Britain’s heavyweight run continues with a WBO world heavyweight championship bout between reigning title holder Fabio Wardley and top tier challenger Daniel Dubois.
Wardley, 31, is a thunderous puncher who has scratched and clawed his way to the higher echelon of the division despite barely any amateur experience, clattering David Adeleye, Fazer Clarke, and Joseph Parker along the way, lifting the WBO interim heavyweight belt in that latter bout, before that sanctioning body elevated him to full champion status, with a pro record of 20 wins (19 KOs) against one draw.
In his first defense, scheduled for May 9 at the Coop Live in Manchester on DAZN, he takes on a voluntary pick — Dubois, 22 (21 KOs) against three defeats, who looks to rebound from a fifth-round knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk, after an extraordinary run of three successive finishes over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and, most impressively, Anthony Joshua.
“I’ve never been in this game to mess around or play small,” he said, according to Sky Sports.
“Big fights only.” “I’m the champion. This is a voluntary defense. I picked him.”
“One thing you can’t say about me is that I’ve ever shied away from a challenge,” Wardley added. “I’ve always continuously picked the biggest challenges out there. I’m not scared of any man in this division.
“This is one of the biggest fights out there now that could of been made in the heavyweight division.”
“With me you’re always guaranteed an all-action fight, but this one is going to be fireworks from the first bell,” he finished.