The world heavyweight title thriller between champion Fabio Wardley and challenger Daniel Dubois edges ever close. Ahead of the contest, Tony Bellew has weighed in with his verdict.
Wardley promised fans a high level first defence after he was promoted from interim to full champion due to Oleksandr Usyk vacating the belt. He has delivered on that by accepting the challenge of Dubois, who poses one of the biggest knockout risks in the division despite coming off a loss to the Ukrainian.
Speaking on First Round TV, former world champion Bellew rejected the idea that the more schooled challenger is the fuller package, saying Ipswich’s Wardley has more in his arsenal and backing him to prove that on the night.
“Brilliant fight … People keep saying this thing that Daniel Dubois is a better boxer than Fabio Wardley, I actually don’t think he is. I think Fabio has more strings to his bow. I think there’s more things that he can do. I think his defence is better.
“Don’t get me wrong, the one thing Daniel can do better is if he just goes for pure aggression and power, then of course I think Daniel is better skilled in that department. But, as an all-round fighter, I think Fabio is better and I think he’ll show it on the night.”
In terms of strategy, Bellew laid out how he would tackle Dubois, who stopped Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua in 2024.
“Daniel Dubois is a confidence fighter. The more confident he is, the better he is. If you can strip that confidence back within the first round – stiff jabs, make him question himself, put it on him in short spaces. Don’t be exchanging with him within the first couple of rounds. I’d be shooting from quite far out with the jab and looking to nail him when he rushes in. I think by the end of round two, he’ll be questioning himself.”
On the power debate, Bellew warned Wardley that Dubois is dangerous early.
“I think Daniel Dubois might hit harder with the one shot, but I think Fabio carries his power better and he definitely carries it later.
“He’s quite predictable Daniel and he’s easy to hit, so you’ve got to take advantage. But, as I said before, another side of that coin is he’s super, super dangerous when he lands. Especially in the early rounds. You’ve got to take that away.”
The fight takes place at Manchester’s Co-op Live on May 9.