“If anyone can beat Alycia Baumgardner, it’s Caroline Dubois. Listen, she is somebody to be reckoned with. Being an undisputed champion is hard to do. I believe she can do that. But I also believe that she can be a multiple-weight world champion.” Claressa Shields stated during an interview with Sky Sports. Backed by these credentials, Daniel Dubois’ younger sibling has set her sights on her first move – title unification. Tonight, on the debut card of Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Sky Sports, Caroline Dubois, the WBC lightweight champion, takes on the WBO titlist Terri Harper.

By doing so, she’s risking a lot. Harper, a three-division champion, sees it as an opportunity to take her career forward and has already questioned Dubois’ level of competition. She claims Dubois has yet to face a real test in the ring and that she would “humble her a little bit.” With the stakes high, the headliner at Olympia, Kensington, appears evenly poised. What could decide it, then, are the finer details that often go unnoticed but shape how a fight unfolds. Here are a few key factors that could influence Dubois vs. Harper.

Who has better stats and record?

Outside the ring, Harper holds a clear edge in experience. Having made her professional debut in 2017, she has moved across divisions, winning titles at super featherweight, lightweight, and light middleweight. But the stretch that saw her go through 20 fights also included setbacks, as she suffered two losses, first to Alycia Baumgardner and later to Sandy Ryan – both knockouts.

With two fights, against Natasha Jonas and Cecilia Brækhus, ending in draws, 29-year-old Harper has 16 wins, of which 6 came inside the distance, giving her a 38% knockout rate.

That’s where things start to get interesting. Dubois, despite having fewer fights, brings comparable stopping power, with 5 knockouts (out of 12 wins), translating to a 42% knockout rate. Harper may lean on her experience to handle the unbeaten Londoner, who now lives in Miami.

But the numbers suggest this may not be straightforward.

Caroline Dubois vs. Terri Harper: Height, weight, reach comparison, and more

Beyond experience and record, the physical matchup offers little separation – but that in itself could matter. Dubois and Harper are evenly matched in most respects. At 5 feet and 5 inches (166 centimeters), Dubois is 3 inches shorter than the Yorkshire native, but she has a 67-inch (170 centimeters) wingspan, 2 inches more than Harper’s 65-inch (165 centimeters) reach.

In terms of weight, no real difference exists between the two. During her most recent bout, against Camilla Panatta, Dubois weighed 134.2 pounds. Harper, in contrast, came in slightly heavier at 134.7 pounds when she faced Natalie Zimmermann.

That fight, however, took place nearly 12 months ago. So while the physical metrics are close, neither lightweight can point to a clear edge heading in.

Caroline Dubois vs. Terri Harper: Style breakdown and fight prediction

With little to separate them physically, the focus shifts to style and preparation – where the fight could truly take shape.

A southpaw, 25-year-old Dubois brings youthful energy to a style defined by aggression and high punch volume. She prefers to break opponents down with precision shots and combinations, often dictating tempo early. Combined with speed and technical craft, she is highly effective inside the ring.

Harper follows a similar approach, albeit in a more disciplined way. Often described as a boxer-puncher, she works behind a solid guard and, using footwork, throws heavy hooks – up to 4 at times in a combination – to control the pace and disrupt her opponent’s rhythm.

Prediction

This is where the contrast becomes clearer. Experience leans toward Harper, but activity and momentum tilt toward Dubois. Harper defended her title this past May, while Dubois stepped into the ring three times last year. That edge that could prove decisive.

While Harper is just 4 years older than Dubois, the losses to Baumgardner and Ryan, along with the draws, appear to have taken some momentum away from her run.

Dubois is likely to claim the unified championship by taking the fight the distance and winning on the scorecards – either unanimously or by a majority decision.