Fabio Wardley Vs. Daniel Dubois Breakdown

Dubois arrives on the back of the heaviest loss of his career. He challenged Oleksandr Usyk for the undisputed heavyweight title and was knocked out, a result that stripped him of the IBF title he had defended memorably against Anthony Joshua — a performance in which he floored the 2012 Olympic champion four times before stopping him in the fifth round.

The Approach

Expect Wardley to establish the jab early to control range and stop Dubois from setting his feet for the big shots. He’ll want to work the body consistently, not just to slow Dubois down physically, but because body work forces Dubois to lower his guard and think about more than one thing. Wardley’s best chance is probably somewhere in the middle rounds if he can rough Dubois up, drag him into a scrappy fight, and take some of the venom out of his power. He cannot afford to box at range and give Dubois the space to load up.

Dubois’ entire tactical existence revolves around the right hand. His job is simple in theory: land the overhand right or the straight right early, and this fight is over before it begins. He’ll use the jab selectively — not as a scoring tool but as a range finder, a setup. He needs to make Wardley hesitant and keep him thinking defensively. The knockout of Joshua showed Dubois at his clinical best: patient, composed, explosive when the moment arrives. He’ll look for the same thing here.

The Card

Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois; For Wardley’s WBO heavyweight title

Jack Rafferty vs. Ekow Essuman; Super lightweight

Bradley Rea vs. Liam Cameron; Light heavyweight

David Morrell vs. Zak Chelli; Catchweight

Khaleel Majid vs. Gavin Gwynne; Super lightweight

Bakhodir Jalolov vs. Agron Smakici; Heavyweight