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Caroline Dubois has been mandated to challenge for the IBF lightweight world title after Katie Taylor vacated the belt.

Unbeaten professional Dubois is just 22 years old but has racked up impressive wins as she’s risen through the ranks to become the No 1 contender.

Irish star Taylor became the undisputed lightweight champion, winning all four of the major 135lb titles. She moved up to super-lightweight, where she took a revenge victory over Chantelle Cameron to go undisputed at 140lbs last year as well.

Having held all the belts in both divisions simultaneously, Taylor has now vacated the IBF lightweight title.

Dubois has been mandated by the IBF to fight Britain’s Rhiannon Dixon, who’s No 2 in their ratings.

The IBF has opened a period for negotiations that will last up until January 20, at which point the bout would go out to purse bids.

A Tokyo Olympian, Dubois’ goal is to become a professional world champion. She now looks on course to fight for her first major title later this year.

‘I want to change the sport’

Previously Dubois told Sky Sports: “I want all the belts. I can go even heavier. I don’t know how long I’m going to stay around and how big my body can grow. It really does depend. You see girls jump up and I’ll be able to jump up as well.”

That’s what her boxing idols have done and the rising star wants to follow that example.

“I’m a massive of fan of people like Manny Pacquiao, Canelo, Naoya Inoue recently, Terence Crawford. All these people they’re great. But what made them great is they didn’t just do it in one weight division, they moved up and did it at another,” she said.

“They dominated their weight and moved up and up and up and continued to dominate. I want to be able to do something like that as well.

“They’re breaking the boundaries and pushing what’s considered to be impossible,” she continued. “I want to be someone like that.

“I want to do something that hasn’t been done before. I want to change the sport of female boxing and be that new face.”