For every boxer, the ultimate dream is to become an undisputed world champion one day, the pinnacle of achievement in the sport. While that goal is still on the horizon, Caroline Dubois, sister of heavyweight Daniel Dubois, fulfilled another dream when she fought on the all-female event held on March 7 at London’s iconic Royal Albert Hall. There, she secured a majority decision win over Bo Mi Re Shin and successfully defended her WBC world lightweight title, which she inherited after Katie Taylor vacated the belt. But the 11-0 boxer’s journey has been far from easy.
Inspired by legends like the late Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard, a young Caroline would often watch her older brother Daniel fight in the ring. At just nine years old, she began training, despite her father’s initial reluctance to let his daughter box. Eventually, he started taking her to an all-boys boxing club, where she had to pretend to be a boy named “Colin” for six months until she got her first fight. Home-schooled until age 11, Caroline later enrolled in secondary school and, within five years, was boxing for Team GB and competing internationally. However, just as it seemed her father’s support would remain steady, it began to fade.
Daniel Dubois’ sister chases stardom beyond family shadows
In case you didn’t know, Caroline Dubois and her brother Daniel Dubois are taking sibling rivalry to new heights! The London-based boxers accomplished a rare feat in 2024, becoming only the second sister-brother duo in boxing history to hold titles simultaneously. And the first to do it? That honor goes to Sebastian and Gabriela Fundora, who reached the milestone just a year earlier, edging out the Dubois siblings in the record books.
Regardless of knockouts or scorecards, Caroline has already made her mark since turning professional in 2022. While her father, Dave, continues to guide Daniel’s career, Caroline chose to go solo over a year ago, parting ways professionally with her family. “It was either that or I probably would have ended up stopping boxing and just be in a really bad mental place,” she told The Associated Press. And at just 24, Caroline is already thinking ahead, adding, “Boxing is such a short career. I don’t really want to box forever. I would love to be able to retire by the time I’m 30. I don’t want to be someone who lives with regret.”
The siblings, however, are currently not on speaking terms. Caroline was noticeably absent from Wembley Stadium during Daniel’s massive win over Anthony Joshua in front of more than 98,000 fans. “Daniel hasn’t come to any of my last four fights, and yet no one asks him that question. He’s not at this fight, he won’t be at the next fight,” she said. So what sparked the rift between two of British boxing’s brightest stars?
Caroline Dubois breaks the silence on family rift
Being a middle child, or middle anything, is rarely glamorous. Caroline Dubois, one of eleven siblings, grew up in a single-parent household led by her father, Dave, who championed boxing for many of his children. Among the four Dubois siblings involved in the sport, Caroline and Daniel have made the biggest names for themselves, DDD as a world champion, and Caroline as an undefeated rising star. Their younger brothers, Prince (around 20) and Solomon (around 12), are also carving out paths as amateur boxers.
Though Dave initially mentored both Caroline and Daniel, over time, his relationship with Caroline soured. Eventually, she cut off all contact with her father and moved out of the family home. While both Dave and Daniel have spoken publicly about the situation in recent weeks, Caroline stayed silent until she sat down for an interview with Seconds Out last year to share her side of the story.
Source – Instagram
“I first saw [a clip of] the interview during the week of Daniel’s fight,” Caroline said, referring to her brother’s comments about the family rift. “I kept getting tagged in it. People were like, ‘Why are Caroline and her dad not speaking?’ And Daniel said, ‘Because my dad doesn’t agree with female boxing.’” She then watched her father’s own interview, in which he confirmed that he didn’t support women’s boxing and claimed he had seen a change in her.
Caroline didn’t hold back in her reaction: “I just think that’s absolute BS. That’s trash. That’s a complete lie. I started boxing when I was nine. I’m 23 now, that’s over 10 years. And during that time, there was never once a moment where he said, ‘I don’t know how I feel about female boxing.’”
Although Daniel once trained alongside Caroline under Shane McGuigan before moving on to work with Don Charles before the first Usyk fight, he had firsthand experience of his sister’s talent and growth. What hurts Caroline the most is not just the estrangement from her father, but the lack of support from her brother in bridging that divide.
Now, whether that reconciliation ever happens remains uncertain. That said, do you think Caroline Dubois will be ringside to watch her brother’s rematch against Oleksandr Usyk on July 19?
The post What Happened Between Daniel Dubois and His Sister Caroline Dubois? appeared first on EssentiallySports.
