FABIO WARDLEY admits Daniel Dubois has already got the better of him in the ring ahead of their world heavyweight title fight.
Wardley defends his WBO belt against Dubois on May 9 in Manchester – live on DAZN PPV.
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Fabio Wardley with Daniel Dubois and Johnny Fisher
But it will not be the first time the pair have shared the squared circle – having sparred each other almost a decade ago.
Wardley at the time was not far removed from his professional debut – which came after just four bouts on the white collar scene.
Dubois meanwhile was an amateur standout, who turned pro on the back of rumours that he rocked Anthony Joshua in sparring.
So Wardley has not problem in conceding that he was bettered in those sessions – but warned he is a totally different beast now.
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He said in their face-to-face: “Yeah, (it was a) long time ago. Seven years, eight years maybe.
“It went well, but in the early days he got the better of me. Yeah, I’ll say that. I’ve got no problem with that whatsoever.”
Dubois shrugged: “He’s come on since then though.”
Wardley added: “We’ve grown a lot since then for both parts.
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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.
Canelo Alvarez will be hoping to return 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 2 – Naoya Inoue vs Junto Nakatani – Undisputed super-bantamweight title – TBC
Sat 2 – Zurdo Ramirez vs David Benavidez – WBA & WBO Cruiserweight titles – Prime Video
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 – 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
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“I’m nowhere near the fighter I was that many years ago and in the fights he’s had, he’s grown and changed and adapted as well.
“Like, you have to stay to stay at the high level of this game, that’s what you have to do.
“But even in them seven/eight years I’ve changed, but not just that, even in the last 23 fights I’ve changed.
“I’ve grown, developed, got better, adjusted, changed, weathered storms, figured it out.
“I’ve gone through milestones and you can watch them from fight to fight to fight, the adjustments I make.
“So all I’m proving is that I’m constantly learning and that I’m constantly getting better.”
Wardley, 31, stunned Joseph Parker, 34, in 11 rounds in October to win the WBO interim title.
It was later elevated to the full championship when Oleksandr Usyk, 39, vacated the belt, proving to be Wardley’s crowning night among many others.
But Dubois, 28, said: “Good fights, good wins, especially the last one, Parker. Top fighters. They’re not me though.”
Wardley has picked perhaps the toughest test out there in Britain for the first defence of his new belt.
But he said: “Whether it be him, Joseph Parker, AJ, Fury, Usyk, whatever, at this level of the game, there’s no easy rides no more.
“There’s no comfy cruise through the wind and have it nice and easy. It’s gonna be a scrap.
“And especially with the way we go at it – yeah there’s gonna be a few cuts, a bit of blood, and all the rest to go with it.”
Wardley facing off with Dubois Credit: PA
