Wardley v Dubois - heavyweight fight predictions

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Battle of the heavy hitters - Wardley & Dubois best knockouts

Published33 minutes ago

Two big-hitting British heavyweights will collide for a world title in Manchester on Saturday as Fabio Wardley defends his WBO belt against Daniel Dubois.

Unbeaten Wardley, 31, makes the first defence of his title after the Ipswich fighter was upgraded from interim to full world champion last year.

Londoner Dubois, 28, is aiming to bounce back from his defeat by Oleksandr Usyk last summer, as he looks to become a two-time world champion.

With a combined 95% knockout ratio, it seems unlikely the judges will be needed at the Co-op Live Arena.

BBC Sport spoke to figures from the boxing world to get their predictions.

What information do we collect from this quiz?

Oleksandr Usyk - unified heavyweight champion

"This is a good fight. I think Wardley will win. I want [it] because I think he deserves to win this fight. Good guy."

Prediction - Wardley

Tony Bellew - former cruiserweight world champion

"If Wardley can come through those first three rounds, I believe he gets rid of Dubois between six and eight.

"Dubois is a confidence fighter and a bully so if he gets success early on in the fight he will build on it and look really strong.

"But the flip side to the coin is when he gets hurt early, it can detract from his confidence. And when his confidence drops, he starts questioning himself and kind of looks for a way out.

"If Dubois gets any confidence, this could be over in the first."

Prediction - Wardley

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George Groves - former super-middleweight world champion

"I think Wardley is going to win this fight. Dubois is coming off the back of a loss, which is tough. But Wardley still has a lot to prove. He's the heavyweight champion of the world but he's yet to have a world title fight. I think the stoppage will come in the second half of the fight. Maybe rounds six to nine."

Prediction - Wardley

Barry Jones - former super-featherweight world champion

"If we get a positive Dubois who uses his jab and skills, I think he can outbox Wardley but can also knock him out.

"Wardley doesn't have the same skillset but has something most fighters don't have; that innate toughness, fire and ability to stay calm under pressure.

"I think somehow Wardley will get up of the floor, maybe even twice, to stop Dubois late on. I think Dubois will be panicked and maybe possibly stay on his knee. I am going for Wardley in rounds eight to 10."

Prediction - Wardley

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Boxers, Frank Warren and trainers break down Wardley v Dubois

Joe Gallagher - boxing trainer

"I really rate Dubois. Every time he has a setback, he comes back bigger and better and proves people wrong. He had another setback against Oleksandr Usyk. Will that motivate him to come back better again?

"Wardley is a fighter who is still learning on the job but has done very well for the limited boxing career that he's had. He has momentum and can punch.

"It's a fascinating fight and I think Dubois - if the mindset is right - should win."

Prediction - Dubois

Francesca Hennessey - British bantamweight

"This is an absolute barnstormer. Something is telling me Wardley is going to get the win. He just comes through every single time. He's a great fighter but so is Dubois. I wouldn't be surprised if Dubois caused an upset."

Prediction - Wardley

Moses Itauma - British heavyweight

"I'll probably go for Fabio Wardley quite early - rounds four to six."

Prediction - Wardley

Ade Oladipo - DAZN presenter

"I genuinely believe this is a 50/50 fight. These are two fighters who like to take the centre of the ring, don't want to fight on the back foot, want to exert their power over each other.

"Wardley has done it before and can do it again but if I had to put my money on someone winning, I think I'm leaning to Dubois. I think he's the better boxer of the two, probably hits as hard and will take confidence from those wins over Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua."

Prediction - Dubois

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From white collar boxing to world champion

Carl Frampton - former two-weight world champion

"You can make an argument for both boys. Wardley has the best chance in the second half and Wardley in the first. Wardley relies on his chin and he has a good one but has never been hit by anyone who can punch as hard as Dubois.

"But there are still question marks on Dubois' mentality. Wardley has that dog in him that Dubois doesn't and he drags him into a fight at some point and drowns him. So I think Wardley wins around rounds nine or 10."

Prediction - Wardley

Denzel Bentley - British middleweight

"Wardely v Dubois is a 'who lands first' type of fight. Judging by what we've seen, Wardley has the dog over Dubois but Dubois is the better boxer and better schooled.

"If it gets to the trenches, I think Wardley can win it but if Dubois sticks to his boxing he'll find it easier and his power will do the work for him as the rounds go on. I think if it's a stoppage, it'll be Wardley - if it's on points, it'll be Dubois."

Prediction - 50/50

Adam Smith - DAZN commentator

"I can't give a definitive prediction because I'm commentating on the fight so I don't think that's fair. But I will say it's the finest heavyweight match-up of 2026.

"This has got everything. Utter jeopardy. Surely there will be twists and turns. There is no definitive way you can predict an outcome, it could be one of several.

"Wardley always finds a way and is still undefeated but Dubois is one the best boxers - and the hardest puncher - he's ever been in with."

Prediction - neutral