The place not promised: Wardley-Dubois can seize hype mantle in Fury-Joshua absence

It is Christmas Day 2025. Anthony Joshua is winding down from his return the ring, having dispatch Jake Paul in Miami to shake off the ring rust.

The Briton is likely looking forward to the new year, and another probable bid to become a three-time world champion - but also, something more.

Tyson Fury remains retired, but everybody and their dog seems to know that it will not be for long. 'The Gypsy King' has been making big waves.

Expectations are high that 2026 will finally serve up what fans have been chasing for a decade, an encounter that has been years in the making.

The Ring

Fast-forward two months, and the landscape of the heavyweight division paints quite a different picture. Fury is back, but Joshua is gone for now.

The tragedy that struck the London 2012 favourite in Nigeria just before the new year has, understandably so, pulled him away from other concerns.

What was anticipated to be the biggest British bout of a generation is firmly on the back-burner. But now, something else has come to fill the gap.

Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois may not hold the public profile and professional calibre of their fellow countrymen, relative novices in comparison.

But in May, when they battle for the WBO world heavyweight championship in Manchester, they will do more than just add to a storied chapter.

At Co-op Live, they have the chance to steal the hype mantle from their elders - and confirm their status as Britain's premier heavyweight stars.

Sea change no longer on the horizon

The Fury-Joshua saga has rumbled on for an age, of course. Two contrasting heavyweights, from opposite ends of the country, on contrasting paths.

Sustained absences and various retirements by the former, often to deal with mental-health issues, have stymied multiple attempts to broker a clash.

Then, when both parties have got to the table, there's always been a wrinkle or two. Belts, money, mandatory challengers, other interest - you name it.

In a way, it has only helped feed the machine. Few would argue that Joshua and Fury are now past their primes years, superstars with a faded shine.

The former's shock loss to Andy Ruiz Jr. at the proverbial peak of his powers chipped his armour. 2024's brutal loss to Dubois cracked the fissures wide.

Fury, on the other hand, has only those two reverses against Oleksandr Usyk on his record. But at the same time, his advancing years raise questions.

2026 truly did feel like the now-or-never moment for this bout to be made - and of course, it may yet still materialise for the pair, depending on factors.

Here however, Wardley and Dubois can draw a theoretical line beneath them, and announce the start of a new era for the British heavyweight scene.

A sea change isn't just coming - it's already here. Witness how Moses Itauma turned over Dillian Whyte last year, a one-round dismissal of authority.

Or perhaps see how Derek Chisora, reportedly offered a third world title shot in a possible farewell bout, seemingly turned down a shot at Wardley.

Ready to seize the limelight

If there is a drawback for the younger generation of upstarts, it is that their bank power isn't quite up to the level of the era's biggest superstars yet.

Manchester's Co-op Live is the biggest arena in the country, a fine venue to hold championship boxing. But it is no stadium in the capital either.

Frank Warren and Queensberry Promotions have booked shrewdly, yet there is a lingering sense that another name might have moved it outdoors.

Take a Fury, a Joshua, an Usyk, and a world title fight fills a Premier League ground, perhaps pushes the limits of a Wembley Stadium booking too.

(Getty Images)

You don't always need that to sell though. Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn shifted Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - twice - with only pride on the line.

If Wardley and Dubois deliver a dozen rounds of pure spectacle that's too close to call, they could find that a rematch in September might follow suit.

Plans will depend on challengers of course - and the looming spectre of Usyk, bidding to reunite the belts, will be a factor in the whole song-and-dance.

For now however, these two young men have been handed the opportunity of a lifetime to redraw the glamour division's battle lines on a major stage.

Here's hoping Wardley and Dubois seize the limelight - and make 2026 the year they truly stepped out of the shadows of Fury and Joshua in the eyes of the world.

Sign up to DAZN Ultimate Tier to get PPV's included in your subscription 

Subscribe to DAZN's new Ultimate Tier to get a minimum of 12 PPV events included per year, including Barrois vs Garcia, on top of another 185 fight nights. Plus Serie A football, watch on multiple devices, and many more extra benefits.

Sign up for £22.99 in the UK / $44.99 in the U.S. More details here .