Caroline Dubois and Terri Harper previewed their bout and faced off for the first time at a kickoff press conference in London. The two fighters clash for the unified two-belt lightweight title on April 5, headlining the first Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) event in the UK.
Tickets for the all-British showdown at Olympia in London go on sale Tuesday, February 10, through Ticketmaster.
Dubois (12-0-1, 5 KOs) puts her WBC 135-pound title on the line, while Harper (16-2-2, 6 KOs) brings her WBO belt to the ring.
“I called her irrelevant because I believe that she is,” Dubois said. “I’m not focusing on Terri Harper, I never have, and I never will. I’m focusing on the belt, my future, and my legacy. My legacy starts with becoming undisputed in the lightweight division.”
“Unfortunately for Terri, she’s the one holding the belt, so that’s who I’ve got in my mind. But if it were anyone, and I mean anyone, it wouldn’t matter. My energy, my intensity, and my mindset would be the same.”
Harper said, “I’ve been there in my career before, where I’ve been looking at future fights before I’ve even done the fight in front of me. That was a mistake I had to learn the hard way.”
“I feel like Caroline is doing that now. I feel like I’m not here for her respect, but I feel like she’s massively overlooking me and thinks it’s going to be an easy night.”
Scotney faces Flores for the undisputed title
The press conference on Friday also featured fighters on the Dubois vs Harper undercard.
England’s unified IBF, WBC, and WBO super bantamweight champion Ellie Scotney (11-0) faces Mexico’s WBA champion Mayelli Flores (13-1-1, 4 KOs) for the undisputed title.
“I feel like I’ve done everything the right way,” Scotney said. “I’d like to think, as in I’ve never boxed for a vacant title. I’ve gone from champion to champion to champion. And the final one awaits me on April 5.”
“I feel like holding integrity through it all will be the thing that will make you stand out in the long run. I just feel like doing it the right way might be the longer way, but I feel like it’s the way Ellie was meant to do it.”
Cameron meets Kotaskova for WBO title
Former two-division champion Chantelle Cameron (21-1, 8 KOs) of England battles Michaela Kotaskova (11-0-4, 2 KOs) of the Czech Republic for the WBO super welterweight title.
“There are so many great women boxers out there now, and I’m more looking at Mikaela Mayer, kind of that division, Lauren Price,” Cameron said. “But, you know, whatever happens, happens. I think that’s what I’ve learned in my boxing career. You just got to go with the flow and win your fights.”
Dolan challenges IBF champion Garcia
England’s Emma Dolan (8-0, 1 KO) makes her first attempt to become a champion as she challenges Mexico’s Irma Garcia (25-5-1, 5 KOs) for her IBF super flyweight title.
“I knew as soon as I turned pro I was going to be world champion, and this is the first step going towards what I want to achieve.”
Other bouts featured on the Dubois vs Harper undercard are expected to be confirmed shortly.