Exclusive: Wardley vs Dubois is close with preferred date and venue revealed

Fabio Wardley’s first defence is set to be against Daniel Dubois, with DAZN News understanding May 9 is the preferred date for the WBO heavyweight title fight. 

Wardley enjoyed a stellar 2025 as he stopped Justis Huni and Joseph Parker before being upgraded to full champion at the end of the year. 

Since winning the title, Wardley has been linked to several fights including showdowns with Oleksandr Usyk and Derek Chisora, but it now looks like he will face Dubois, who is looking to bounce back from a loss to Usyk last July. 

Then, Dubois was defending his IBF strap, but he was stopped inside a packed Wembley Stadium as he had no answer to Usyk’s constant attacks. 

Sources close to DAZN News have informed us that the fight is ‘80%’ done and if it goes ahead, it will take place at either London’s O2 Arena, the same venue where Wardley stopped Parker last October, or in Manchester.

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