At the final presser of the Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua event, Alycia Baumgardner mocked Caroline Dubois, “One thing about a puppy, you got to train them, baby. And you got to take your time with them puppies. So take your time. Be patient.” The back-and-forth marked a new chapter in their simmering rivalry. Despite Dubois’ frequent callouts, Baumgardner has thus far remained noncommittal – the English champion needs to scale up to her level first. But Dubois looks far from ready to surrender.

Daniel Dubois’ younger sister, who holds the WBC’s lightweight championship, believes a fight with Baumgardner could be the “biggest fight in women’s boxing.” To add weight to her claim, Dubois has now roped in Claressa Shields, who has her own fire to fuel with Baumgardner.

Caroline Dubois and Claressa Shields join forces to target Alycia Baumgardner

Dubois stoked the fire by pulling out the long-dormant rivalry between Baumgardner and Shields. While the two American champions have been at loggerheads, their rivalry has a slim chance of entering the ring, given the sheer difference in weight. But Dubois feels Baumgardner may still accept a matchup.

“The only reason @alyciambaum would rather jump up 3 divisions and fight @Claressashields is because it’s a win-win,” Dubois wrote. That way, even if she loses, Baumgardner can later go around and claim that she tried to be great at least. She would have lost since weight and size didn’t favor her. To solve Baumgardner’s predicament, Dubois offered a solution. “Lose against me, there’s no excuse.” The two champions are just one weight class apart. A fight is possible, but Baumgardner has no excuse to hold back.

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Dubois’s words rang out, and, as always, Shields caught wind of them immediately. Goading Dubois to “whoop that trick,” the heavyweight champion teased, “She still chirping about me 🐦? Man! A 1 division champ shouldn’t be talking about me.”

While the exchange gained traction, a few uncomfortable facts soon emerged.

Dubois may have to wait for her shot at Baumgardner

On the Jake Paul-AJ card, Dubois defended her title against Camilla Panatta. It was an easy win for the Englishwoman. But later, in the in-ring interview, when Ariel Helwani brought up her rivalry with Baumgardner and asked if she was looking forward to a fight, Dubois responded, “Not next, but definitely down the line.”

So, given her latest tweet, a few believe Dubois could be clout chasing by taking Claressa Shields’ help.

While speaking with the BBC, Dubois said she anticipates a matchup against Baumgardner to take shape in 2027. “That’s one more year of building and making things happen,” she said. “I hope she sees the benefit of that. I wouldn’t want her to run away from that fight.”

Dubois may look to unify her division first to cement herself as a top force. She could challenge IBF titleholder Elif Nur Turhan or WBA champion Stephanie Han, but most likely she’ll clash with British rival Terri Harper, the WBO champ and fellow MVP standout.