Preview: Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois: Prediction, preview, undercard

Fabio Wardley makes the first defence of his WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, Dubois is back in the ring for the first time in 10 months, his last outing being defeat to Oleksandr Usyk in their unification clash at Wembley Stadium.

Here, Sports Mole previews the latest all-British world heavyweight title showdown.

Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois

The rise of Fabio Wardley from white-collar boxing to world heavyweight champion is one of boxing's most remarkable stories, the Ipswich fighter already exceeding any expectations that anyone had for his potential.

Nevertheless, that is not to say that the 31-year-old should not be regarded as an elite fighter, showing incredible heart to overcome Justis Huni and Joseph Parker in his last two outings.

Wardley was considerably down on the cards when knocking out Huni at his beloved Portman Road in June, earning him the interim WBO belt.

Four-and-a-half months later, Wardley again rallied to stop Parker at the O2 Arena in arguably the heavyweight fight of the year, the decisive moment coming in the 11th round.

Rather than fulfil his mandatory obligations, Oleksandr Usyk vacated his WBO belt in November, subsequently leading to Wardley becoming world champion for the first time.

While Wardley, with a record of 20 wins (19 KOs) and one draw from 21 bouts, would have preferred to take on the legendary Ukrainian, he instead faces the most dangerous puncher in the division.

The limitations of Dubois were again highlighted when he was outclassed and ruthlessly stopped by Usyk at Wembley Stadium last July.

Despite the confidence and aura that had come from his brutal stoppage of Anthony Joshua in his previous fight, Dubois looked a shell of that fighter against Usyk.

Lessons will surely have been learned from how Dubois spent the hours before that fight - at an afternoon family gathering - but his unpredictability and punch-power has made him the boxer that he is.

Dubois is a former WBA (regular) and IBF heavyweight champion with wins over Joshua, Filip Hrgovic and Jarrell Miller on his record. Like Wardley, he only has one points victory on his record.

Furthermore, Dubois has never gone past the 10th round. The Londoner has not needed to, yet question marks remain over whether that will count against him in this fight or the future.

Undercard

Having seen his highly-anticipated light-heavyweight clash with Callum Smith scheduled for April 18 postponed, David Morrell takes on Zak Chelli ahead of his interim WBO title bout being rescheduled.

Jack Rafferty squares off against Ekow Essuman in an intriguing welterweight contest. Last time out, Rafferty defended his British and Commonwealth light-welterweight titles in a draw with Mark Chamberlain, but he is stepping up a division for this contest.

Liam Cameron and Bradley Rea meet in a light-heavyweight contest, with both fighters looking for a standout win having recently lost to Ben Whittaker and Lyndon Arthur respectively.

Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois get up-close and personal during their first face-off of fight week ?pic.twitter.com/3GYu2G5PGA
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 6, 2026

Wardley vs. Dubois prediction

There is a reason why the tagline for Wardley against Dubois is 'Don't Blink'.

Across a combined total of 46 fights, just two of their bouts have gone the distance. It would be quite the surprise if this fight goes the distance.

In terms of resilience and character, it is not unfair to say that Wardley has proven that he is levels above Dubois.

Furthermore, there is an argument that Wardley's punch-power is on a par with Dubois, yet Wardley will not have been punched by anyone possessing the ammunition of Dubois.

The smart bet is a stoppage win for Wardley - maybe in round three or four - but you simply cannot rule out Dubois. Either way, we think that this fight will be done and dusted inside four rounds.