Caroline Dubois reacts to elbow barge from Terri Harper: 'She's trying to be me. She’s trying to pretend'
Caroline Dubois is "100 per cent" convinced that Terri Harper is scared of her: "I'm that nightmare. I'm that bogeywoman"; Watch Caroline Dubois and Terri Harper fight for the WBC and WBO lightweight world championships on Sunday from 7pm live on Sky Sports
Saturday 4 April 2026 07:39, UK
Terri Harper has lost her composure ahead of Sunday's world title unification, reckons rival champion Caroline Dubois.
Harper jostled Dubois with her elbow as they posed for photos after their final press conference.
Dubois angrily pushed her back as security had to hastily step between them to prevent the situation from escalating.
- Dubois and Harper clash again: 'She's weaker than I imagined'
- Buy tickets for Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper bill
- Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW
It was the latest outburst of hostility between the two champions, who put their WBO and WBC lightweight titles on line this Sunday at Kensington's Olympia, live on Sky Sports.
Harper's elbow shove was a response to Dubois flexing in front of her after their face-offs, with tensions growing more strained as the fight gets closer.
Dubois scoffed at Harper for acting out of character. "She's trying to replicate me," Dubois told Sky Sports. "She's trying to pretend. She's seeing my energy and going 'I need to fight against this. I need to go against it'. She's trying to be me.
"I don't want to read into that. That's not important. What's important is the fight night. Coming up here today I feel very confident, very confident."
She's convinced Harper is in fact afraid of her. "100 percent," Dubois said.
During their staredown Dubois kept up the personal dialogue. "I was saying: 'I'm coming. I'm coming.' That's it. That's the energy," she revealed.
"I'm that nightmare. I'm that bogeywoman. I'm something that is on her mind and I'm coming."
'Terri had to show a bit of backbone'
Trainer Shane McGuigan believes the pushing, nudging and needling will all fuel Dubois when it comes to the fight.
"She loves it. She absolutely loves it," McGuigan told Sky Sports. "I don't think she needs any fire in this fight.
"It's just going to elicit a little more hunger if there is any."
He added: "Terri... I think she had to show a little bit of backbone because she knew that she was under attack. It's good that she's up for a fight."
Dubois will look to be dangerous. "We want to win by knockout," McGuigan said, though he acknowledged that could be hard.
"I do think she [Harper] was a bit weight-drained when she boxed Alycia [Baumgardner]. I think this weight will suit her more. Sandy Ryan obviously stopped her, that was an accumulation of punches. I think she will hold a better shot, it's probably her more natural weight at lightweight," the trainer said.
"She was too small for 147lbs and I think she boxed as high as 154lbs. I believe that she'll be the best prepared she's been and she can be awkward, so we've got to break it down slowly.
"Caroline... I think when she lands clean she'll definitely have an impact. Whether she'll knock her out or not, we might have to start putting some combinations and phases together.
"She wants to clean up the division and make big fights."
Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper this Sunday live on Sky Sports from 7pm.
