Dubois Unifies WBC and WBO Lightweight Titles

London's Olympia hosted a landmark evening of women's boxing on Sunday, as undefeated lightweight Caroline Dubois unified the WBC and WBO titles with a unanimous decision victory over fellow British champion Terri Harper. The 10-round bout, part of Most Valuable Promotions' inaugural UK event, saw Dubois extend her record to 13 wins, one draw and five knockouts, while Harper fell to 16 wins, three losses, two draws and six knockouts.

Dubois, 25, controlled the fight after a cautious start, dropping Harper with a sharp jab and left hook in the sixth round. A clash of heads in the eighth opened a cut above Harper's left eye, but the Doncaster fighter rallied in the later rounds, landing combinations to Dubois' head in the 10th. Judges scored it 98-91 twice and 97-92 for Dubois, who added Harper's WBO belt to her WBC strap. Despite waking up with flu-like symptoms that morning, Dubois pushed through, crediting her resilience for the win. "Today I woke up with the worst flu I ever had," she said afterward. "I was feeling not the best and I was just telling myself to pace this fight. This was a test."

The heated buildup between the rivals, marked by verbal sparring and a...