Does Daniel Dubois deserve 'quitter' tag before Fabio Wardley test?

Daniel Dubois has more than just another world title on the line when he faces Fabio Wardley this May at Manchester's Co-op Live.

The former IBF heavyweight kingpin can become a two-time world champion in the glamour division - but he can do more than that.

For the past few years, Dubois has built a sturdy resume, scoring a slew of solid wins capped by his triumph over Anthony Joshua.

But despite that, his opponents know how to get under his skin - or at least the skin of his team - by suggesting he lacks a key asset.

At Wednesday's launch conference, Wardley vowed to make Dubois "quit" in the ring, pointing to the star's past losses as his proof.

It is a reputation that, justly or not, has haunted 'Dynamite' since his first professional reverse, and one that he cannot seem to shake.

Is it a tag that he deserves though? Or is this an epitaph for his career that Dubois is unworthy of thus far? DAZN News investigates.

How did it all begin?

Dubois had built his reputation on the domestic circuit over a busy three years when he reached the end of 2020 as British champion.

His victory over Nathan Gorman a year prior had seen him earn the Lonsdale Belt stripes, and many felt he had more to give as well.

Entering a behind-closed-doors bout in London against former Olympian Joe Joyce, Dubois was the favourite to see off the older man.

Instead, his rival caught him repeatedly across the face, swelling his left eye until one too many blows in the tenth round caught him.

Dubois fell to one knee and failed to beat the count, stunning those at ringside and more watching at home as he seemingly conceded.

The star has refuted the idea furiously since then, but pundits and fans were quick to pile on with their belief that he had quit the bout.

What happened next?

Dubois recovered with a string of brutal knockouts, albeit arguably all against easy fish - Bogdan Dinu, Joe Cusumano, Trevor Bryan.

He took the WBA's secondary title from the latter and defended it against Kevin Lerena in June 2022, setting up Oleksandr Usyk next.

Fresh off his own duology with Anthony Joshua, the Ukrainian took Dubois as his mandatory challenger - and was nearly stunned.

In Wrocław in August 2023, Usyk was dropped by the Briton against the run of play - only for officials to deem it as a low blow instead.

Dubois and his team were incensed, but worse was to come. Usyk rallied and forced him to his knees again in the eighth and ninth round.

Matters were waved off the second time around, though there was less needle around his defeat on this occasion against a worthy winner.

Does Dubois deserve his reputation?

Perhaps Dubois would have shucked his reputation had he not lost to Usyk in a similar fashion the second time around back in July 2025.

Eyeing revenge, and with the IBF belt to his name, the star entered as an underdog but was expected to push his fellow champion further.

Instead, an out-of-sorts Dubois was outclassed over five rounds and seemingly allowed himself to be counted out on his knee yet again.

Though trainer Don Charles threw the towel in before the count could be completed, critics were still keen to draw links to the Joyce loss.

Dubois' team were irked as Wardley and company suggested they would force a fourth stoppage against him on Wednesday in London.

But if 'Dynamite' hopes to shed the reputation he has seemingly earned, then he best ensure he sees the final bell this May in Manchester.

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