STOCKTON, California – Elif Nur Turhan doesn’t want to waste any time now that she has a title in her possession.
Fresh off her riveting 5th round knockout of unbeaten Beatriz Ferreira to win the IBF 135lbs crown, Turkey’s Turhan, 12-0 (8 KOs) has immediately set her sights on WBC titlist Caroline Dubois. The timing works out well, as their fights will be separated by just 13 days as London’s Dubois, 11-0-1 (5 KOs) defends her belt against Italy’s Camilla Panatta.
The fight will mark the first under Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) for Dubois, whose bout takes place this Friday at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. As luck would have it, Matchroom Boxing chairman Eddie Hearn - Turhan’s promoter - will be on hand in support of Anthony Joshua against Jake Paul in the Netflix main event.
“We want to fight Caroline Dubois,” Hearn told BoxingScene. “She is a great fighter; that is one of the best fights in boxing.”
Turhan, 12-0 (8 KOs), had a monumental 2025, with stoppage wins in each of her three fights.
The year began with a knockout of unbeaten Shauna Browne in March. That was followed by stopping unbeaten French junior lightweight Rima Ayadi in her hometown. Turhan became the interim WBA junior lightweight titleholder.
With Alycia Baumgardner scheduled to face Leila Beaudoin in Friday’s Netflix co-feature, Turhan moved up in weight to pursue - and violently snatch - her first major title.
Now, Turhan and her team are seeking unification bouts, with Dubois as the top priority. The fight won’t be hard to make, at least on the Turhan/Matchroom side.
“She just says yes to everything,” Hearn said. “She is one of the fiercest boxers pound-for-pound in boxing.”
Dubois, a 24-year-old Londoner, is a 2020 Olympian who has made two defenses of her WBC title. Her career had gone stagnant with her next move unclear before she signed with MVP and landed on arguably the biggest event of the year.
There was previously no movement in putting together a Dubois-Ferreira unification.
Time will tell if the unbeaten Dubois will show any interest in Turhan, who has rapidly emerged as one of the most devastating punchers among women in boxing. She has immediately joined a short list that include Anne Wolfe, Amanda Serrano and Gabriela Fundora among world championship talent.
“She is the hardest female puncher, pound-for-pound, no question,” Hearn insisted.
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
