We analyse the credentials and statistics of Caroline Dubois and Jessica Camara as the pair get set to contest a WBC women's lightweight world title showdown in Sheffield on Saturday 11th January, 2025.
This year we could see Caroline Dubois realise her full potential by becoming undisputed lightweight champion.
Gaining the WBC title will be nowhere near enough for the 23-year-old, however, who not only wants to dominate her division but become the face of women’s boxing.
This weekend she defends her title for the first time against 25/1 underdog Jessica Camara, but will it be a successful start to 2025 for her?
Let’s look at the 'Tale of the Tape'...
Caroline Dubois | Jessica Camara | |
Age: | 23 | 36 |
Nickname: | 'Sweet Caroline' | 'The Cobra' |
Height: | 5ft 5.5ins | 5ft 6ins |
Reach: | 65ins | 67ins |
Weight: | Lightweight | Lightweight |
Trainer: | Shane McGuigan | Ian MacKillop |
Record: | 10-0 (5 KOs) | 14-4 (3 KOs) |
Last Fight: | Won (UD) v Maira Moneo (August 2024) | Won (UD) v Bonnie Hunter (September 2024) |
Being elevated to world champion rarely sits well with the boxing community.
Devin Haney and Daniel Dubois are just two recent examples of fighters who didn't go on to capture their world titles inside the ring.
Caroline Dubois has followed in the same footpath as her brother, being bestowed the world champion honour by the WBC after former title-holder Katie Taylor vacated the belt just before Christmas.
However, the reaction to the news that ‘Sweet Caroline’ had become world champion was met with little negativity because there was an inevitability that she would eventually snap up one of the four prized assets at 135lbs.
Whether she would beat former lightweight queen Taylor remains to be seen, but so far Dubois hasn’t put a foot wrong in her career and has become a real force to be reckoned with.
Doubled up with her ring talents, her personality has blossomed too, transforming her into a straight-talking individual who looks to beat opponents before they’re in the ring with her.
Against Camara there is an expectation that Dubois will dominate, but the challenger has proven herself to be a world-class competitor in the past.
But as a newly crowned world champion, Dubois will want to show she’s worth every piece of the belt in her possession and show her rivals she is here to take over.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
Power | Needs more variation when attacking |
Cutting the ring off | Can try too hard to overpower opponents |
Right hook | A little too tense when attacking |
Controlled aggression | Can sometimes neglect her jab |
After losing a cloe family member when she was younger the anger issues consuming Jessica Camara prompted her to try boxing, and it's safe to say she hasn’t looked back since.
The sport has given Camara a career, but also introduced her to her future wife - but not in a way you might expect.
Seven years ago in Hamilton, Ontario, Camara and Erika Jeanette Hernandez fought in a four-round contest which Camara prevailed in on points.
Post-fight, the winner reached out to Erika on Facebook and soon their blossoming friendship turned into romance, with the two now happily married.
With that solidity in her personal life, Camara has been able to press forward in her career, and she heads to Sheffield in the best form of her career.
She produced a stunning shock victory against former world champion Hyun Min Choi in South Korea nine months ago, and will be unfazed by the challenge facing her under the bright lights of Sky Sports this weekend.
That however could all change should the best version of Caroline Dubois turn up once that first bell tolls.
Those looking for value on Saturday should look to Camara’s performances in big fights, though, because that win over Choi came three years after victory over Heather Hardy in 2021, which was then followed up by a hugely controversial defeat at the hands of Kali Reis in their WBO title fight.
Camara may be the wrong side of 35 but she is a problem for the lightweight division, including 'Sweet Caroline'.
Strengths | Weaknesses |
Right hand | Open to body shots |
Left hooks | Lack of a Plan B |
Aggression | Defence |
Hand speed | Punches can become predictable |