Fabio Wardley v Daniel Dubois: boxing heavyweight title – live

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The Co-op Live arena is correct adjacent doorway to nan Etihad Stadium. I walked past Manchester City’s location ground, pinch nan crowd roaring successful nan last fewer minutes of their crippled against Brentford, and it felt a alleviation that nan boxing coming is inside. It’s beautiful acold successful Manchester this evening but that didn’t extremity a fewer of nan City information guards jumping astir successful glee erstwhile a very precocious extremity made it 3-0. But attraction is now firmly backmost connected nan boxing and nan Co-op already feels crammed pinch a sold-out crowd.

It’s nan slightest that Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois merit for a conflict that could beryllium 1 of nan astir explosive and compelling heavyweight contests of nan year. There is besides a decent undercard and nan celebs are drifting successful slowly. Luke Littler has arrived but I was much willing to spot Moses Itauma astatine ringside. I interviewed him a mates of months agone successful Manchester. It was initially a spot of a situation to get him to unfastened up but, eventually, we sewage somewhere.

I deliberation Itauma is nan astir absorbing heavyweight astatine nan infinitesimal – conscionable arsenic I deliberation this conflict betwixt Wardley and Dubois is acold much intriguing than nan Fury v Joshua extravaganza later this year. That overblown scrap is astir six aliases 7 years excessively late. Tonight should beryllium a tad much timely – and Itauma is backing his gym-mate, Wardley, to extremity Dubois. We shall spot …

Preview time: Donald McRae has group nan segment as only he can. The undercard is nether measurement but I promote you to springiness this a publication earlier nan main event. Don will beryllium providing america updates from ringside successful Manchester.

double quotation markDaniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley are very different characters but, successful nan ring, they stock a knockout ratio of 95% successful nan mixed 42 fights they person won. The unbeaten Wardley has knocked retired 19 opponents successful his 20 victories while Dubois has stopped 21 of 22 vanquished rivals. It’s an awesome statistic which belies nan vulnerability astatine nan bosom of each man.

Wardley, nan WBO world heavyweight champion, comes from a white-collar boxing inheritance pinch minimal acquisition arsenic an amateur. The only blemish connected his grounds is simply a tie successful March 2024 with nan Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke – whom he past knocked out pinch shocking brutality successful nan first information 7 months later.

Preamble

This blockbuster all-British heavyweight showdown is taglined “Don’t Blink” – and not because nan promoter Frank Warren fears viewers mightiness commencement to motion disconnected erstwhile their eyelids droop. Rather nan connection is that Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois, who person 40 knockouts successful their mixed 42 master wins, some person nan powerfulness to demolish 1 different astatine immoderate moment.

For each their evident similarities arsenic 6ft 5in punchers pinch leaky defences, location are striking differences too. Ipswich’s Wardley, nan WBO champ aft nan loop was stripped from Oleksandr Usyk, is boxing’s latest Cinderella story. A erstwhile recruitment master who turned pro pinch zero charismatic amateur fights, Wardley’s robust will, chin and gift for self-improvement person taken him to an unbeaten 20-0-1 (19 KOs) grounds and to unforeseen heights.

Dubois’ amateur profession was short but highly promising and he, dissimilar Wardley, tin look a superbly balanced boxer pinch a dynamite jab to complement his thunderous correct hand. Just inquire Anthony Joshua astir both. Yet nan Londoner’s mentality and versatility person been questioned successful nan losses to Joe Joyce and Usyk (twice) that blemish his 22-3 (21 KOs) record.

Those defeats came against fantabulous amateurs, nevertheless – and successful Usyk’s lawsuit an all-time awesome pro. He’s ne'er mislaid to a combatant arsenic awkward but rudimentary arsenic Wardley. Fabio, of course, has ne'er mislaid astatine all.

It’s a delicious setup for what should beryllium a barnburner successful Manchester’s catchily titled Co-op Live arena. We’re expecting nan first doorbell betwixt 10.30pm and 11pm (BST), though apt person to nan latter. Do enactment pinch us!