Carl Froch has made his feelings known about whether Fabio Wardley, the newly-crowned WBO world champion, should make his first title defence against Daniel Dubois.
The Ipswich man was elevated from interim to full WBO champion towards the end of last year, not long after his 11th-round stoppage victory over Joseph Parker.
Prior to their enthralling heavyweight clash in October 2025, many felt that Parker’s experience would prove too significant for the dangerous, but somewhat unproven, Wardley. Yet despite that, the Brit was ultimately able to announce himself on the world stage in stunning fashion.
Sitting above him, of course, is bona fide heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk, who still holds the WBC, IBF and WBA titles after opting to vacate his WBO strap.
With the Ukrainian abandoning his mandatory obligation in pursuit of a clash against Deontay Wilder, Wardley has now been presented with a selection of alternative options.
One potential is a domestic dustup with former world champion Dubois, who has not fought since his fifth-round stoppage defeat to Usyk in July.
Before that, ‘DDD’ had found himself on a ruthless run of form, stopping notable heavyweights Anthony Joshua, Filip Hrgovic and Jarrell Miller in emphatic fashion.
His power, albeit destructive, is something that could perhaps excite Wardley, a fearless competitor who just so happens to punch with a comparable degree of force and excels in a firefight.
In an interview with Fightlens, though, former super-middleweight world champion Froch puts forward the opinion that Wardley would do better to swerve Dubois.
“If you don’t get caught on the chin with a big, heavy right hand off Dubois, Fabio Wardley could outwork him. But it’s a dangerous fight for Wardley.
“Big puncher, Dubois. Dangerous puncher for 12 rounds. At some stage, [Wardley’s] going to have to take the plunge. But I don’t think I’d fight Dubois.”
News on the next outings for both men is expected in the coming weeks.
