Fabio Wardley-Daniel Dubois is a shootout. It’s an exciting fight. The heavyweight division has been pretty good during the past few years, and when this matchup was made it had “shootout” written all over it. I can’t see how it doesn’t entertain.

It could even be argued, particularly off the back of Dubois beating Joshua in five rounds in 2024, that this is a better fighter than the one increasingly expected between Tyson Fury and Joshua later in 2026.

Wardley and Dubois both have their vulnerabilities. But they’re in their primes and, with Dubois having lost the IBF title in his past fight and Wardley holding the WBO title, they’re more firmly in the title picture. If Fury or Joshua enter that picture, it’s because of their names.

Wardley fights without fear, and has real punching power, which means that he’ll seek to go and fight in the trenches to land – which makes him exciting and can also be considered a weakness. He’s also unorthodox and unpredictable. But the most impressive thing about him is his never-say-die attitude, which means he’s never lost a fight. When you’re that big a puncher you’re never out of a fight because one big punch can change the momentum or end the fight quickly – in his past two fights he’s won after coming from behind.

I’m not sure that we’re seeing him improve technically after sharing the ring with Justis Huni and Joseph Parker, but we’re certainly seeing him grow in confidence, because he knows he can get through those situations, and I expect that to make him even more fearless against Dubois on Saturday, which he’ll need.

Wardley has also been hurt. He does get hit. His willingness to put himself in harm’s way to win means that, particularly against a puncher like Dubois, he risks being knocked out. I’d long thought he’d be fun to watch but I didn’t expect him to beat Parker, or to become a world champion.

Since losing for the second time to Oleksandr Usyk in July 2025, Dubois has left Don Charles, hired Tony Sims, left Sims and then rehired Charles, all without having a fight confirmed. He’s still searching for himself; he wanted to see if he’d feel more comfortable with someone else, wasn’t comfortable, and returned to where he was. He has things he needs to overcome to realise his potential but he’s got some very good wins on his record.

Physically he’s world class. Psychologically, he can be all over the place. He’s very unpredictable. His decision making in the ring; his willingness, sometimes, to quit, and on others to go through the fire. But that’s partly why he appeals and he’s exciting.

He’s also blessed with real punching power, and is experienced at a high level – more experienced than Wardley. He has an underrated jab and is a pretty good boxer, too. He’s more polished than Wardley – which he’ll need to show, because he’s not as willing to risk a brawl.

His unpredictability is another concern – it’s difficult to know what mindset he’s going to be in. Some fighters would improve after sharing the ring with Usyk but it’s difficult to know whether he has – and the way the second fight with Usyk finished wasn’t a good look.

Wardley has to make this an intense fight. If it’s a shootout either of them can win, but Wardley’s the favourite and likelier to emerge the winner. The faster he starts and the faster he puts doubts into Dubois’ mind, the better chance he has, particularly given Dubois’ last round in a boxing ring came when he surrendered against Usyk.

Dubois has to be smart, and to pick his spots. Instead of looking to exchange, like I expect Wardley to, he’d be better served setting up his power shots and fighting off his jab.

I’ve seen this widely referred to as a 50-50, but I see it as a 55-45 in Wardley’s favour. I expect him to win an exciting shootout within seven rounds.