Neither Daniel Dubois nor Fabio Wardley expect their WBO heavyweight world title fight to be a success.
Dubois, who previously held the IBF title, is determined to regain his world title belt. But he also expects to do it in style.
He vowed that Mr Wardley would not hear the final bell on Saturday. “I’m going to take him out, put him to sleep and take that belt away,” Dubois told Sky Sports News.
“I just fight my way and all I do is cause damage and cause pain. That’s all I’m going to do.”
Although Wardley was not a skilled amateur boxer like Dubois, he had some outstanding victories as a professional, including stopping both Joseph Parker and Justice Houni.
Dubois was equally impressive. He blitzed Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium and delivered two of the best boxing moves of his time against Oleksandr Usyk, but was stopped in each fight.
He said of Wardley, “He was a decent fighter, but I’m going to prove there’s a level to this. But he was decent. I’m not going to take anything away from him.”
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Trainer Shane McGuigan outlines what former fighter Daniel Dubois needs to do to win his WBO world heavyweight title fight against Fabio Wardley.
Dubois added: “You guys just look, I’m going to show up.
“I’m motivated, I’m really motivated. I’m coming back from championships and I’m going to try again, so I’m really motivated.”
Wardley knows Dubois is a formidable challenger. “There will be some difficult moments tonight that we will have to assess,” he told Sky Sports News.
“I’m well aware that I can’t waste any time. From the moment the bell rings, I’m going to run straight across the ring and into the match. So I’ll see if he comes to see me.”
Wardley was promoted from interim titlist to official WBO world champion without ever getting a chance to fight in the ring for the belt he currently holds. The Ipswich man will be hoping to prove himself with a win over Dubois.
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Boxing trainer Gary Logan reveals the key to victory between Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois in Sunday’s WBO heavyweight bout.
“I think hearing that in the ring that night, hearing the belt being handed out and hearing everything announced is just the best moment. I think that’s one of the things I’m missing right now,” he said.
“It’s special. One is because the list of British heavyweight champions is not that long, but an all-British fight (for the heavyweight title) is an even shorter list. There’s a special audience there.”
Wardley wants to continue his run, and if he defeats Dubois, he could potentially target unified champion Usyk.
“Olexandr himself has a fight coming up in a few weeks, so it’s hard not to look ahead and look around, at least thinking about what else might happen. But I tried not to let that distract me Saturday night,” said the WBO champion.
“Then we can look to the future.”
