Caroline Dubois v Maira Moneo - Tale of the Tape

Last year was another busy 12 months in the career of Caroline Dubois.

Four fights, four wins and the IBO lightweight belt kept the wheels turning on a journey destined for even greater achievements.

On Saturday night Dubois takes on Uruguay’s Maira Moneo and a win would give the Brit the WBC Interim version, putting her firmly in line to face full champion Katie Taylor or fight for the vacant title should the Irishwoman press on with bigger fights after facing Amanda Serrano in their November rematch.

Will Dubois march on or will we see one of the upsets of the year in Barnsley on Saturday night? Let’s look at the tale of the tape.

Caroline Dubois v Maira Moneo
Tale of the Tape

	Caroline Dubois	Maira Moneo
Age	23	31
Nickname	'Sweet Caroline'	'La Panterita'
Height	5ft 5½ ins	5ft 5 ins
Reach	65 ins	65 ins
Weight	Lightweight	Lightweight
Trainer	Shane McGuigan	Unknown
Record	9-0 (5 KOs)	14-1 (3 KOs)
Last fight	W v Miranda Reyes (UD) - Feb 2024	W v Lizbeth Crespo (UD) - Dec 2023

Caroline Dubois
In Profile

The potential of Caroline Dubois has now been realised with British male heavyweight Daniel’s little sister now recognised as one of the best female boxers in the world.

By winning the IBO 135lbs belt against Magali Rodriguez in comfortable fashion she grabbed herself a small slice of the cake at the party but everybody knows, including Dubois, that to be at the top table you need the WBC, WBA, IBF or WBO titles.

Rumoured fights against two of the champions – Rhiannon Dixon (WBO) and Beatriz Ferreira (IBF) – never amounted to anything, leaving Dubois without the big fight she craves.

To change that she must force the issue. Beating Moneo will earn Dubois the WBC Interim belt and eventually Katie Taylor will have to give up her world title or face the young, hungry Brit. The former is the likelihood.

Expect Caroline Dubois to be a fully recognised world champion within the next 12 months, and Saturday’s opponent Maira Moneo is unlikely to get in the way of those plans.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Punch power	Needs more variation when attacking
Cutting ring off	Tries too hard to overpower opponents
Right hook	Not relaxed enough when attacking
Controlled aggression	Occasionally neglects jab

Maira Moneo
In Profile

What you see is what you get with Maira Moneo as ‘La Panterita’ looks to close in on her own shot at undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor.

The 31-year-old is on an eight-fight winning streak since losing to Yanina del Carmen Lescano (who lost to Dubois on points in June 2023) and has the typical South American aggression and heart that you see from many of the continent’s fighters who have travelled to the UK looking to make a name for themselves.

Moneo will care little if anything about the reputation of Dubois and will relish the opportunity of fighting in an outdoor event which are often memorable for many reasons.

The Uruguayan has been overlooked in the past for big-time fights against Taylor and knows that to earn such an opportunity she must beat someone who is the calibre of Dubois.

Moneo’s will, determination and problematic 100mph style could see her go the full 10x2 minute round distance, but the Brit should still get her hand raised at the end of the contest.

Strengths:	Weaknesses:
Aggression	Defence
Wide hooks	Discipline
Work rate	Gameplan
Courage	One dimensional