Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley fight in May in the latest all-British heavyweight clash, and one man who has sparred both has now called a winner.
Wardley will be making the first defence of the WBO title he was awarded when Oleksandr Usyk decided to vacate rather than defend against him following his KO wins over Justis Huni and Joseph Parker.
He is a man in form, and a man who has proven he can never be counted out because he carries power late into fights, even when he might be down on the cards, as he was in those two contests.
Dubois meanwhile, was knocked out by Usyk in his last fight last year, but before that had a trio of KO victories, including over Anthony Joshua.
Speaking to Boxing Scene, fellow heavyweight contender Lawrence Okolie backed ‘DDD’ to win on account of him being the bigger puncher.
“I think Dubois is going to win because he’s got a lot more experience and he’s beaten better guys. I think that, stylistically, if they do start trading – unless Fabio is that much quicker than him – [Dubois] definitely punches harder than him and will hurt him.”
He did suggest that, in his view, one advantage lies with Wardley and his coach.
“However, Ben Davison [Wardley’s trainer] is a really good coach, and they might work on the right sequences to catch Dan. And if they catch Dan, early and hard, then we might see a repeat of [Wardley’s best] performances.”
Wardley, who has questioned Dubois’ heart, has already said he would be up for a fight with the returning Tyson Fury were he to beat Dubois, so it could be a big year for British heavyweight showdowns.
