American challenger Amelia Moore faces Londoner Caroline Dubois for the WBC and WBO lightweight world titles in Birmingham on Saturday night.
The 36-year-old contender comes into the contest with an undefeated 4-0 professional record, but has warned that rival promoters and commentators are making a mistake by overlooking her in favour of a potential mega-fight between Dubois and Alycia Baumgardner.
Dubois, who holds the World Boxing Council and World Boxing Organization 135-pound belts, has been repeatedly linked with super featherweight champion Baumgardner. The American titleholder, who holds the WBA, IBF, WBO and The Ring belts, recently announced a bout against Elif Nur Turhan, but speculation surrounding a future clash with Dubois has continued to grow.
Addressing the media chatter ahead of the fight, Moore insisted she is unbothered by the focus on her opponent's future plans.
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"Everything that's been going on in the background, and then the announcement of the fight between Baumgardner and Elif Nur Turhan, there's already been news articles talking about Caroline's next fight," Moore said. "Everyone's talking about beyond me. Let them. Go ahead. Come Saturday night, it's just she and I. So that's totally fine. Go ahead and keep thinking beyond me, but I know where I am, and I'm still focused on what I need to do."
Resilience and Physical Hardship
Although Dubois noted this week that Moore is coming "back onto the radar," the American fighter believes her ability to endure extreme adversity will give her an edge in the ring. Recalling a severe injury during a previous bout, Moore explained how physical trauma has forged her mindset.
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"I had a fight a couple of years ago, I got headbutted and it broke my nose," Moore told Sky Sports. "I took a punch and shattered my nose, I was bleeding everywhere and it just did not matter. There's something inside of me that, in a lot of the time those dark places that people get, I feel like I've been here before."
Comparing her mindset to the Batman character Bane, Moore highlighted her familiarity with uncomfortable situations.
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"It's like in Batman with Bane, he goes, 'I was raised in the darkness'. And I think that's when you are truly comfortable being in uncomfortable places, it's normal to you," she said. "No matter what, you dig deep, you believe in yourself and you push through."
Early Life and Naval Academy Service
That mental fortitude stems from a challenging upbringing. Raised on a farm in Maine, Moore was emancipated at the age of 16 and worked two separate jobs to support herself while attending high school, where she first took up boxing.
Financial circumstances prompted her to forego a traditional college path in favour of military opportunities. She joined the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where she was initially recruited to run track while also training in boxing, wrestling and swimming. However, her naval career was cut short when she was medically discharged following a diagnosis of Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel condition.
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"I didn't know what an allowance was, there was responsibilities that required your attention, and that sacrifice and selflessness was kind of built into me at a really young age," Moore explained. "My life has been obstacle and challenge, perseverance, and I've created it. I've created that, who I am and who I've become has had to be my effort. There's been no artificial push. There's been no handouts."
Reflecting on her journey, Moore added: "There are times where things get so tough and you think to yourself, why me? You get older and you look back and you're like, thank God it was me. You become resilient, you become creative, you become all of these facets that without a stressor you would never be able to adapt and change and grow."
Amateur Pedigree and Olympic Setbacks
Despite her brief professional record, Moore possesses an extensive amateur background, having spent three Olympic cycles as a member of Team USA. She reached the qualifying tournament for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro after competing in just 14 official fights, but was forced to withdraw due to illness. Four years later, she was selected as an alternate for the 2020 Games in Tokyo, but was prevented from travelling due to COVID restrictions.
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"There's a line that I love in a song, it says it's not about a matter of luck, it's just about a matter of time. The timeline isn't what we think it is," Moore said. "2020 really broke my heart because I knew that I felt ready, but there was something else meant for me. So you just have to sit with it keep building."
She added: "If you keep persevering eventually you get to this point where it's about being undeniable, and eventually the door opens and opportunity comes, but you have to be ready. I'm ready, I'm ready for this moment. We'd all love to be spoon fed and live in a padded world, but those people that don't experience life don't change the world. You can't be bitter, you just have to be better."
Multifaceted Career and Crawford Mentorship
Moore's background extends far beyond boxing. She has trained in martial arts since childhood, won gold medals at the Elite National Championships and the National PAL tournament, and works as a ringside analyst. Outside of combat sports, she is writing a book, works as an advanced Emergency Medical Technician, and bakes sourdough bread.
Her boxing development has also been aided by elite mentorship in Colorado Springs, where she trained alongside undefeated multi-division world champion Terence Crawford.
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"His entire team has been a great integral part into not only just like my development, but the amount of things that I've learned from Bud," Moore said. "I remember the first time I trained with him, I always felt like I was the crazy one. I trained really hard, I don't know if I've ever met anybody that trains harder than I do, or is as dedicated and as crazy disciplined, and then I met him and was like oh my gosh, he's a lot like me. I was blown away. All of his team, all of his coaches, they're amazing."
Birmingham Card and What Comes Next
For her part, Dubois remains confident ahead of Thursday's press conference face-off in Birmingham, having previously claimed victory in social media sparring with Baumgardner. Dubois has expressed a desire to face Baumgardner sooner rather than later, noting that she believes she has the necessary ingredients to succeed Irish legend Katie Taylor as the premier figure in women's boxing.
The bout takes place on the Most Valuable Promotions MVP 06 card at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, broadcast live on Sky Sports. The event is headlined by a world title unification showdown between Mikaela Mayer and Chantelle Cameron, with Mayer predicting that reproducing her training camp form could produce a knockout victory despite pundits expecting a close contest.
