Fabio Wardley makes the first defence of his WBO title this Saturday, headlining a Queensberry Promotions card at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena.
Standing in the opposite corner will be former world champion Daniel Dubois, who shares a formidable 95% knockout-to-win ratio with his next opponent.
In addition to the destructive power of both heavyweights, though, there are several other factors that could play a key role in their much-anticipated showdown.
How Fabio Wardley beats Daniel Dubois
Momentum
Unlike Dubois, Wardley has been afforded the luxury of building and maintaining his confidence over the past year or so.
He has achieved this with back-to-back stoppages over Justis Huni and Joseph Parker, both contributing to his deserved reputation as a world-class heavyweight.
Dubois, on the other hand, has not fought since suffering a fifth-round stoppage defeat to Oleksandr Usyk last July, with his lack of momentum perhaps representing a point of weakness.
Powers of recovery
Part of what makes Wardley so dangerous is his instinctive ability to come back firing, especially when it appears he could be close to suffering a knockdown.
Having never touched the canvas, the 31-year-old has displayed a tremendous chin but must now face an equally prolific knockout artist, whose power may even be marginally superior.
Given his track record, though, Wardley will be fully confident in overcoming whatever Dubois manages to dish out.
Unpredictability
Coming from a white-collar boxing background, it is hardly surprising that Wardley fights with an element of recklessness; and yet he somehow uses this to his advantage.
While having tightened up his defence and polished his style in recent years, there remains an unorthodox nature to Wardley’s overall approach.
Because of this, Dubois may struggle to pre-empt his opponent’s attacks and, in turn, leave himself in danger of getting caught with a shot he never saw coming.
How Daniel Dubois beats Fabio Wardley
Jab
While not quite emulating Lennox Lewis or Wladimir Klitschko, Dubois nonetheless possesses an effective and thudding lead hand.
This, therefore, represents perhaps his most important weapon against someone like Wardley, who would likely come off second best in a battle of the jabs.
If he succeeds in establishing his jab from the opening round, then Dubois would only afford himself a greater chance at disrupting his opponent’s rhythm.
Footwork
Despite consistently tipping the scales at around 240lbs, Dubois appears surprisingly nimble whenever he steps in and out of range.
Perhaps it is years of footwork drills, or maybe just a genetic advantage, but, whatever the case, the 28-year-old is remarkably fluid for such an imposing athlete.
This mobility could prove crucial against Wardley, who may end up falling over his front foot a few times if Dubois is particularly clever with his movement.
Power
As mentioned, both Wardley and Dubois are capable of engineering a dramatic finish, but it somehow feels as if the power is more important for Dubois.
This is because ‘Dynamite’ needs to earn Wardley’s respect from their opening exchange, otherwise he risks being dragged into an all-action shootout, where his technical advantages swiftly become less apparent.
There also appears to be a need for Dubois to regain a degree of confidence, especially after his defeat to Usyk, and what better way to do so than by landing a flush shot on Wardley’s chin?
