Baumgardner Predicts She Will Easily Pick Apart Dubois Ahead of Turhan Lightweight Title Fight
Unified super-featherweight world champion Alycia Baumgardner has predicted she will “easily pick apart” Caroline Dubois if the two fighters meet in the ring. The American star steps up to lightweight to challenge unbeaten IBF champion Elif Nur Turhan in Texas on Sunday night, with the bout airing live on Sky Sports from 1.30am on Monday morning.
Baumgardner, who holds the unified super-featherweight titles, believes she is the current number one women’s boxer and has labelled her upcoming opponent a “one-way fighter. She expects Nur Turhan to struggle from the opening bell as she attempts to defend her IBF lightweight crown against the highly skilled American.
British lightweight champion Caroline Dubois, who holds the WBC and WBO belts, is eyeing a potential blockbuster showdown with Baumgardner in 2027. Tensions rose significantly after Dubois branded Baumgardner a “coward” following a feisty verbal exchange in the ring.
The heated exchange occurred after unbeaten Dubois secured a victory over Amelia Moore in Birmingham in August. The rivalry has intensified, with both fighters exchanging sharp words that have fuelled speculation about a future title unification bout.
Baumgardner addressed the potential future clash directly to Sky Sports, expressing total confidence in her ability to dismantle Dubois. “I just easily pick her apart,” she stated. “I see a lot of holes in her game.
I see a lot of her questioning herself and how she does things.
She continued her assessment of Dubois’ technical approach, highlighting her own intuitive fighting style. “I don’t need a trainer to tell me step-by-step what to do. I already know it because I see it,” Baumgardner explained.
The American champion believes Dubois is aware of the significant challenge that awaits her. “She knows deep down that she’s up for a challenge. She’s hungry, she’s a champion but she knows that she’s up against a world-class fighter,” she said.
Baumgardner emphasised the gap in their respective skill sets and adaptability. “She knows that she’s going to really have to up her game, but every time she ups her game, I up mine 10 more, so you’re trying to reach something that you can’t fully reach,” she added.
While acknowledging the possibility of a future fight, Baumgardner insisted that Dubois must first prove her worth. “When that time comes, we’ll see. A fight against Caroline is definitely there but she still needs to do her job.
She still needs to show up,” she noted.
Turning her attention to her immediate opponent, Baumgardner labelled Nur Turhan a “one-way fighter” despite acknowledging her power. “I wouldn’t say she is the most dangerous [fighter I have faced] but she does hit hard,” the 32-year-old admitted.
Baumgardner credited Nur Turhan for her previous performance against a world champion. “I haven’t felt her power enough to know if she hits hard [but] in terms of how she beat a world champion like Beatriz [Ferreira], I have to give her credit for that,” she said.
Nur Turhan originally snatched the IBF lightweight title with a fifth-round knockout of Beatriz Ferreira in December 2025. The Turkish champion had also floored the Brazilian opponent in the first round of that decisive contest.
Baumgardner contrasted her own versatile skillset with Nur Turhan’s more limited approach. “She has never been in the ring with someone like me. I am not just a one-way fighter like herself: I have skills, I have great power, I have great footwork and my timing is impeccable.
Skills pay the bills,” she declared.
She predicted that Nur Turhan would be vulnerable to her precise striking. “The previous fights I have seen she is easy to hit. Once she gets hit by my power she is going to realise, ‘okay, I’ve got to either throw hard or find a way out of here’,” Baumgardner stated.
Assessing the prospect of becoming a two-weight world champion, Baumgardner viewed the move as a significant career milestone. “It would just build the résumé. With women’s boxing, we have to look at who people are fighting and the reasoning,” she explained.
She highlighted the difficulty of her chosen opponent to demonstrate her commitment to the sport. “I am stepping up and fighting a fighter no one in the 135lb division wanted to fight. That tells a story and adds to my résumé that I’m always up for the challenge,” she said.
Baumgardner also noted her willingness to adapt to different round durations. “Not only that, I’m fighting three-minute rounds. I keep setting the standard for myself and who Alycia Baumgardner is,” she added.
When asked if she is ready to take the mantle of the number one in women’s boxing following Katie Taylor’s retirement, Baumgardner was unequivocal. “I already took it. They didn’t have to give it to me.
I took the torch, I didn’t need it to be passed down,” she asserted.
She confirmed that her upcoming performance will showcase her dominance in the division. “I’m going to continue doing what I’m doing and that’s what I’m showcasing on November 8,” the American champion stated.
