Dave Allen has broken down the world title fight between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois on May 9.
Wardley will be making his maiden defence of the IBF strap. He was elevated to champion following two impressive KO wins late in fights he was losing on the cards against first Justi Huni, then Joseph Parker, both last year.
Dubois, meanwhile, is fighting for the first time since last August, when he was stopped for a second time by Oleksandr Usyk and lost his IBF belt to the then two-time undisputed champion.
He was due to fight Parker in February 2025 but fell ill late in the day, so withdrew, which means some worry that ring rust could be a problem for the London fighter as he has fought only once since September 2024.
Speaking to Seconds Out before the first bell, Allen outlined how he thinks the fight could go.
“Obviously, Dubois. I always pick against Wardley. I seen him at this thing, and he was like you always pick against me and I were like yeah I know. But he can punch, he’s tough, he’s game, he’s awkward because he’s not textbook, he is a bit all over the show.
“He’s a great fighter, you know, he’s world champion, brilliant. But Dubois, for me, hits a lot harder than Parker and Huni. He can’t afford to get hit by Dubois like he got hit against Huni and Parker. I think Dubois would clean him out. But I won’t be surprised if he don’t.”
The winner may be hoping for a unification showdown with Usyk, if the Ukrainian comes through his fight with kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in Egypt later in May.
