Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois previewed their bout and went face-to-face at the final press conference. The two fighters square off in an all-British championship showdown on Saturday, May 9, at Co-op Live in Manchester.
Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) of Ipswich, Suffolk, puts his WBO heavyweight title on the line, making the first defense of his belt. The 31-year-old, who originally won the interim title by TKO over Joseph Parker last October, was promoted to full champion after a fight with Oleksandr Usyk did not materialise and the Ukrainian champion vacated the title.
Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) of Greenwich, London, aims to become a two-time world champion. The 28-year-old, who held both IBF and WBA Regular titles, returns after his knockout defeat to Usyk in their rematch last July.
See the photos below from Thursday’s press conference.
Wardley vs Dubois undercard
On the Wardley vs Dubois undercard, Cuba’s former champion David Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs) faces British Zak Chelli (16-3-1, 8 KOs) in a light heavyweight bout.
Manchester native Jack Rafferty (26-0-1, 17 KOs) meets Nottingham-based Ekow Essuman (22-2, 8 KOs) of Botswana in a super lightweight contest.
A heavyweight clash pits Bakhodir Jalolov (16-0, 14 KOs) of Uzbekistan against Agron Smakici (21-3, 19 KOs) of Croatia.
An all-British light heavyweight matchup features Liam Cameron (24-7-1, 10 KOs) taking on Bradley Rea (21-2, 10 KOs).
Additionally, England’s Khaleel Majid (16-0, 4 KOs) battles Gavin Gwynne (18-4-2, 5 KOs) of Wales at super lightweight.