Fabio Wardley puts his WBO boxing world championship on the line for a Battle of Britain defense against compatriot Daniel Dubois on May 9, and commented Wednesday about a claim the previous title holder, Oleksandr Usyk, ducked him by vacated the belt rather than fight him.
“I find it more circumstantial,” Wardley told Sky Sports Boxing during a press event for the Dubois shodown.
Wardley’s run escalated in recent years with a dramatic, 10th-round knockout win over Justis Huni in 2025, which saw him capture the WBA interim belt, before adding the WBO interim strap when he stopped the former champion Joseph Parker in the 11th round.
He then became the mandatory challenger for the WBO champion at that time, Usyk, but the Ukrainian relinquished the title, which thus elevated Wardley to champ, instead.
“To say he ducked would then be to say Oleksandr Usyk is scared to fight me, and I don’t necessarily know if that’s true.”
“I just think he’s cherry-picking in a sense. For the next one, ‘I’m going to do what I want to do’.”
Wardley and Dubois were both present at the media event, with their respective managers, Michael Ofo for the champ, and Sam Jones for the challenger, at loggerheads regarding the most probable victor at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.
“This fight is ending inside the distance,” Jones said. “I think Daniel will flatten him, and it will be very fast, as well.”
He added: “It’s going to come down to who’s a better fighter, and that’s Daniel Dubois.”
Ofo responded: “In every press conference, Daniel Dubois says he’ll destroy the other person, this is the best he’s ever been, blah blah blah, but when the bell goes, we see the truth.
“When that bell goes, Fabio Wardley is going to be in Daniel Dubois’s face and there’s nothing you will be able to do to stop what Wardley is going to do to him.”
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