Dubois drops & outclasses Panatta to retain WBC title

Caroline Dubois produced a commanding performance on her American debut, outpointing Camilla Panatta to retain her WBC lightweight title in Miami.

The 24-year-old Londoner boxed with patience and control, showcasing her superior speed, timing and ring intelligence at the Kaseya Center.

Dubois dropped Panatta with a beautifully timed counter right in the sixth round before going on to win the 10-round contest by unanimous decision,

All three judges scored it 99-90.

“I felt like I could have done a little bit more, I give myself a B”, Dubois said, perhaps harsh in her own assessment.

Dubois was fighting for the first time under new promoters Most Valuable Promotions and on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s heavyweight bout against Jake Paul.

She extends her professional record to 12 wins and one draw, handing Panatta a third defeat in 12 fights.

Dubois fought early in the night on the prelims in front of a lightly filled Kaseya Center – the 20,000-seat home of the Miami Heat.

She walked to the ring singing along to Whitney Houston’s ‘I’m Every Woman’ and started confidently, moving in and out of range and repeatedly beating Panatta to the punch.

A straight left from the champion’s southpaw stance landed cleanly and regularly in the third round as the gap in class became increasingly clear.

“Lovely, Caroline, keep going,” shouted stablemate and former cruiserweight world champion Chris Billam-Smith from the crowd as Dubois pressed forward.

Dubois whipped a body shot into Panatta’s midriff in the fifth and again in the sixth, each drawing nods of approval from ringside.

Moments later came the knockdown. As Panatta dipped to attack the body, Dubois slipped the shot and fired a perfectly timed counter to the chin.

Panatta, 34, crashed to the canvas in a heap.

She rose quickly but looked shaken; her brief grin doing little to disguise the effect of the punch.

With little time left in the round, Panatta managed to see out the bell.

Dubois increased the intensity in the closing stages, varying her work by mixing jabs and uppercuts, while a marked-up Panatta had few answers as the champion comfortably closed out the final rounds.

It meant there was little doubt when the scorecards were read out.

Dubois’ move to MVP could prove pivotal in how quickly her career and profile now accelerates.

The promotional outfit, headed by Paul and CEO Nakisa Bidarian, has invested heavily in women’s boxing and, after a period in which Dubois’ progress threatened to stall, new opportunities are likely to open up.

A unification fight with Doncaster’s Terri Harper – the WBO champion and also signed to MVP – appears a realistic next step.

Elsewhere in the division, WBA champion Stephanie Han and Turkey’s IBF title holder Elif Nur Turhan, who has eight knockouts in 12 wins, offer unification possibilities.

Dubois exchanged words with American super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner at Wednesday’s news conference, a potential future bout that would generate significant interest.

“Not next, but definitely down the line,” Dubois said of Baumgardner.

But later that night, Baumgardner – speaking after her points win over Leila Beaudoin – said: “Caroline, I want that smoke.”

The American retained her WBA, IBF and WBO super-featherweight world titles.

It was her first time fighting 12, three-minute rounds, having relinquished her WBC belt to be allowed to compete under the same format as the men’s code.

Also on the card, New Zealand-born Australian Cherneka Johnson beat Amanda Galle on points to retain her undisputed bantamweight title, while Costa Rican Yokasta Valle outpointed Yadira Bustillos to keep hold of her WBC minimumweight belt.