Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois

I watched Dubois from ringside early in his career and thought I was watching a potential world heavyweight champion. The defeat to Joe Joyce didn’t change anything for me because a broken eye socket, triple vision, and the possibility of going blind whilst facing what was, back then, a wrecking machine seemed a good reason to retire from the fight. But the first Usyk vs Dubois bout showed a genuine weakness. Mentally, Dubois can go through a tough fight, such as the Filip Hrgovic or Jarrell Miller brawls, but there comes a point where he gives up against an opponent who can deal with his power and come back stronger. Wardley does not understand the concept of giving up; in fact, he has the polar opposite mental disposition under those circumstances, he looks for a way to knockout his opponent. This has to be one of the best heavyweight matchups in years. It should be a high-octane shootout in the early going. Can Wardley cope with Dubois’s undeniable power? What if Wardley catches Dubois early like he did Frazer Clarke in their second meeting? But what happens if they get past the first half of the contest? This is what I think will happen. Plenty of fireworks in the first half, and then Wardley will gradually impose his will on Dubois before stopping him.