“Daniel Dubois all day long,” said former WBA heavyweight and unified cruiserweight champion David Haye, asked who he would have rather fought from this Saturday’s main event, between WBO champion Fabio Wardley and Dubois.
“I’d much prefer to fight Daniel Dubois. You know what he’s going to do. You can see what he’s doing. Rarely does he throw punches off the angles. He’s quite predictable in his approach. You know he’s coming forward. You know he’s double jabbing. You know he’s throwing a one-two left hook. You can see what he does. I’d much prefer that.”
Dubois has reconciled with trainer Don Charles after a spell with Tony Sims, and is coming off a stoppage loss in a rematch to Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium last summer.
In Manchester, Dubois gets another title fight, this time against Wardley, who is riding high following big stoppage wins over Frazer Clarke, Justis Huni and Joseph Parker.
“Fabio Wardley would be a nightmare. He looks really awkward,” Haye surmised.
“And if you’re lucky enough to tag him, you don’t really bother him. He’s got that winnability factor where and when you’ve got him most hurt is when he’s most dangerous. If you manage to land two or three big shots on him, you think in the world of boxing, just keep landing. But I’ve seen people have that game plan for him and somehow he’s still there.
“His engine tank doesn’t deplete and he seems to get more powerful the more you hit him, [that] is the weird thing. I think the way to beat someone like Fabio Wardley is not to try to knock him out and just try to win seven of the rounds. [Win] seven of the rounds and stay away from trouble and out boxing. The same way Huni did, keep it clean, sharp, move your feet in and out, one, two, three, just keep turning, clinching him, win an ugly fight. That would be the smart way to beat Wardley. But Daniel Dubois isn’t that type of boxer or type of character.
“Sometimes you can get drunk on your own success. And someone like Fabio Wardley relies on you getting confident, overconfident, getting comfortable landing your best shots, because somehow he’s got – and I hate using the term granite chin, no one’s got a granite chin – but on a scale to granite chins to proper chinny, he’s as close to granite chin as you’re going to get as he’s taken some absolute monster shots. And he’s straight away after he takes it, he then turns up the pace. I remember Joseph Parker landing an absolute cracking combination on him. And then he just comes back, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And I’m thinking, ‘Calm down.’”
When Haye calls Wardley’s style “uncultured” he does so in describing one of the champion’s assets. He also thinks Wardley’s famed lack of amateur pedigree could be considered an advantage, adding to the irregularity of his output while giving his opponents a false sense of security, that they are better and more cultured than he is.
“And I think anyone who tries to knock out Wardley ends up overexposing their hand and giving too much or using too much of the gas tank because he’s just one of those guys that… don’t try and knock him out. If you knock him out, it will happen naturally. But trying to put a sustained assault together, three or four, five punches, step to side… you’ll land them, most of them. But so what, you know, you’ve gassed out and he’s there now, now he has his turn. He’s one of those unique individuals who’s just teak tough and he’s got a very awkward style, very, it’s not a very cultured style, but that works in his favor.”
Haye feels that Wardley’s unpredictability is harder to contain than Dubois’ heavy-handed but routine format.
“He’s on the step in with a double jab, right hand, left hook, right hook, right hand and hope there’s damage done.
Wardley, on the other hand, “throws punches in weird and awkward sequences.”
Wardley has also shown that he is prepared to dig deep. Dubois had to do that against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic, but Haye thinks plenty will always question Dubois’ tenacity.
“There’ll always be a question mark with anyone who seemingly throws a towel in on themselves,” Haye said, referring to Dubois’ losses to Usyk and Joe Joyce.
“Boxing fans are so bloodthirsty. They want to see someone willing to die. Only after I fought on one leg against Tony Bellew, people go, ‘In actual fact, I never liked you, but the way you fought on one leg and got bashed up for another five rounds, I like you now. I can finally endorse you as someone I actually like.’ So, okay. Boxing fans want to see you close to death before they can actually see that. So Dubois a couple of times, looked like he could have got back up… Until he ends up snapping Achilles and fighting on one leg or something crazy like that, the hate is always going to hate. And the people who are sitting in their armchairs with fat guts eating [potato chips], they’re the people saying that he’s got no heart. But I think off the strength of that negativity, he [Dubois] would have heard it. He would have felt it. I definitely think if there’s an opportunity to continue going, he’s not going to be taking a knee anytime soon.”
David Haye was speaking ahead of his exclusive appearance at Paddy’s Sportsbook at The Hippodrome Casino for the all-British Heavyweight World Title clash Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois on May 9.
