Fabio Wardley is set to defend his WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois on May 9 at the Co-op Live Arena. The matchup has generated major interest due to the knockout power of both heavyweights.
Ahead of the highly anticipated bout, Wardley’s former opponent Joseph Parker has shared his prediction and slightly leaned toward Dubois despite previously sharing the ring with Wardley.
Parker fought Wardley in October for the interim WBO heavyweight title, offering a unique perspective on the fight. Wardley stopped Parker in the 11th round to capture the belt before being elevated to full champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title.
Parker admits he underperformed against Wardley
In his recent appearance on ‘Palybook Boxing’, Parker reflected on his own fight with Wardley. The 34-year-old admitted that he never performed to his full ability during the contest.
“I do fancy Dubois,” Parker said. “There’s a few things that happened in my fight with Wardley.”
The kiwi explained that he believes he operated far below his actual level that night.
“I feel like I really underperformed, around 50 or 60 percent of what I could do,” he added.
Parker even suggested that Wardley perhaps missed opportunities to finish the fight earlier.
“I reckon Wardley should’ve knocked me out early on.”
Despite those comments, Parker still acknowledged Wardley’s victory and gave him full credit for the result.
“Listen, he won the fight, I congratulated him,” he said.
Parker believes Dubois’ experience could make a difference against Wardley
Although Parker praised Wardley’s power and success, he sees Dubois bringing a different level of experience and technical foundation into the matchup.
“With Dubois, the boxing background he has, there’s a bit of a difference,” Parker explained.
Dubois entered professional boxing after an extensive amateur career and has already competed in multiple world-level fights. That experience, according to Parker, could become a decisive factor.
The British heavyweight has continued to establish himself as one of the division’s most dangerous punchers despite setbacks in recent years.
Parker gives Dubois the edge in punching power over Wardley
Parker also compared the punching power of both fighters and leaned toward Dubois in that category as well.
“I would say in my opinion Dubois is the bigger puncher,” Parker said.
He still acknowledged Wardley’s ability to score highlight-reel knockouts but believes Dubois carries a different kind of danger.
“Fabio has some great knockouts himself, but there’s something about Dubois, just raw and aggressive,” Parker added.
That aggression has become one of Dubois’ defining traits throughout his career. He has 22 wins, out of which 21 came via knockout. ‘The Dynamite’, combined with his size and power, many believe, remains one of the biggest threats in the heavyweight division.
However, Dubois suffered a setback in his most recent bout against Oleksandr Usyk in July, where he got knocked out in the fifth round.
