Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois collide in Manchester in two months’ time in what a sparring partner of both men calls a ‘barnstormer.’
Champion Wardley takes on challenger Dubois in one of the year’s standout heavyweight bouts, with extreme power in each corner and questions for both men to answer.
Wardley was elevated from interim to full WBO champion, and is looking to satisfy fans with a dangerous first defence. The best way to do that is by facing a genuine knockout puncher – something his record arguably lacks so far.
As for Dubois, the 28-year-old once again faced questions of his heart and grit under pressure when he lost for a second time to Oleksandr Usyk last year. A career-best performance prior to that against Anthony Joshua reminded us how devastating he can be, but many feel he has to deliver more consistency.
Speaking to Seconds Out, fan favourite heavyweight Johnny Fisher looked back on his experiences sparring both men.
“Great fight. Fabio – I’ve seen his rise. I’ve sparred him many times in the earlier days, four, five years ago. Daniel, obviously I’ve been around him in the Sims gym, been around and sparred him before that as well. It’s a fantastic match-up.
“People have written off Fabio Wardley many times. That’s probably not a wise thing to do, so I’m not going to do that. And Daniel Dubois – unbelievable, electric power that I’ve felt myself … It’s a barnstormer.”
Fisher, who did not make a prediction, went on to praise Wardley more.
“[Fabio] is everything that we see that he is – a warrior. His mental toughness, coming back from looking like you’re in trouble, to swinging and getting someone out of there… He’s also a great boxing technician, we’ve got to give him credit for that fight with Parker as well – not just knocking someone out, showing the skills to be a world class heavyweight.”
The fight has all the ingredients of a British heavyweight classic, with the winner targeting another major scalp later this year.
