Daniel Dubois refused a fist bump from world champion Fabio Wardley as the pair came face-to-face at a lively news conference in London.
The world title fight between two of Britain’s biggest punchers takes place at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena on 9 May.
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After some long-winded bickering between the two camps, the fighters – relatively restrained until that point – finally sparked into life.
Wardley said he would “flatten” the challenger. “My power is proven. If there’s time left on the clock, I’m taking you out of the fight,” he added.
The 31-year-old – with 19 stoppages in 20 wins – will make the first defence of his WBO crown, having claimed the ‘interim’ title against Joseph Parker before being upgraded to full champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.
Former IBF champion Dubois, 28, is coming off a devastating knockout loss to generational great Usyk last summer.
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“If you look back, when it gets dicey, he’s not up for it,” Wardley said of Dubois, who has faced accusations of folding too easily in his three stoppage defeats.
Wednesday’s news conference took place at Dutch Hall, a converted 16th-century church tucked away in the heart of the city.
Dubois – never one for lengthy monologues – kept his answers short and matter of fact.
But the Londoner was clear in his intention. “Victory by knockout, by any means necessary,” he said.
When the fighters eventually stepped forward for the obligatory face-off, Dubois looked away first as Wardley smirked.
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Moments later Wardley extended his fist in a gesture of respect, but Dubois shook his head and refused to engage.
Verbal sparring between the two camps
Before the face-off drama, a twitchy, stone-faced Dubois glanced around at the stained-glass windows as the managers went toe-to-toe backing their men.
Dubois’ representative Sam Jones predicted his fighter would “flatten” Ipswich’s Wardley in quick time.
Wardley’s manager Michael Ofo responded in kind, saying Wardley would “destroy Daniel Dubois early”.
The back-and-forth rumbled on, Wardley grinning as the volume increased.
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Ofo referenced Dubois’ team and the recent changes in his training set-up. After the loss to Usyk, Dubois – who has worked with five trainers in his pro career – briefly parted ways with coach Don Charles before swiftly reversing the decision.
“It’s going to be hard for Daniel to overcome all the things going on in his camp,” Ofo said.
“The only person over there should be Stan [Dubois’ father] because we know he makes all the decisions.”
Charles responded that “talk is cheap” before launching into his own war of words.
After all that verbal sparring, promoter Frank Warren restored a little order.
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“The winner of this will be fighting in a big stadium fight,” the Queensberry boss said.
“But to get there, they have to lace them up and we’ll see who is the best on the night.
“Both camps are passionate about their fighters, so it has all the ingredients of an amazing event.”
Dubois’ fist makes headlines again – analysis
You are never going to get a stream of soundbites from Dubois, but he usually gives you one moment. Before facing Anthony Joshua in September 2024, he famously banged the table with his fist.
This time, he kept that same fist to himself – and that made just as many headlines.
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He does not appear to relish the media spotlight and that was evident again. He looked reluctant during press duties before the news conference.
Wardley, meanwhile, is entirely at ease with the limelight and happy to trade lines.
When the news conference started, there was more needle than many expected.
But strip all that away and this is a proper heavyweight fight. Credit to Wardley for selecting a high-risk opponent for his first defence. Credit to Dubois for swerving the easy payday after such a destructive loss to Usyk.
In just over 10 weeks, it will not be the managers talking but two heavyweight punchers in the ring, each boasting knockout ratios of 95%.