In just three months’ time, Great Britain will stage another blockbuster heavyweight title showdown, as Fabio Wardley makes the first defence of his WBO crown against former IBF world champion Daniel Dubois. And now Derek Chisora has weighed in with his prediction for the clash — firmly backing one man to emerge victorious.
Fabio Wardley halted Joseph Parker in an upset win back in October to both retain his undefeated record and simultaneously become the WBO interim heavyweight champion, seemingly teeing up a showdown with then undisputed titleholder, Oleksandr Usyk.
However, the Ukrainian instead opted to vacate the WBO strap, rather than face Wardley, meaning that the Ipswich fan-favourite was upgraded to full WBO world champion to cap off a remarkable 2025.
This year, Wardley has a new mission, as he seeks to prove that he is a worthy champion by asserting himself as an elite operator in the division and overcoming some of boxing’s biggest names.
As a result, the 31-year-old has opted to take on fellow Brit, Dubois, in a difficult voluntary defence of his new belt that will take place in Manchester.
In an interview with BoxNation, heavyweight veteran Chisora explained why he believes Wardley will come out on top.
“I believe that Fabio and Daniel [is a] great fight. I see Fabio winning it. Fabio’s tough. Fabio hasn’t got boxing skills; what he has is f***ing heart, bro. When you fight somebody with heart, it’s going to be a long night. He got hit [against Parker], but he carries on coming.”
Wardley-Dubois is scheduled for Saturday, May 9, at the Co-op Live Arena, for what will be the sixth heavyweight world title fight to have taken place in Manchester.
