There's a meticulous plan in Caroline Dubois' head about how she wants the rest of her year to pan out.

Ranked as The Ring's No. 1 lightweight contender, Dubois (10-0-1, 5 KOs), at the age of 24, is on an ascension she always knew would come at some point.

Earlier this year, she dismantled Jessica Camara (14-4-1, 3 KOs) in the first defence of her WBC 135 pound title, and though the fight ended in a technical draw, an eye-sore on her previously-pristine record, Dubois' performance was akin to a stoppage victory.

Dubois came out of the traps in the first round like a human buzz saw. She battered Camara for two rounds; the damage on her opponent's face clear for all to see. But an accidental head butt opened up a cut above Camara's left eye, forcing the ringside doctor to intervene.

Dubois told The Ring: "I remember being an amateur and my coach used to say 'go out there and don't give them any confidence, don't let them grow into a fight'. Obviously a three-round fight, it's about having a fast start. But as a pro I have that same mentality.

"I know there's an aura and a pressure and expectation for a lot of opponents because they know I have a high knockout ratio, they know that even if I don't stop them I usually hurt the girls or drop them. I know they're thinking 'okay, this girl is gonna hit hard'."

Next up for Dubois is an opponent TBC on the Natasha Jonas-Lauren Price card at the Royal Albert Hall in London on March 7th. WBO Lightweight champ Terri Harper (15-2-2, 6 KOs) was sent an offer, but it was knocked back. Stephanie Han (9-0, 2 KOs) and Hannah Terlap (5-1, 2 KOs) will clash on February 22nd for the vacant WBA strap.

The IBF belt is held by two-time Olympic medallist Beatriz Ferreira (6-0, 2 KOs), The Ring's No. 2 ranked lightweight and biggest threat to Dubois in her division. Miffed about the missed opportunity to fight Harper, and with the Ferreira clash not looking likely for March, Dubois will have to defend again, rather than unify.

Dubois said of Harper: "It's a big opportunity, the fight is in London, we both have big names. It adds to the card, we've got two domestic clashes on the card already, and imagine having me vs Terri, I can't think of a more perfect fight for the card. You can't tell me that doesn't make sense.

"For Terri, it's on a huge show, it's on Sky Sports, it's in London, it's on one of the biggest platforms, and £250,000 is big money for a female boxer. When you're comparing it to the men there's no competition, but unfortunately we're not there yet, we're getting there but it's not there yet.

"She's coming off a couple losses and a lousy performance, I don't see her being what she thinks, she's not going to dominate the division, she's not going to be undisputed, she's not good enough. It might be her last big pay day, it's unfortunate she's allowed this one to slip by. Ultimately, I wanted to be undisputed by the end of the year."

Ferreira called Dubois out on X last week, writing: "Hi @SDuboisC. Did you forget that I am the IBF World champion at lightweight? The Beast is always ready if you want a unification fight? There will be no Sweet Caroline that night. Give

@eddiehearn a call and we can make the fight."

Eddie Hearn recently revealed to iFL TV that he wanted Ferreira vs Dubois to feature on the Chris Eubank Jr-Conor Benn card on April 26th, but talks didn't get very far.

Dubois is adamant she will get to Ferreira at some point, especially with her undisputed deadline set for the end of 2025.

She said: "On Ferreira, I know people will feel like I'm ducking her. I'm not, at all. When I look at the 135 pound division, she's one of the toughest challenges, along with Alycia Baumgardner if she moves up. I want that fight to be a big fight, I want it to marinate a little bit, that's a very good fight.

"In women's boxing there's not that many women that are great. So when you have the opportunity to have a great female fight, it's good to get a build-up and the marinating that the men have, it's gonna happen. I've said it loads of times, I want to be undisputed by the end of the year, so we're gonna get to her eventually."

"I have good people around me like the McGuigans and my promoters who have explained to me why things happen. Before I turned pro I was guilty of looking at boxing and getting so frustrated [about big fights not happening].

"When you're in boxing you're going to be at a loss if you look at the sport like it's just a sport or entertainment, it's a business.

"When I retire I want the belts and the legacy but I also want my account to be happy and healthy, and to be able to support my family and that means making smart decisions now, and not making macho decisions. Let's be smart, let's be intelligent about this."