An all-British heavyweight world title clash is on the horizon, as Fabio Wardley prepares to take on Daniel Dubois in his first defence of the WBO belt. Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn has revealed his thoughts on the proposed match-up.
Wardley shook up the division when he pulled off the upset and halted Joseph Parker back in October to claim the WBO Interim title and, when Usyk vacated the full WBO strap, the United Kingdom’s four-month stint without a heavyweight world champion came to an end.
The Ipswich fan-favourite was upgraded to full world champion and ever since, the 31-year-old sensation has been looking for a showdown that will prove his worth as a legitimate titleholder and kickstart his reign in style.
It now appears as though Wardley has found the perfect dance partner, with reports suggesting that he will collide with former IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois, who lost his belt to Oleksandr Usyk last time out in July.
Speaking with iFL TV, Eddie Hearn explained why he believes Dubois’ decision to jump straight into another world title contest may be a naive one.
“If I was Daniel Dubois, I would be coming back with a [lesser] fight, but what happens is you make so much money that you don’t want to come back with one of those fights because you are not really looking at the long play.
“I think sometimes that is a little bit of a poor decision. The last time Daniel Dubois fought was July, against Usyk, that was now eight months ago. So, if he fights in May, he is going to have been out of the ring for 10 months after getting knocked out.
“Daniel Dubois is the kind of guy where, if he has any doubts in himself or if he is not 100% confident, he is much easier to beat than the flip side of that.”
Hearn then went on to reveal why he believes the scrap favours Fabio Wardley stylistically, predicting that the reigning champion will break Dubois down if he is able to survive an early onslaught.
“Daniel Dubois hits really hard, he can take anybody out or hurt anybody early but if you get past two, three or four rounds with him and you start making him second guess himself, you can break him down real quick.
“I think that Wardley and his team will look at that fight and say ‘that is a good fight for us’.”
Wardley-Dubois is being touted for Manchester on Saturday, May 9, whilst Usyk is currently being linked to a shock clash with Dutch kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven on the same date. Although, it is unclear whether the Ukrainian’s three heavyweight world titles would be on the line for that bout.
