BoxRec

goose 5 wrote: ↑08 May 2026, 19:15 I'm looking forward to this very much. I wouldn't dare bet, however. If pressed, I say Wardley stops Dubois but a fairly early KO win for Dubois would not shock me at all.

Id say thats unlikely, but hey, wheres my crystal ball?

If you’re only as good as your last fight, and all that..

Parker was having such a good round 10 vs Wardley, confidence was high, pace was good, things were looking ominous at that point. Then suddenly, and to use a quote from Nate Diaz, Wardley “put a halt, on that shit”.

I think Fabio having that sort of response in the locker is a big factor.

jamesmcdonnell wrote: ↑08 May 2026, 18:48

SeanBrennan wrote: ↑08 May 2026, 15:56

KiwiRider wrote: ↑08 May 2026, 15:39

Totally agree.
Not happy with the look or demeanor from Dubois.
I've been so keen on this fight, I really hope it's a banger but Dubois looked physically and mentally defeated.

Hope it’s a cracker. I’m backing Wardley to win early

I’m sure he really cares that I’m
Backing him

DD if its a firefight early, i dont think wardley wins a shootout if it happens early on. Dubois is like a pit bull with a lit fag up its arse early doors.

If it goes past 5 and wardley hasnt been bashed up then fabio is favourite.

We will see. Great fight.

Re the pit bull, what an analogy!

Anyone going tonight want a meet up later this afternoon for a beer?

Fight Night!!

Just throwing this out there...is it possible that Dubois might box more and could pull off a decision? I mean all evidence points towards a firefight, but Dubois has a good jab, decent enough stamina....could he?

Flump wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 08:20 Just throwing this out there...is it possible that Dubois might box more and could pull off a decision? I mean all evidence points towards a firefight, but Dubois has a good jab, decent enough stamina....could he?

Career heaviest.

Yeah looking at Dubois, I don’t think he’s planning to experience any of that later-rounds heroism from Wardley.

While speaking with Fight Your Corner, though, Hall of Famer Froch highlighted the unorthodox nature of Wardley’s style, believing it will represent a key factor in their showdown.


“I’m picking Fabio Wardley to get to him late on. He’s got quite fast hands, and he’s awkward in the way he throws his punches, because he’s come from [a] white-collar [background].

“I think Dubois’ going to try and land that jab – he’s got a great jab. He might land a few right hands [but], if it [goes] past round five or six rounds, Dubois’ probably not going to be able to knock [Wardley] out with one punch.”

keithmoonhangover wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 08:29

Flump wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 08:20 Just throwing this out there...is it possible that Dubois might box more and could pull off a decision? I mean all evidence points towards a firefight, but Dubois has a good jab, decent enough stamina....could he?

Career heaviest.

I wouldn’t be surprised if DD won a decision.

But the weight does make me wonder if he’s had an injury

His weight isn’t too bad , 3lb more than AJ fight , but as I alluded to a few days ago, and other posters have also commented, he doesn’t look in as good shape

3lbs on a c 250lb heavyweight wouldn’t really be noticeable , but the eye test suggests his body fat is up and muscle down

knockout wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 10:19 His weight isn’t too bad , 3lb more than AJ fight , but as I alluded to a few days ago, and other posters have also commented, he doesn’t look in as good shape

3lbs on a c 250lb heavyweight wouldn’t really be noticeable , but the eye test suggests his body fat is up and muscle down

Yeah, but he's 8 lbs heavier than last time out.

knockout wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 10:19 His weight isn’t too bad , 3lb more than AJ fight , but as I alluded to a few days ago, and other posters have also commented, he doesn’t look in as good shape

3lbs on a c 250lb heavyweight wouldn’t really be noticeable , but the eye test suggests his body fat is up and muscle down

If it is notable to the eye, it suggests he must have lost a fair bit of muscle, and gained a lot of body fat.

Unusual for Dubois, he's always seemed a pretty avid trainer to me.

jamesmcdonnell wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 11:34

knockout wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 10:19 His weight isn’t too bad , 3lb more than AJ fight , but as I alluded to a few days ago, and other posters have also commented, he doesn’t look in as good shape

3lbs on a c 250lb heavyweight wouldn’t really be noticeable , but the eye test suggests his body fat is up and muscle down

If it is notable to the eye, it suggests he must have lost a fair bit of muscle, and gained a lot of body fat.

Unusual for Dubois, he's always seemed a pretty avid trainer to me.

Yes he has always trained diligently and been in good shape for previous contests. I wonder if the money / baby / partner have got to him a bit .. the old silk pyjamas cliche ??

I can’t see why you would intentionally come in with a higher body fat / lower muscle

Maybe the silk pyjamas, maybe a bad camp ( injury ) maybe something more sinister ? Who knows

knockout wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 13:24

jamesmcdonnell wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 11:34

knockout wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 10:19 His weight isn’t too bad , 3lb more than AJ fight , but as I alluded to a few days ago, and other posters have also commented, he doesn’t look in as good shape

3lbs on a c 250lb heavyweight wouldn’t really be noticeable , but the eye test suggests his body fat is up and muscle down

If it is notable to the eye, it suggests he must have lost a fair bit of muscle, and gained a lot of body fat.

Unusual for Dubois, he's always seemed a pretty avid trainer to me.

Yes he has always trained diligently and been in good shape for previous contests. I wonder if the money / baby / partner have got to him a bit .. the old silk pyjamas cliche ??

I can’t see why you would intentionally come in with a higher body fat / lower muscle

Maybe the silk pyjamas, maybe a bad camp ( injury ) maybe something more sinister ? Who knows

Another thing. He's lost twice to Usyk in Title fights. In all likelihood he couldn't have possibly trained any harder for those 2 opportunities, and he was still beaten not once, but twice. That kinda thing has to sap at list a little bit of your will away from you. When you've prepared as much as humanly possible, and it wasn't good enough.

Who's the referee? Probably bound to be foster classic later

Glass Joe wrote: ↑09 May 2026, 14:15 Who's the referee? Probably bound to be foster classic later

I have a feeling it will be

As the fight draws closer, I’m starting to think DDD might do this fairly easy behind a ramrod jab.

TheLeprechaun wrote: ↑07 May 2026, 14:23 Poor Bugner got hounded out of the country after that Cooper win.

I have to sit down and watch that fight and see if it was an unfair decision or not. Either way it wasn't his fault he got it.

Shipped back in and had the whole country against him again vs Bruno. He came for the money in that fight and was complaining about the referee not stopping it sooner and allowing Bruno to clobber him as he was trying to quit.

Bruno should have been disqualified in that fight. How many times did he hit Bugner when he was down with absolutely no reprimand from the ref..

I was leaning towards Wardley ever since this fight was made but my gut is telling me Dubois might get a stoppage win inside 6 rounds.

Dubois’ timekeeping is shocking!

Main card Results

Daniel Dubois def. Fabio Wardley by TKO (R11, 0:28)

Jack Rafferty def. Ekow Essuman by RTD (R6, 3:00)

Bradley Rea def. Liam Cameron by TKO (R4, 1:35)

Zak Chelli def. David Morrell by TKO (R10, 2:24)

Gavin Gwynne def. Khaleel Majid by majority decision (96-94, 95-95, 96-94)

Bakhodir Jalolov def. Agron Smakici by RTD (R7, 3:00)

Wardley was extremely poor. Very very limited. It's crazy that he became heavyweight champ.

What happened is not too much of a surprise if you see it from another angle: Wardley has poor boxing skills. He relies heavily on power and a concrete chin, but he isn't that fast, fights defensively on the back foot and must improve his stamina. Because here it is what logically happened - if Huni was able to completely outbox him and only lose because of not being able to take Wardley's power, then Dubois, being faster, with better technique, a solid enough and punching power probably even greater (surely not less powerful), that concrete begins to crack, and Dubois shattered it even. What was more surprising was that for the first time, Dubois crossed that mental barrier he had in his previous fights that made him quit when not being too hurt. He deserves credit for this improvement, while Wardley deserves one for sustaining so much beating, which is entirely his team's fault, as they risked his health for about 4 rounds.