Terri Harper has lost her composure ahead of Sunday’s world championship meet, reckons rival champion Caroline Dubois.
Harper elbowed Dubois as they posed for pictures after their final press conference.
Dubois pushed her back angrily as security quickly had to step between them to prevent the situation from escalating.
It was the latest outbreak of hostility between the two champions, who put their WBO and WBC lightweight titles on the line this Sunday at Kensington’s Olympia, live on Sky Sports.
Harper’s elbow was a response to Dubois bowing to her after their face-offs, with tensions growing more strained as the fight draws closer.
Dubois mocked Harper for acting out of character. “She’s trying to copy me,” Dubois told me Sky Sports. “She’s trying to pretend. She sees my energy and says “I’m going to fight this. I have to go against it”. She’s trying to be me.
“I don’t want to read into it. It’s not important. What’s important is fight night. Coming up here today I feel very confident, very confident.”
She is convinced that Harper is actually afraid of her. “100 percent,” Dubois said.
During their staredown, Dubois continued the personal dialogue. “I said, ‘I’m coming. I’m coming.’ That’s it. It’s the energy,” she revealed.
“I’m the nightmare. I’m the bogeywoman. I’m something she thinks about and I come.”
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The bad blood between Caroline Dubois and Terri Harper continued at media training, where both fighters gave their version of Wednesday’s face-off push.
‘Terri had to show some backbone’
Coach Shane McGuigan believes pushing, nudging and needling will all fuel Dubois when it comes to the fight.
“She loves it. She absolutely loves it,” McGuigan shared Sky Sports. “I don’t think she needs fire in this match.
“It will just induce 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 she was under attack. It’s good that she’s ready to fight.”
Dubois will look dangerous. “We want to win by knockout,” McGuigan said, although he acknowledged it could be difficult.
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Tensions were high between Terri Harper and Caroline Dubois as the pair edge ever closer to their unification match on Sunday.
“I think she does [Harper] was a little weight-drained when she boxed Alycia [Baumgardner]. I think this weight will suit her more. Sandy Ryan obviously stopped her, it was an accumulation of punches. I think she will hold a better punch, it’s probably her more natural weight at lightweight, said the trainer.
“She was too small for 147 pounds, and I think she boxed as high as 154 pounds. I think 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’s definitely going to have an impact. Whether she knocks her out or not, maybe we should start putting some combos and phases together.
“She wants to clean up the division and make big plays.”
Watch Caroline Dubois vs Terri Harper this Sunday live on Sky Sports from