Dubois vs Wardley 2: Swinging For The Fences 

This Saturday, live from London at the O2 Arena, Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley engage in a rematch that saw both men hit the deck. If this fight is anything like their first meeting, it promises to be explosive. Can Fabio make the necessary adjustments to win the second go around? Will Daniel be quicker with the stoppage this time? These questions and more will be answered on Saturday for this event, which will be live-streamed on DAZN PPV or part of the DAZN Ultimate subscription.

Each time Daniel Dubois lost, it was by knockout. One was by Joe Joyce, and the other two were by the lineal heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk. However, 23 of his wins have been by stoppage, so it seems unlikely we’ll see a distance fight on Saturday. His opponent is heavy-handed as well; Fabio did drop Dubois twice. Even though Dubois has been stopped 3 times, he still has recuperative skills and, overall, a good set of whiskers to recover and stop his foes.

Fabio Wardley got off to a great start back in May only to gas out and eventually crumble. His nose was bleeding badly, and he clearly looked exhausted, but to his credit, he kept fighting back. Wardley made it a quick night the last time he faced Frazer Clarke in a rematch. Is the first and third round, along with other parts of a round where Wardley found success, a fluke, or is it something he can build on?

Stamina is a good place to start because it goes hand and hand with Fabio’s fighting style. It should be noted that both men looked tired it wasn’t just Wardley. That said, when a fighter loads up on punches it makes them tired at some point. If that fighter misses far too many punches, it compounds the problem. This will be the key to winning the fight for Wardley, who must not throw every punch like it’s his last.

Pacing and setting up big shots instead of swinging for the fences every time, Wardley must mix his punch-selection with short hooks to the head and body. Uppercuts and a jab are needed instead of always trying to win exchanges. For Dubois, he must rinse and repeat much of what he did in the first fight. Daniel showed his experience in big fights when he made the decision to drop to a knee instead of taking more damage in the third round. Dubois kept his composure and eventually was able to measure Wardley, ultimately landing the cleaner punches during their many exchanges.

Don’t get me wrong, Wardley has a good chance of winning, but this boxing podcaster doesn’t trust Fabio will be able to stay disciplined throughout the whole fight. Expect Fabio to fight more responsibly in the early goings, but once he gets hit flush, there’s no doubt he will throw caution to the wind. Wardley is an underdog anywhere from +239 all the way up +340. Dubois by knockout is –220 and +440 by decision. Wardley by knockout is +380 and +1700 by decision.

My Official Prediction is Daniel Dubois by knockout. 

PODCAST LINK: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rope-a-dope-radio-podcast/id1794655742?i=1000796579718

Side Note: Other bouts to keep an eye on are Jalolov vs. Dacres, Figueroa vs Kameda, Resendiz vs Mazoudier, Pauldo vs Tellez, and Fundora vs. Hadrbeaj.

Written by Chris Carlson Host/Producer of The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, Amazon Podcasts, Tunein, Deezer, Podchaser, Castbox  & More! Follow on Twitter @RopeADopeRadio