APRIL 2023 THE VOICE
|
47
ort
Big-hitting Dubois eager to land shot at world title ndefeated fi ter ants to cli t rou t e o in ran s as uic l as ossi le Matthew Chadder
A
S PART of International Women’s Month, The Voice sat down with one of the UK’s most talented up and coming female boxers, Caroline Dubois. he undefeated fighter spoke with us about the growth of women’s sport, and how it is finally being seen as just sport. he year old has fought three times in quick succession during recent months and was a part of the historic Shields v Marshall bill in October 2022. She wants to continue to remain as active as possible and keep ying the ag for women everywhere MC: Talk to me about being involved with the Shields vs Marshall event, the most watched women’s boxing event ever, with over two million people tuning in? CD: It was amazing! I’ll be honest, I didn’t know it was going to be as much of a success as it was. I didn’t expect it to go down as well as it did. I was really an ious of how it was going to be accepted ll my fears got put away the moment I walked into the O2. The crowd, atmosphere and build up was insane. The support from men and women, just boxing fans, was great.
MC: Does that event demonstrate we are finally reaching a point where women’s
RAW POWER: Caroline Dubois, right during her fight with Milena Koleva at the O2 last October (photos: Getty Images
sport isn’t ‘women’s sport’ but just sport? CD: One hundred per cent. It’s not women’s boxing, it is boxing hat night they did have the highest number of female ticket buyers but the ma ority of the buyers were men Some 60 per cent of the tickets were bought by men hat s great to see because I have trained since I was nine years old and it’s time that I start getting the respect I deserve. MC: Do you see that trajectory continuing? CD: It’s going to continue, it’s going to get bigger, bigger fights are going to happen bigger moments are going to happen and it’s going to continue, people are going to take notice and they re going to take interest. Women are just so eager to jump in the ring and risk everything for the opportunity MC: Is it key to have those household names, your Katy Taylors, Shields and Marshalls’? CD: You need to have people that you could say this is who I want to be It s very important to have role models and people like that When they walk down the street everybody s going to say wow It s very hard to be the first person to do something and it’s nice when you can follow in somebody s footsteps. MC: Are there any heroes in
particular that stand out to you? CD: Claressa Shields is a star, in terms of the boxing world and as a person, I feel like she’s a massive inspiration to me and other young girls coming through. She was one of the first female fighters that I saw that I really resonated with how she was and how she con conducted herself. She said that being beautiful is not necessar necessarily how you look but it s when you can get in the ring and you can support your family lso thanks to everybody that turned up to London 2012. Even though they were laughed at and told, this is never going to work they kept striving I’m so thankful each and
anybody wants to look up to me and my story and what I have achieved and learn from my mistakes then I m thankful
possible. I want to be in big fights s an amateur when you re stepping in the ring you don t know if you re stepping in with the world number one or somebody who is unknown and I miss that fear factor. I want to be involved in big fights dangerous fights fights again
MC: What are your goals for this upcoming year? CD: he aim is to have five fights this year one down four to go. I want to continue stepping up the ladder Every fight must be a step up Hopefully by the end of this year I ll be in major contention for a world title. I want to climb through these ranks as uickly as
MC: What is a message you want heard, for girls across the globe, this International Women’s Month? CD: amily is everything it s hard to get where you are without somebody supporting you Everybody should try and support and help each other and be thankful for what you have!
s an a ateur, ou don t no if ou re ste in in t e rin it t e orld nu er one or an un no n” every one of them did what they did otherwise I probably would not be where I am today MC: What would it mean to you if in five years time I sit here interviewing someone else, and they say, Caroline Dubois is my inspiration? CD: For me to be a boxer, just a normal young girl to being somebody who people are saying that they re inspired by I m so thankful that I’m in a position where I can do what I do. If young girls young boys
