Daniel Dubois bringing up past sparring with Fabio Wardley shifts the focus to their former familiarity rather than their current positions. Wardley enters the May 8 fight in Manchester as WBO heavyweight champion, with Dubois challenging for the belt, and that reversal explains why those gym sessions in the build-up have resurfaced.
Wardley became champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title and chose Dubois for his voluntary defense. It is a demanding first outing as a title holder against a fighter who has already held a world belt. Dubois has competed at the top level and remains one of the heavier punchers in the division, so the risk is clear despite the voluntary status.
Dubois told talkSPORT he “dominated him at the time” when they shared rounds “years ago”, although he also said that Wardley had “so much happened since then” and described the upcoming fight as “a different story now”. He didn’t attach a date, gym or specific camp to those sessions, other than to say they took place a few years ago.
Since then, Dubois has seen both sides of major battles. He won the IBF heavyweight title and later suffered two defeats, most recently inside five rounds against Usyk at Wembley last July. That record frames his return to another title event.
Instead of taking an interim match, Dubois moves straight into this contest. The choice puts him under title pressure again against an undefeated champion who has steadily progressed.
Gym rounds serve preparation. A title fight requires execution over scheduled rounds with official scoring in place.
Dubois also reunited with trainer Don Charles. They won a world title together and later lost it in a defense, and this fight continues that working relationship on the same stage.
The sparring belongs to their past. What happens in Manchester will decide where each of them stand now.
Click here to subscribe to our FREE newsletter
Related Boxing News:
Last updated on 02/28/2026 at 18:24
