Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois – Fight details, tale of the tape, how to watch, PPV price, betting odds, facts, predictions
Everything you need to know about the upcoming all-British heavyweight clash between defending WBO world champion Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) and former IBF champion Daniel Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs).
The brace of British boxers will lay it all on the line in an explosive matchup featuring two heavyweights with a 95% KO record!
Fight Details
Date: Saturday, May 9, 2026
Time: Event starts from 6pm
Venue: Co-op Live, Manchester
Promoter: Queensberry Promotions
Event Title: Don’t Blink
Titles: Wardley’s WBO world heavyweight title is on the line
Main Event Ringwalks: From 10pm
Tickets: From £49.95 at TicketMaster
How to Watch
TV: DAZN PPV
Price: £24.99 / $59.99
Times: Undercard gets underway from 6pm, but the main event ringwalks will be after 10pm
Tale of the Tape
Fabio Wardley
WBO world heavyweight champion
Wins: 20
Losses: 0
Draws:
KOs: 19
KO Ratio: 95%
Age: 31
From: Ipswich, Suffolk
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 6’5″
Reach: 78″
Trainer: Robert Hodgins
Manager: Dillian Whyte
Promoter: Frank Warren
Daniel Dubois
WBC #2, IBF #10, WBO #4, IBO #3
Wins: 22
Losses: 3
Draws: 0
KOs: 21
KO Ratio: 95.45%
Age: 28
From: Greenwich, London
Stance: Orthodox
Height: 6’5″
Reach: 78″
Trainer: Don Charles
Manager: Stanley (Dave) Dubois
Promoter: Frank Warren
Fighter Profiles
Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) rose to prominence with his British title victory over David Adeleye in October 2023 before twice facing British Olympian Frazer Clarke — battling to a draw before producing a devastating first-round knockout in their rematch, breaking ‘Big Fraze’s’ jaw.
Wardley then captured the WBA Interim World title with a dramatic 10th-round stoppage of Justis Huni at his beloved Portman Road, Ipswich FC’s ground, despite trailing on the scorecards.
His ascent continued with an 11th-round stoppage of Joseph Parker – again trailing on points – earning him WBO Interim status that was later elevated to full world championship honours when Usyk declined to defend the belt.
Daniel Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) claimed the WBA “Regular” world title with a knockout of Trevor Bryan in 2022 and defended it against Kevin Lerena before challenging Oleksandr Usyk in Poland in August 2023.
‘Dynamite’ rebounded emphatically with victories over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and Anthony Joshua – all within nine months time – with the Hrgovic win earning IBF Interim status that was later upgraded before his crushing Wembley triumph over Joshua.
In his undisputed rematch with Usyk, he was blasted away in five one-sided rounds, and this will be his first fight back since that third KO defeat of his career 10 months ago.
Running Order
Bakhodir Jalolov vs Agron Smakici
4×3 Heavyweight
Issiah Hamilton-Allen vs Connor Goulding
4×3 Super-welterweight
Bobbi Flood vs Nathan Darby
4×3 Super-welterweight
Fawas Aborode vs Garth Noot
4×3 Super-lightweight
Javokhir Ummataliev vs Damian Drabik
6×3 Super-middleweight
Mike Perez vs Franklin Arinze
8×3 Cruiserweight
Khaleel Majid vs Gavin Gwynne
10×3 Super-lightweight
Liam Cameron vs Bradley Rea
10×3 Light-heavyweight
David Morrell vs Zak Chelli
10×3 Light-heavyweight
Jack Raffery vs Ekow Essuman
10×3 Welterweight
Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois
12×3 WBO world heavyweight championship
Betting Odds
22/25 Wardley
16/1 Draw
11/10 Dubois
Best Odds: Wardley KO/TKO round 12 @25/1
Prediction
Carl Froch: “On paper, it looks 50/50, but in reality, Daniel Dubois is a clear and quite strong favourite. Fabio hasn’t faced such a punch yet. If Dubois enters the ring charged, enjoys the fight, and works to his full potential, he can cause Wardley serious damage and knock him out hard. Possibly even a ‘bad’ knockout.”
Wayne Alexander: “I think this fight is good for British boxing, while Wardley is the champion Daniel Dubois has the more experience. Both can bang, but DDD has shown vulnerability against big hitters that’s why I go for Fabio Wardley in what could be a great shootout.”
More predictionsFacts
Fabio Wardley didn’t start boxing until he was 20. Working for a recruitment agency in London, he signed up for white collar boxing, then remarkably turned pro in 2017 after only four bouts. He scored a knockdown in his very first professional round – a sign of things to come, because he has scored a knockdown in every single one of his 20 pro fights. More Fabio facts
Daniel Dubois begun training at the age of six, when his father took him to the Peacock Boxing Gym in Canning Town. As an amateur, Dan went on to amass a record of 69-6, winning two English schoolboy titles; two Junior ABAs; the CYPs; Tammer Tournament gold; Brandenburg Tournament gold, and boxed for England 12 times, competing in the European Youth Championships twice. More Dubois facts
May 9 is a significant date in history when the first-ever treaty between countries was signed by England and Portugal. The Treaty of Windsor was signed in 1386 to guarantee mutual security of both nations to form an alliance. 640 years later on the same date, there will be no such alliance, as Dubois has already refused to shake hands with Wardley.
The WBO world heavyweight title has been in existence since 1989 and has been held by five British boxers – Herbie Hide (twice); Henry Akinwande; Tyson Fury; Anthony Joshua (twice); Fabio Wardley.
This will be the eighth boxing event held at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester and first-ever world title fight in the new £450million venue, which is the largest indoor arena in the UK with a capacity of 23,500. Many of those filling the arena will fancy a flutter on the night, and readers who top up from a voucher rather than a card can compare the Neosurf bookmakers we have reviewed.
