Caroline Dubois on Claressa Shields: "She Inspired Me to Pursue Boxing Greatness"

Caroline Dubois has thanked Claressa Shields, the self-proclaimed greatest women boxer of all time, for inspiring her own quest for greatness.

Recent Victory and Championship Titles

The reigning IBO lightweight champion, Dubois who also recently won the interim WBC version of the title against Maira Moneo at Oakwell, the home of Barnsley Football Club, just over a week ago.

Shields, undefeated in 15 professional outings, has now held world belts in five different divisions and counts Dubois’ fellow Briton Savannah Marshall among her list of conquests.

Image credits: Charlotte Tattersall/Getty Images

Shields' Influence on Dubois' Boxing Career

Having famously pretended to be a schoolboy named Colin when she first took up the sport, after discovering there were no other female fighters in her gym, Dubois revealed how watching Shields as a youngster persuaded her to make a career of the fight game.

“When you first spar, you think who you’d want to be like,” Dubois told SportsBoom.com.

“There weren’t many girls doing this when I decided to give it a go.”

“There was only really Laila Ali, the daughter of Mohammed Ali, around when I began doing this at nine. But she was in her Thirties. She seemed so old to me back then and so I couldn’t really relate to her at all.”

“Then Claressa came along and really burst onto the scene. She was blowing absolutely everyone out.”

“I remember searching every single day for information on what she was doing.”

Shields' Divisive Persona and Dubois' Admiration

Shields, who was crowned queen of the heavyweights when she defeated Vanessa Lepage-Joanisse in Detroit last month, divides opinion thanks to her seemingly brash nature and outspoken views.

But Dubois, whose brother Daniel is the IBF world heavyweight king and potentially on a collision course with Anthony Joshua, revealed Shields’ public persona masks a much softer side to her nature.

“I’ve told Claressa how much she inspired me,” said Dubois, who won a gold medal at the youth Olympics six years ago.

“I’ve spoken to her a few times and let her know how, without knowing at the time, she really encouraged me.”

“Claressa is a good person. A really solid person. She messaged me a few times when I was at the Olympics and that was brilliant. I know she’s like Marmite for a lot of people. They either love her or they hate her.”

“But she switches it on when she’s in a gym or it’s all about the fighting. Really, she’s a good and solid person.”

Dubois, aged 23, has won five of her 10 professional appearances inside the distance.