Dubois Tipped to Replace Taylor as Face of Boxing
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- Nakisa Bidarian, partner at Most Valuable Promotions, said Caroline Dubois has 'the ingredients' to succeed Katie Taylor, listing Taylor, Amanda Serrano, Laila Ali, Christy Martin and Ronda Rousey as the comparable trailblazers
- Katie Taylor, who turned 40 in July, is set to fight for the final time in an undisputed world super-lightweight title bout against Flora Pili in Dublin on September 5
- Caroline Dubois will defend her WBC and WBO lightweight world titles against American Amelia Moore on August 29 in Birmingham, on the undercard of Chantelle Cameron vs Mikaela Mayer for the unified welterweight world championship
- Dmitry Salita, promoter of Claressa Shields, declared Shields 'definitively' the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in women's boxing, citing her ability to sell out major arenas regardless of opponent
- Claressa Shields is dropping from heavyweight to middleweight to face Australia's Kaye Scott this weekend in Atlanta, with the fight positioned as a possible precursor to a blockbuster against Britain's Lauren Price, who holds three of the four welterweight belts
- Bidarian framed women's boxing as a young sport that became Olympic in 2012 with Taylor as its biggest beneficiary, and said the sport is 'in a great place' even as Taylor retires and Serrano likely fights for the last time after August 21
Why it matters: The commercial centre of women's boxing is shifting. Taylor vs Serrano sold out Madison Square Garden and Dublin, and both are now exiting — Taylor definitively on September 5 and Serrano after August 21. MVP's early positioning of Dubois as the next marquee name matters because promoter narratives tend to dictate broadcast slots and gate revenue in the sport, and the article shows a competing claim (Salita's) that Shields is already the actual on-paper top of the division.
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