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Fabio Wardley not looking past Daniel Dubois with Oleksandr Usyk fight potentially looming
After his 10th-round stoppage win over Joseph Parker back in October to capture the interim WBO heavyweight title, the sentiment was that Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) would take on then-undisputed champion Oleksandr Usyk. Instead, Usyk injured his back and vacated the belt, making Wardley the full titleholder.Ā
Usyk was heavy on Wardley's mind. Taking on the best heavyweight and perhaps boxing's pound-for-pound kingĀ was something he would keep envisioning. The thought evaporated whenĀ he was told his first title defense will be against Daniel Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) on Saturday, May 9 from Co-Op Live in Manchester, England, live on DAZN PPV.Ā
"I did dream about that until a couple of weeks ago until we signed the fight," Wardley told DAZN's Ade Oledipo after Wednesday's press conference. "And then Daniel Dubois (started) popping up in my dreams instead."
"It's too big of a fight. He's too big of a fight. He's too big of an opponent to ignore. It's not like I can run around and say I'm not thinking about him at all because I am."
Wardley-Dubois is a true heavyweight slugfest, and it has significant stakes, especially for Wardley. It's unknown when Usyk will make his 2026 debut. All he's teased is that an announcement is coming in the future.
The 31-year-old Wardley understands a win over his fellow Brit pushes him inches closer to his dream fight to become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.
"Ultimately, it's irrelevant if I don't get through Daniel," Wardley said.
"Don't get me wrong, Oleksandr Usyk is in the back of my mind and how the scene might play out is there. But ultimately, I have a job to do."
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