Dubois outpoints bloodied Harper to unify titles
Caroline Dubois floored and bloodied Terri Harper before outpointing her British rival to become the unified lightweight world champion at London's Olympia. After a dull first half of the contest, Dubois dropped Harper with a classy jab and left hook in the sixth round. Doncaster's Harper, who suffered a nasty cut after a clash of heads in the eighth, showed great spirit to continue throwing until the final round.
The judges scored the fight 98-91, 97-92 and 98-91 to Dubois, who adds Harper's WBO belt to her WBC title. "Terri had a good showing and showed why she is a very good boxer," Dubois told Sky Sports. "From my side it was never personal; it was personal for Terri.
I am a fighter and an entertainer. I put myself out there to show up for you guys, and talk the talk to be entertaining. "That is why this fight was the most talked about.
"I felt like I started really well. Terri was very negative and we knew she was going to be. It was tricky to get her.
" The event marked the first United Kingdom show staged by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) as Londoner Dubois extended her unbeaten record to 13 wins and one draw. Harper - a three-weight world champion - drops to 16 wins, three defeats and two draws. Terri Harper suffered a cut next to her eye after a clash of heads World championship boxing returned to the historic Kensington venue for the first time in decades.