement regarding Dubois, insisting she is ready to face the likes of Katie Taylor and Chantelle Cameron despite her tender years. McGuigan is also an interested observer in Taylor’s status as the undisputed world champion at lightweight, with Taylor’s world titles having not been defended since last year.
“She’s ready to beat them all now - I’m telling you, she’s ready to beat everybody right now.
“If we have another year of building her against opponents that Katie Taylor has boxed, and keep winning against people like that and pick up another world title - an IBF or a WBA - you never know what Katie Taylor is going to do with those belts.
“For us, it’s about making her a star, so that when we make the Alycia Baumgardner fights and the Mikaela Mayer fights and potentially the Chantelle Cameron fight, she’ll be box office, selling out arenas.
“She has all the talent in the world, and she’s extremely exciting.
Dubois, along with training and promotional stablemate Adam Azim, has been listed by many commenters as two of the most exciting talents in British boxing, which McGuigan acknowledges might present issues in moderating people’s and the fighter’s expectations.
McGuigan is confident that the environment in the gym will keep the pairing grounded with the likes of Robbie Davies and WBO cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith.
“Caroline Dubois is 22, she’s just won the IBO world title, and she’s matured so quickly.
“Adam [Azim] is of that same nature as well - he’s had so much success as a junior, and they want big things fast.
“But being around the likes of Chris Billam-Smith and Robbie Davis, who have that seasoned head on them - and myself. And my dad as well, having that mix of personalities - when you’re 21 years old, they’re super impatient and want to get things done as quickly as possible - helps them understand that this is a slow process and these things take time.”
