Caroline Dubois has split from trainer Shane McGuigan and will relocate to America, the unified lightweight world champion confirmed to BBC Sport on 28 July.

The 25-year-old, who holds the WBC and WBO titles — making her a unified champion, meaning she possesses more than one of boxing's four major belts — told BBC Sport the parting was entirely amicable. "I had a phenomenal time with Shane," she said. "There's been no bitterness, no break-up, no clash, no drift. This is the next step I need to help me progress." BBC Sport

Dubois and McGuigan had worked together since she turned professional in 2021. She did not name her new trainer, though it is understood she will now work with American coach Manny Robles.

The timing is tight. The news emerged just hours before a Wednesday news conference in London promoting a UK-versus-USA themed fight card on 29 August at Birmingham's BP Pulse Live arena. On that card, Dubois will defend both her world titles against American Amelia Moore.

That event is an all-female show put on by Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), the promotional company co-founded by Jake Paul. It is headlined by a light-middleweight unification bout — a fight between two reigning world champions at the same weight — between Britain's Chantelle Cameron, 35, and American Mikaela Mayer. Three-weight world champion Terri Harper, 29, also returns on the same bill, facing Texas fighter Miranda Reyes in her first outing since losing to Dubois.

For Dubois, the McGuigan gym was more than a training base. When her family went through a private split, she found emotional sanctuary there. Her brother Daniel had left the same gym in 2023; Caroline stayed behind, deepening her bond with the McGuigan family before now striking out on her own. BBC Sport

The champion arrives at this crossroads unbeaten. Her professional record stands at 13 bouts, 12 wins and one draw — that draw coming when a clash of heads forced a premature end to her WBC title defence against Jessica Camara, resulting in a technical draw. BBC Sport

What makes this stand out is how calm it all sounds. Fighter-trainer splits in boxing are often messy, played out in headlines and social media posts. This one, by Dubois's own account, is a deliberate career decision made with respect on both sides. The real test comes on 29 August: a new country, a new corner, and an unbeaten record to protect against a hungry American challenger.