Tony Bellew’s verdict on Wardley ‘dangerous’ against Dubois: “He’ll show he’s better”

The world heavyweight thriller between champion Fabio Wardley and challenger Daniel Dubois is very close. Ahead of the fight, Tony Bellew has weighed in on his verdict.

Wardley promised fans a high profile first defense after he was promoted from interim to full champion due to Oleksandr Usyk vacating the belt. He has achieved that by accepting the challenge of Dubois, who poses one of the biggest risks in the division despite a loss to Ukraine.

Speaking on First Round TV, former world champion Bellew rejected the idea that the more educated challenger is the fuller package, saying Wardley Ipswich has more in his arsenal and backing him to prove it on the night.

“Great fight … People keep saying this thing that Daniel Dubois is a better boxer than Fabio Wardley, I don’t think he is. I think Fabio has more strings to his bow. I think there are more things he can do. I think his defense is better.

“Don’t get me wrong, the one thing Daniel can do better is if he goes for aggression and pure power, then of course I think Daniel is more skilled in that department. But, as an overall fighter, I think Fabio is better and I think he will show it on the night.”

In terms of strategy, Bellew outlined how he would tackle Dubois, who stopped Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua in 2024.

“Daniel Dubois is a confidence fighter. The more confident he is, the better he is. If you can take that confidence back within the first round – stiff jabs, make him question himself, put him on him in short spots. Don’t exchange with him within the first round or two. I’ll shoot from quite a distance with the jab and look to nail him when he questions himself by the end of the two.

On the power debate, Bellew Wardley warned that Dubois is dangerous early.

“I think Daniel Dubois could hit harder with the same shot, but I think Fabio carries his power better and he definitely carries it later.

“He’s quite predictable Daniel and he’s easy to hit, so you’ve got to take advantage. But, like I said before, the other side of that coin is that he’s very, very dangerous when he lands. Especially in the early rounds. You’ve got to take that away.”

The fight will take place at Co-op Live in Manchester on May 9.