Two Undefeated Champions, Three Belts, One Hometown: Dubois and Han Set for Lightweight Unification in El Paso

It is the kind of fight women's boxing has been building toward for years, and on Friday it finally became real: Caroline Dubois and Stephanie Han — two undefeated world champions, three major titles between them — meet in a lightweight unification showdown on Saturday, February 20, 2027, at the GECU Arena in El Paso, Texas. Most Valuable Promotions announced it on Friday: the WBO, WBC and WBA titles on the line and two unbeaten records at stake. Dubois is the one travelling. The London southpaw known as "Sweet Caroline" holds the WBC and WBO titles and The Ring crown, won Youth Olympic gold in 2018 and fought for Great Britain in Tokyo, and has moved fast since turning professional in 2022 — unifying the belts by beating Terri Harper in April 2026 and defending them against Amelia Moore in August. Her record is 14-0-1 with five knockouts. Now she wants the WBA belt too, and she is happy to go and get it in Texas. "I can't wait to get back in the ring and I can't wait to go into Stephanie Han's hometown and add another world title to my collection," Dubois said. "I respect what she's accomplished, but I'm coming to El Paso to take her title and show everyone why I'm the best lightweight in the world. I want all the belts, I want the biggest fights, and I want to prove myself against the best. On Saturday, February 20, I'm coming to make a statement." Han, meanwhile, gets the homecoming she has earned. The 13-0 WBA champion is an El Paso native, a mother of two, a veteran of the El Paso Police Department and a former beauty pageant competitor. Known as "The Enforcer," she won the vacant WBA title with a first-round knockout of Hannah Terlep in February 2025 and has defended it three times, including back-to-back wins over Holly Holm, the latest at home on May 30. "This fight is a dream come true!" Han said. "Finally, I have the opportunity to unify titles and get one step closer to becoming the undisputed queen of the lightweight division! To be able to fight at home at GECU Arena at the Don Haskins Center is incredibly special, and I'm grateful to MVP for their support to make this happen. I invite all of El Paso to come out and support on Saturday, February 20 and witness this moment." MVP chief executive Nakisa Bidarian called it "a huge moment for MVP and women's boxing." The lightweight division is one of the deepest in the sport, and a unification between two undefeated champions is the sort of fight that used to take years of negotiation and still fall apart. That it is happening on MVPW-09, a card whose main card is entirely women's fights, says something about how quickly the landscape has changed. The two champions will not have to wait long to stand face to face. Both are in Arlington, Texas, this weekend as special guests at fight week for MVPW-07: Turhan vs. Baumgardner, Sunday at College Park Center. They appear together at the press conference at Texas Live! on Friday at 6 p.m. CT — a first look at a rivalry with more than three months to simmer. The fight airs live on Sky Sports in UK prime time and on the ESPN App in the US, with tickets on sale Thursday, December 3, at 10 a.m. MT. El Paso has shown up for its hometown hero before. In February, it gets the biggest fight of her life.