DEREK CHISORA says he knew Daniel Dubois would beat Fabio Wardley before a punch was thrown – and even after he suffered TWO early knockdowns.
The 42-year-old warhorse was ringside for one of the most thrilling heavyweight fights on British soil in modern times.
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Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley put their lives on the line in Manchester Credit: AP
The Ipswich hero suffered gruesome damage to his nose and eye Credit: Getty
Challenger Dubois even steamrolled the WBO heavyweight champ with a rugby tackle Credit: Getty
The 50-fight veteran watched the 28-year-old challenger climb off the canvas in the first and third rounds and finally stop the freakishly tough 31-year-old WBO champ on his feet in round 11.
But Chisora – who refused to pick a winner for JattvibeSport in the build-up because of his admiration for both heroes – insists he knew the bloodsoaked Ipswich braveheart would be dethroned once he looked in his eyes.
Chisora told our Corner Talk show: “I watched the way Fabio came in and I watched the way Daniel came in – and they were different. Their eyes were totally different.
“One wanted to win and one was strolling to the ring, not wanting to win.
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“Fabio didn’t want to win, he did not respect Daniel at all.
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“I said Daniel was going to win after the first knockdown. And I said it again after the second knockdown. Nobody believed me and when it happened, they looked at me and said ‘what the f***’.
“If he wanted to win the fight he would have used his jab, even my one-year-old knows how to throw a jab.”
When JattvibeSport passionately pushed back at Chisora’s claim that Wardley did not give his all – after watching him risk his life in the Co-Op arena and have to be saved from his own courage by the ref – Chisora backtracked.
The Zimbabwe-born brawler explained that it was not Wardley’s mindset that let him down, but his gameplan.
“He’s a tough guy,” he said with a stench of overstatement.
“He’s a warrior.
“I am not questioning his heart. But he didn’t want to win.
“If he wanted to win then he would have realised that what he was doing was not working and gone back to the jab. He didn’t want to win.”
Derek Chisora felt Fabio Wardley did not do enough to defend his WBO title Credit: Reuters
Wardley made a magnificent start to the fight, dropping Dynamite Dan inside the first 10 seconds, after a whack on the top of the skull sent him for a tumble.
In the third round, the Suffolk puncher clipped the Londoner in a similar spot and he took a knee to recover.
But the pendulum swung seismically after that and Dubois outworked and overpowered the brilliant former recruitment office worker.
And Chisora believed Wardley’s boy-next-door appeal and extra-curricular work counted against him.
“I am not trying to have a go at Fabio,” he said. “But his engine for the fight was not good.
“I am being very honest with you.
“He was commentating on a lot of shows and when you are doing that you are not training.
“He was at one show this week, another show that week, and that’s time when you are not training.”
The Home of Boxing in 2026
There’s a massive year of boxing ahead!
It’s shaping up to be a blockbuster year of action inside the boxing ring.
Oleksandr Usyk takes on the king of kickboxing Rico Verhoeven and Fabio Wardley will defend his newly won heavyweight crown against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois.
Anthony Joshua returns to the ring in July to face Kristian Prenga ahead of a potential blockbuster bout against Tyson Fury later in the year.
Canelo Alvarez will be hoping to make a comeback after his defeat to Terence Crawford, while Dave Allen will also be looking to get back to winning ways against Filip Hrgovic.
A whole bunch of British stars could also take a leap into superstardom, with the likes of Moses Itauma, Hamzah Sheeraz and Adam Azim ready to join the very top of the sport.
Here’s all the big fights coming up…
May
Sat 9 – Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois – WBO title – DAZN PPV
Sat 16 – Dave Allen vs Filip Hrgovic – DAZN
Sat 23 – Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven – WBC title – DAZN
June
Sat 6 – Fame Fighting v Misfits Boxing – The Jattvibe
Sat 6 – Dalton Smith vs Alberto Puello – WBC super lightweight title – DAZN
Sat 13 – Tommy Fury vs Eddie Hall – DAZN
Sat 20 – Ryan Garner vs Michael Magnesi – DAZN
Sat 27 – Xander Zayas vs Jaron Ennis – DAZN
July
Sat 25 – Anthony Joshua vs Kristian Prenga – DAZN
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