Daniel Dubois earned an 11th-round technical knockout of heavyweight titleholder Fabio Wardley on Saturday at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Dubois, 23-3 (22 KOs), had to get off the canvas twice, including being dropped very early in the first round, to pull out the win. The 28-year-old Dubois bounced back from his previous fight, a fifth-round knockout to Oleksandr Usyk in July. London’s Dubois now holds the WBO heavyweight title and can make a claim for being the world’s best heavyweight not named Usyk. He now has wins over Anthony Joshua, Filip Hrgovic and Jarrell Miller, among others.
Here are the most likely opponents for Dubois’ next fight:
5. Bakhodir Jalolov
Record: 17-0 (15 KOs)
Chances of happening: 5 percent
Level of excitement: 2/10
Jalolov’s pro career has moved at a snail’s pace. He got a stoppage win on the undercard, but it likely didn’t wow anyone. At some point, the two-time Olympic gold medalist Jalolov needs to step up to world-class competition. Because he fought on the same card as Dubois, their timelines for a return match. That makes it a fight that could be visited.
4. Oleksandr Usyk
Record: 24-0 (15 KOs)
Chances of happening: 10 percent
Level of excitement: 1/10
Usyk is the best of his generation, but after his bout against kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, the demand will be that he fights the next era of heavyweights or move on. Fighting Dubois in a trilogy makes little sense now that Usyk is 2-0 in the rivalry (and more or less controlled both meetings). Yet Dubois now holds a title, and Usyk – the former undisputed heavyweight king – could be lured by the opportunity to claw back the one belt he no longer holds.
3. Moses Itauma
Record: 14-0 (12 KOs)
Chances of happening: 12 percent
Level of excitement: 10/10
Itauma is one of the most exciting young fighters in the sport. Riding a 10-fight knockout streak, he might be just shy of being ready for top-tier heavyweights, but a title fight against Dubois would be very intriguing in a number of ways. Each Queensberry fighter is dangerous enough to the other that Frank Warren could be reluctant to risk cannibalizing his own roster.
2. Agit Kabayel
Record: 27-0 (19 KOs)
Chances of happening: 18 percent
Level of excitement: 9/10
Kabayel is a brilliant pressure fighter deserving of a fight against one of the best in the sport. At 33, he needs a world title shot soon to find out where he ranks against the best while still in his prime.
1. Fabio Wardley
Record: 20-1-1 (19 KOs)
Chances of happening: 50 percent
Level of excitement: 9/10
After a great bout, why not revisit it? The fight felt like a heavyweight version of Juan Manuel Marquez versus Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz. (There’s also the matter of Wardley apparently owning a rematch clause, which he would seem likely to invoke.) Although Dubois would be favored in the rematch, it would be an exciting fight to revisit.
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
