Fabio Wardley will make the first defence of his newly minted WBO world heavyweight title when he faces fellow knockout artist and compatriot Daniel Dubois at Manchester’s Co-Op Live Arena.
With 40 knockouts between them, it promises to be a meeting of concussive intent with both out to prove a point. For Wardley, it’s a chance to cement his standing among the elite and close in on a clash with the kingpin Oleksandr Usyk. Failing that, the champion finds himself in pole position for a shot at the winner of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua which is expected to take place later this year.
Meanwhile, Dubois has a chip on his shoulder and is determined to prove he is still very much a top dog in the division, looking to echo the spectacular upset knockout of Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in September 2024 when he captured the IBF heavyweight title.
How to Watch
Channel: DAZN PPV
Price: £24.99 (UK) / $44.99 (US) – or included in DAZN Ultimate subscription plan
Main Card and Ring Walk Times
Main card start time: 6pm BST (UK) / 1pm ET (US) / 10am PT (US)
Estimated main event ring walk: 10pm BST (UK) / 5pm ET (US) / 2pm PT (US)
Undercard
David Morrell vs Zak Chelli – Light Heavyweight
Jack Rafferty vs Ekow Essuman – Super Lightweight
Liam Cameron vs Bradley Rea – Light Heavyweight
Khaleel Majid vs Gavin Gwynne – Super Lightweight
Bakhodir Jalolov vs Agron Smakici – Heavyweight
Fight Preview
In a sport full of unusual stories, the ascension of Wardley is one of boxing’s more remarkable ones. While working full-time in the recruitment sector in his early 20s, Wardley cut his teeth with a brief stint on the white collar circuit before turning over as a professional.
Now elevated to world champion by the WBO after claiming the interim with a sensational comeback victory against Joseph Parker, not even Wardley could have fathomed what has unravelled over the last few years. Defying the odds and repeatedly finding a way to win has become the modus operandi of his career.
From going toe-to-toe in a brutal war with Frazer Clarke and then shattering his jaw in the rematch, to stopping Justis Huni in a dramatic comeback in his Ipswich homecoming, Wardley has built a reputation as someone who simply refuses to be counted out. Each step up in level has only reinforced the same truth: when the fight turns against him, Wardley finds another gear.
The same cannot necessarily be said for the challenger on Saturday night. After ploughing through all opposition early on, Dubois would come unstuck and labelled a quitter when he took a knee and was counted out against Joe Joyce during the pandemic days inside an empty Church House in Westminster.
It was later revealed that the Londoner had suffered a fractured eye socket and was at risk of losing his sight. Since then, Dubois has endured relentless scrutiny in his attempts to shake the label attached to him. Victories over Filip Hrgovic and Jarrell Miller went some way towards changing that perception, but Wardley will look to turn the screw, ask fresh questions, and test Dubois’ resilience once again.
After being knocked out in five rounds in a rematch with Usyk in Wembley last summer, Dubois has spent 10 months on the sidelines and is reunited with Don Charles after briefly parting ways. Already a man of few words, Dubois has had little time for talking this fight week and is all business knowing the task ahead of him on Saturday night.
Both men will need to go through the fire, but what awaits are some of the most lucrative fights in the sport, as well as the mantle of world heavyweight champion. It promises to be an explosive affair for as long as it lasts.
Image credit: Cody Froggatt/PA via AP