Caroline Dubois successfully defended her WBC lightweight world title by defeating Bo Mi Re Shin from Korea at the Royal Albert Hall.
Dubois secured a majority decision victory. One judge scored the fight a draw at 95-95, while the other two judges awarded Dubois the win with scores of 98-93 and 98-92.
Although the champion controlled most of the match, Shin pushed her to a dramatic conclusion with an aggressive attack at the end of the ninth and throughout the tenth round.
Dubois was fighting in her hometown of London, in a supporting match to the Natasha Jonas versus Lauren Price welterweight world title unification fight.
Despite her first title defense ending in a technical draw, Dubois had previously shown dominance against Jessica Camara. However, Shin proved to be a more determined opponent, attempting to surprise Dubois early in the fight.
Initially, Dubois took time to analyze her tough and aggressive opponent. Shin demonstrated ring intelligence by stepping back from a Dubois combination, but momentarily lost focus, allowing Dubois to land a jab. When Shin raised her arms to protest, Dubois capitalized with a strong left cross.
Nevertheless, Shin pressed forward, landing a powerful right punch in the third round. Still, Dubois’ superior punching accuracy allowed her to find openings in Shin’s defense.
The challenger continued to advance, throwing punches at Dubois. The Londoner focused on delivering sharp counter-attacks, effectively using a one-two combination to set up a strong right hook, which allowed her to pivot away.
Dubois landed a jab and tested Shin’s body with a right hook. She followed up with a double jab and a left strike. Yet, Shin surged into Dubois’ attack to land her own right.
Her determination kept her going, even after absorbing a one-two punch. Shin finally broke through at the end of the ninth round, pressing Dubois and landing a significant blow that visibly shook the champion.
This led to an electrifying finale, with Shin launching an all-out attack and Dubois responding in kind. Defense was disregarded as they exchanged heavy blows until the bell in the tenth and final round.
The drawn scorecard seemed questionable, but the excitement was undeniable in the final round, which brought the audience at the historic venue to their feet with enthusiastic applause.
Dubois’ Illness?
Trainer Shane McGuigan mentioned that Caroline Dubois had been fighting a virus for the past 10 days…
“I thought she boxed brilliantly for eight rounds,” McGuigan stated. “In the last two rounds, she got drawn into a brawl and slightly lost her composure.”
“No excuses, but Caroline hasn’t been at her best. This was a significant opportunity for her, and she was determined to participate, insisting she was fine.”
“Perhaps those final four minutes showed the effects.”
