Caroline Dubois has shunned the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles in favour of a quiet night in with her guitar. The 25-year-old will defend her two lightweight world titles against Amelia Moore in Birmingham this weekend, having recently left trainer Shane McGuigan for a new gym life in California under the watchful eye of Manny Robles.
Despite the move, Dubois has yet to experience the bright lights of the Hollywood capital. Speaking about her time in LA, she said: "Everyone has been saying, 'Caroline, have you gone to the beach? Have you gone to Beverly Hills? Have you seen anything yet?' I have been to the beach one time, but that was to do a beach workout! When I'm in camp, I just like to seriously lock in. I go to the gym, come home, rest, go to the gym again, come home, and sleep."
Learning guitar in camp
Dubois has been keeping herself occupied outside of training by taking up a new hobby. "I have been watching boxing on the TV when I come back and I've been reading in my spare time, but I have also rented a guitar to keep me active," she explained. "I've been playing guitar for over a year now but my progression has been so slow! I picked up boxing very quickly but this has been very different. It's hard not being good at something!"
The champion has been persevering with the instrument, adding: "It's been hard to learn but I like music a lot so I thought, why not learn more about it? But I am starting to understand it now and I know six or seven songs; I can play Shallow by Lady Gaga and Landslide by Fleetwood Mac."
Staying off the phone
Dubois also revealed her motivation for picking up the guitar, saying: "And more importantly, I genuinely hate being on my phone; it drives me crazy and I feel like I'm wasting my life. So sometimes I just want to do something that gets me off my phone. Either I like to read, write, or play the guitar, so it's good for me."
