Caroline Dubois defeated a bloodied Terri Harper at the London Olympia and then defeated her British opponent to become the unified lightweight world champion.
After a dull first half, Dubois knocked Harper down in the sixth round with a nice jab and left hook.
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Doncaster’s Harper suffered a nasty cut from a clash of heads in the eighth over, but showed great spirit and continued hurling until the final round.
The judges scored the fight 98-91, 97-92 and 98-91 in favor of Dubois and Harper added the WBO belt to his WBC title.
“I tried to pick up the pace but Terry was very tricky; she handled herself well and it was up to me to pick up the pace,” Dubois told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“I felt like I was slipping a little bit towards the end, but I’m getting better every time.
“She’s a champion and she doesn’t like losing, but neither do I. The better woman won tonight and I hope she gives me respect.”
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The event was Most Valuable Promotions’ first in the UK and saw Londoner Dubois extend her unbeaten run to 13 wins and one draw.
Three-weight world champion Harper’s record dropped to 16 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws.
A battle of two halves but a worthy winner
The World Boxing Championship returns to the historic Kensington venue for the first time in decades. Olympia has previously staged headline boxing matches featuring stars such as Chris Eubank Jr and Prince Naseem Hamed.
Harper strode to the center of the grand 19th-century hall, inspired by traveling Yorkshire devotees.
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DuBois, who once pretended to be a boy named Colin so she could compete in a boxing match, also received a warm welcome when she entered Whitney Houston’s “I Am Every Woman.”
This battle has been going on for a long time and the competition has become increasingly tense in the build-up to the tournament. DuBois repeatedly questioned Harper’s achievements and qualifications, and Harper pushed DuBois during a heated media confrontation earlier this week.
By the middle stages, however, the fight didn’t quite live up to the hype, with Dubois gaining the advantage through steady physical work.
Then, suddenly, the fighting comes to life. Dubois knocked Harper to the ground with a sharp double jab, followed by a left hook.
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Harper stood up, Dubois jumped to her feet in celebration, and the referee warned her for not returning to her corner.
Dubois turned up the pressure. “Belt” Harper landed the seventh and eighth punches hard with her left hand as blood began dripping from the gash inside her left eye.
Watching the fight from ringside was heavyweight star Claressa Shields.
A powerful combination from Dubois in the ninth round suggested the fight might be about to end, but Harper rallied in the tenth and final round and landed a shot to the head of Dubois.
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