Wardley-Dubois Preview

The month of May 2026 in the sport of Boxing will be in some ways bookended by two World Heavyweight championship fights. While the fact that one has to say two world championship fights rather than one so soon after the division was fully unified by the unbeaten Oleksandr Usyk for a second time in his career last summer and the breaking of the Undisputed championship did not come as a result of Usyk’s retirement or being defeated where a new champion chose to relinquish portions of the title, being more of a reflection of the political aspects of the sport, not serving to its benefit, the two bouts will no doubt generate buzz. 

First on the schedule, and the subject of this column, will take place on May 9th in London, England where undefeated WBO World Heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley will defend his title for the first time against the man Usyk stopped last summer to fully unify the title for the second time, former IBF World Heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois at the Co-Op Live Arena in London, England in a bout that can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN as part of an Ultimate subscription plan or as a standalone pay-per-view option. While this coincidentally brings together two fighters, one a current world champion and one a former world champion, who each became champion as mandatory challengers who were named champion after Usyk was stripped of respective  portions of the World Heavyweight championship, if one takes the political aspects out of the equation, this is one of the best fights that could be made currently in the whole Heavyweight division.

The reason for that is that both Wardley and Dubois are “Knockout Artists” who each have a career knockout percentage of over 95%. A statistic that should be concerning to the representation of potential opponents throughout the division, but one that should be mouth watering to both the hardcore enthusiast as well as the casual fan. Simply put, these are two fighters that have knockout intention with nearly every punch they throw and a fight between two fighters like this could be as close to a guarantee as possible that it is not likely to go the distance.

What is of interest to this observer as this world championship bout approaches largely centers on the challenger. Dubois was knocked out for the second time in his last outing in his rematch with Olelsandr Usyk and though you are not likely to see too many fighters, and to be more specific, the management of those combatants passing on the opportunity to fight for a world title given both the stature a world championship carries, as well as the lucrative purses that are often attached to those opportunities, some might question the wisdom of jumping back into a world title fight immediately after a knockout loss. Although likely seen as a gamble, Dubois has proven in the past that he can rebound from a setback and should be viewed as dangerous for however long this fight lasts having scored knockouts in twenty-one of his twenty-two career wins. 

In the opposite corner, the undefeated champion Fabio Wardley boasts nineteen career knockouts in twenty-one professional fights with only a March 2024 draw when the then British Heavyweight champion was held to a standstill in his bout against Frazer Clarke, which he avenged via first round knockout later that year. Recently, Wardley’s fights have followed a similar pattern. When he fought the then unbeaten Justis Huni in June of last year, he was being out boxed and seemed at times to be on the verge of being stopped due to fatigue before he was able to score a knockout of Huni in the tenth round. Wardley found himself in essentially the same position in his last bout where he was being outworked by former WBO World Heavyweight champion Joseph Parker before he was able to stop him in the eleventh round.

In this instance some may suggest that given both champion and challenger are come forward “Knockout Artists” that we are not likely to see this fight go into the middle and late rounds. Despite that perception and Wardley’s track record of being able to pull off come from behind knockouts later in fights, it will be interesting to see if some efforts have been made to address the issue of fatigue if this fight does extend into the later rounds. Both fighters are certainly aware of what the other can do and that could likely set up a scenario where one or both are a bit tentative early in the fight out of respect and not wanting to overly commit too early. 

Beyond a piece of the World Heavyweight championship being at stake of course is the chance to eventually try to fully unify the title. Fabio Wardley is looking to establish his reign as a world champion. Daniel Dubois is looking to become champion once again. When you have two fighters with the type of punching power both of these men have, there is not much more that needs to be said and it is simply time to watch them do battle in what could be an explosive World Heavyweight championship fight.

“And That's The Boxing Truth.”

Wardley vs. Dubois takes place on Saturday, May 9th at the Co-Op Live Arena in London, England. The fight as well as its full undercard can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN either as a standalone pay-per-view for $59.99 or as part of a DAZN Ultimate subscription plan for $44.99 per month. (*North American Prices Only.*) The broadcast will begin at 1:30 PM ET/10:30AM PT. (*North American Start Times Only.*) 

(*Card and Start Times Subject to Change.*)

For more information about DAZN, including schedules, list of compatible streaming devices, platforms, Smart TVs, availability around the world, local start times in your area, to order this event or to subscribe or upgrade your subscription to DAZN Ultimate please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison      

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1     

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1   

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1  

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social 

On The Brink Of Defeat: Wardley Finds KO Punch

The circumstances that led to the Heavyweight bout between unbeaten top Heavyweight contenders Fabio Wardley and Justis Huni on June 7th at the Portman Road Football Ground in Ipswich, England was not ideal for either boxer. Due to the fact that it was made on short notice where Huni stepped in for the injured Jarrell Miller, neither man had the type of preparation that they would likely prefer going into a fight. 

When one throws into the equation rainy conditions outdoors, one may not have known what to expect. In terms of styles, this was an adjustment for Wardley, who had been preparing to face a power puncher like himself in Miller, now tasked with facing a more balanced boxer/puncher in Huni. While the perception when fights like this are made on short notice is the fighter stepping into a fight is at a disadvantage, this was a case where one could say it was truly unknown as to having an idea of what could happen with one fighter having the type of punching power that is sudden and devastating going against a fighter that could do a little of everything.

For a significant portion of this bout, it was Huni’s Boxing ability that was on full display. Consistently getting his punches off first, often throwing in combination, and backing the power puncher Wardley up, Huni dictated the combat and frequently landed flush right hands to the head. Gradually, it appeared that it was Huni that had the edge and if one were unaware of the circumstances, they might have assumed that it was Wardley, who stepped into the fight on short notice and not the other way around. 

With each passing round, Huni continued to dominate the action. After eight rounds, this observer, as I often do, shared how I was seeing things in real time on X (Formerly Twitter) and said that Huni had won the fight on my unofficial scorecard having won seven of eight rounds of the scheduled twelve round bout. In terms of points, Wardley was behind to a point that he would likely need a knockout to win the fight. Yours truly commented that  Wardley might have a punch in him to turn things around, but it also appeared that he was struggling due to both fatigue and the punishment that Huni had dished out and I questioned whether he would be able to go the distance.

If one were objective, there was little evidence that there would be a sudden change as Huni continued to bring the fight to Wardley in the ninth round. Having covered thousands of fights on every level of the sport over the last three decades and being a Boxing lifer long before I began my journey as a writer and began covering combat sports, I had learned long ago that you can never truly dismiss the possibility of a sudden turn, but with Huni dominating to the degree he was, it seemed unlikely that Wardley would be able to land that fight changing punch. 

What by all accounts looked to be certain victory for Huni would change in the type of fashion that should remind even the most jaded cynic what makes Boxing great. In an exchange of punches at the midway point in the tenth round, Wardley connected with an overhand right that came out of nowhere and seemed to be thrown in desperation, which landed flush and sent Huni down hard on the canvas. Huni struggled and was unable to beat the count. On the brink of what appeared to be certain defeat, Fabio Wardley found the knockout punch that gave him the most dramatic win of his career. 

The certainty that Wardley needed a knockout to remain unbeaten can be illustrated in the official scorecards in that he was down by six points on two official scorecards and on five on the third entering the tenth round. As dramatic a victory and an illustration of the type of power Wardley is blessed with, if one is objective, they would say that Wardley, his handlers, and supporters got a legitimate scare.

Although Wardley maintained his number one ranking in the WBA’s Heavyweight ratings having retained Interim/Regular champion status as the contender currently in position as the World Boxing Association’s mandatory challenger with this victory, he was unable to make the type of statement that would give the impression that he is ready to fight for a world title. Yes, he did get a knockout in the purest sense of the word, however, one might argue that it is Justis Huni who comes out of this fight having made a convincing argument as a potential challenger down the line for either of the Heavyweight division’s two world champions Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois.

 With Usyk and Dubois preparing for their rematch for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world on July 19th, and assuming that there might be a third fight between the two in the future per a rematch clause, Waedley may not get an opportunity to fight for the title in the near future. If Wardley is going to fight again before the end of 2025, an obvious option would be to give Justis Huni a rematch. As brutal as the knockout was, Huni has earned another opportunity and Wardley and his team will likely want to quell the questions that will likely be asked coming out of this fight and the best way to do that is by giving Huni a rematch.

“And That's The Boxing Truth," 

The Boxing Truth®️ is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved.

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison      

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1      

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1    

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1 

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social 

Wardley-Huni Preview

As the Boxing world prepares for the reunification of the Heavyweight division, which will come when the two champions of the division Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois meet in July in a highly anticipated rematch, this time for the Undisputed Heavyweight championship of the world, focus has begun to take shape in regard to the potential challengers that might follow for the winner of that fight. Recently, we saw the fast-rising Moses Itauma score his twelfth victory in his career by scoring a devastating knockout of Mike Balogun on May 24th. Itauma, who is rated in the top three in the Heavyweight division in both the WBO and the WBA rankings, may be on the short list of potential challengers for either Usyk or Dubois. 

On June 7th, however, another Heavyweight who could also be a potential option will return to action. This observer is referring to undefeated WBA number one rated Heavyweight contender Fabio Wardley, who will face fellow unbeaten Heavyweight Justis Huni in a scheduled twelve round bout where Interim/Regular champion status in the WBA rankings, or in lay language the mandatory challenger position will be at stake. The fight, which will be held at the Portman Road Football Ground in Ipswich, England can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming network DAZN.

This is an interesting fight in a couple of aspects. One, it is always intriguing when two unbeaten Heavyweights square off against each other, but in this case, there is a slight wrinkle attached here. The wrinkle being that Wardley was originally scheduled to face one-time Heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller, who had to withdraw from the fight due to a shoulder injury. With Miller out, in steps Justis Huni, who took the fight on one month’s notice. 

There have of course been countless scenarios throughout Boxing history where a fighter has stepped in with limited time to prepare, in some cases mere days before a scheduled bout, but whenever there is a chance with such a narrow timeframe to prepare, it is as much an adjustment for the fighter stepping in on short notice as it is for the fighter, whose scheduled opponent fell out. Some might say this fight being made with one month to prepare makes things more interesting. Not only does this fight now feature two unbeaten fighters against each other, but in terms of a clash of styles, this now has the dynamic of a puncher in Wardley, (18-0,1, with 17 Knockouts) who has knocked out seventeen of his nineteen opponents, registering a career knockout percentage just under 95% going against more of a boxer in Huni (12-0, with 7 Knockouts) than would have been the case had Jarrell Miller, a fighter also known for punching power, had not withdrawn due to injury.

While Huni has more experience going deeper into fights compared to his opponent, he does have some punching power in his own right having stopped nearly 59% of his opponents. Whether or not his punching power will come into the equation here remains to be seen, but logic suggests that he will try and extend Wardley into the deep waters of this fight by trying to box him rather than trading punches, which is always a crap shoot, especially in the Heavyweight division. 

Something one should keep in mind here is Fabio Wardley has only been the distance twice in his career earning a win and a draw in those two outings and has only been twelve rounds once and that was in the draw against Fraser Clarke in March of last year. Although that statistic may ultimately prove to be moot, it is something that for the moment seems on the surface as though it could be a factor due to the circumstances in the change of opponent for him. On the other side of the equation, Huni , after winning regional titles including the Pan-Pacific Heavyweight title, recognized by the IBF and the Oriental Heavyweight title, recognized by the WBO, this fight represents a step up against the hardest hitting opponent of his career. If he is successful, it will obviously put him right in line to face the winner of the Usyk-Dubois rematch and, despite being unbeaten, it might be a strong enough argument to be next in line as many will view it as an upset.

With the Usyk-Dubois rematch around the corner, the spotlight will be focused on the Heavyweight division for the next several weeks with not only this fight, but also former WBC Heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder preparing to make a comeback later in June as well. Will it be Wardley or Huni that will emerge victorious? We will find out Saturday, June 7th.

“And That's The Boxing Truth." 

Wardley vs. Huni takes place on Saturday,June 7th at Portman Road Football Ground in Ipswich, England. The fight as well as it's full undercard can be seen worldwide on digital subscription sports streaming networks DAZN  beginning at 11:30AM ET/8:30AM PT with Before The Bell, which will feature preliminary bouts. The main card will begin at 2PM ET/11AM PT. 

(*U.S. Times Only.* Card and Start Times Subject to Change*)

For more information about DAZN  including schedules,list of compatible streaming devices, platforms,Smart TVs, Availability around the world, local start times in your area, and to subscribe please visit: www.DAZN.com. 

The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison All Rights Reserved. 

Follow Beau Denison on the following Social Media Platforms:

X: (Formerly Twitter) www.twitter.com/Beau_Denison 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/BeauDenison1 

Threads: www.threads.net/@BeauDenison1 

Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BeauDenison1     

BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/beaudenison1.bsky.social