Caroline Dubois explains why Katie Taylor is an unlikely future opponent

Caroline Dubois believes that Amanda Serrano holds the key to the hope of a future fight with Katie Taylor for her or Chantelle Cameron.

Taylor and Serrano on Friday fight for the second time, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on the undercard of the undisputed heavyweight contest between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul.

Their celebrated first fight, in 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York, was one of the toughest of the 38-year-old Taylor’s storied career, and might only be surpassed in 2023 when Cameron suffered his first defeat.

Taylor, somewhat controversially, avenged that defeat to win the undisputed junior welterweight title she will defend against Puerto Rico’s Serrano at a catchweight of 138lbs, but at a time when Ireland’s most iconic athlete has been targeted for a third fight with Cameron and as the high-profile opponent best suited to ignite the career of the talented Dubois, Dubois acknowledges that another tough fight with Serrano, 36, could spell the end of Taylor’s career.

“It depends on how the fight goes,” the 23-year-old told BoxingScene. “If it’s a hard war – she’s come out bruised and battered and maybe she doesn’t look too good – I’m sure she’d sit down and think for a really long time. If she goes out there and outboxes (Serrano) – shines – rolls back the clock, she’ll say, ‘Roll one more.’ It really runs on this match and how it goes.

“She had a really tough match with Amanda Serrano last time; if it’s a complete copy of it, I’m sure she’ll really start thinking about going again. But if she makes it easy; she boxes her out; does not get hit; no harm done, I’m sure she’ll want one more.

“Anything over 135 is going to be very tough for Amanda Serrano. She’s very small; she used to wrestle at 118lbs, which is crazy considering she’s going to go all the way there. I just don’t see how she’s going to — she’s going to not big enough, in my opinion. She’s got the power – she’ll always have the power – but I think Katie’s just going to hit and run rings around her. She’s going to be more focused; to her game plan which will be hit and move and I just see Katie Taylor walking away with a point win.

“She’s the biggest fish right now. But Katie’s not the only fish. There’s Alycia Baumgardner; there’s, at my weight, Terri Harper; Beatrix Ferreira; Rhiannon Dixon. There’s so many people in and around my weight that I don’t need Katie Taylor. She’s from before me, and if she comes and goes before I step into the ring with her, it’s not a problem. She’s done her thing, and I will do my part whether she’s part of the story or not.

“She was one of the reasons why I was able to walk the path I am walking, so I am grateful to her. Whether she is part of the story is really irrelevant, because my life and my story grow without her.

“(A third fight with Cameron is) more likely than me fighting Katie Taylor. It’s going to rest on Katie. She’ll want it settled, I’m sure. When everyone’s saying, ‘Chantelle, Chantelle,’ it’s going to gnaw at her. So I’d say it’s more likely than me fighting Katie Taylor. She gave Katie her first professional loss, then she turned around and gave it back to Chantelle, so it’s 1-1 right now. You have to find out who’s the real champion, so it makes sense.”

Dubois may have been recognized as not only the world’s finest lightweight, but the finest talent on the books of Boxxer, the promotional organization whose progress has stalled.

She revealed that she has been told by Ben Shalom that she will be given a date to fight outside her hometown of London in early 2025, if not before the end of 2024, and that plans also exist for her will enter a higher-profile match during the coming summer.

“I’ve got two dates,” she said. “You come in December and you’re early next year – it’s just coming back from Boxxer, the information and what I’m going to wear, so hopefully I’ll be out sooner rather than later.

“I will look at anyone in the WBC rankings, so anyone in the top five is a target.

“I know Sky and Boxxer have been talking about wanting another all-female show (in 2025) so hopefully, fingers crossed, that happens. I’ve been told they’re pushing to do a show exclusively for women and obviously I would love to be a part of it.

“Terri Harper’s just won the WBA (title) and she’s a world champion and she’s at my weight. She’ll probably be number one for me – it’s an English clash, only female clashes. It makes sense to make Terri Harper a of the main goals.”