Frank Knows: Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley Preview & Prediction

UK heavyweights Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley meet in a rematch at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday.

Fight fans can follow the main event live from 22:30 BST on DAZN, with the WBO world heavyweight title on the line. The first fight was explosive, producing three knockdowns and an 11th-round stoppage. More fireworks are guaranteed.

Dynamite Dubois snatched the title from Wardley in Manchester five months ago, and is the betting favourite to win again. Will the Londoner deliver? Former professional boxer turned boxing betting analyst Frankie Monkhouse offers his preview and predictions.

Daniel Dubois Stats

Daniel Dubois will enter the ring as the defending champion with a 23-3-0 record as a professional.

The 29-year-old from London has claimed all but one of his victories inside the distance, with each of those three losses also coming by KO/TKO. He’s an all-action, all-or-nothing sort who always comes to fight, and the crowd love him for it.

The only men to defeat Dubois were Joe Joyce by 10th-round TKO, and Oleksandr Usyk by 9th and 5th-round stoppages.

In his last five bouts, Daniel has KO’d Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic, and Anthony Joshua. He was then well beaten by Usyk before playing his part in that thriller with Wardley in May.

Fabio Wardley Stats

Fabio Wardley is a man on a mission. He dropped Dubois twice in their first meeting, including once in the opening round. Despite that fast start, the man from Ipswich lost the fight and his world title.

Following that defeat in Manchester, Fabio’s record now stands at 20 wins, one defeat, and a draw. He has 19 of 20 wins by KO/TKO, including TKO wins over Joseph Parker, Justis Huni, and Frazer Clarke.

We know that Wardley has the power to hurt Dubois, but does he have the staying power to go 12 rounds if required? That’s a question he needs to answer, as the 31-year-old has been over the championship distance only once before.

Dubois v Wardley Betting Odds

With the scene set, I’ll now bring you up to speed on the latest betting odds before settling on my final Dubois v Wardley prediction.

The oddsmakers expect Dubois to win again, pricing him as a 2/7 favourite. That offer is available at many major sportsbooks. Victory for Wardley is deemed less likely, but not impossible. We know anything can happen in heavyweight boxing, and the underdog is 5/2, with a draw even bigger at around 20/1.

There’s more than one way to gamble on professional boxing, with betting apps offering several markets and specials.

The method of victory is my favourite for those seeking higher odds. With this approach, you must predict both the winning fighter and how they’ll win: by points or by stoppage. Both parts of the bet must land.

Dubois by KO/TKO is generally available at 4/7, and that’s sure to be popular with the champion’s fans. A points win for the local lad is yours at 15/4. Another fair call, but I don’t expect these two big-punchers to test the judges.

Prefer to keep your stakes small and back the underdog? Wardley to KO Dubois is 15/4, while the points win in London has been chalked up at 14/1.

You can choose your favourite from the method of victory and add it to Dubois v Wardley Bet Builders, fight night accumulators or stick to singles.

Frank’s Pick

I expect Dubois to repeat the feat and knock out his English rival again. Let’s remember that Dubois KO’d AJ and Hrgovic, two fighters better than Wardley.

He must be smart and avoid another early onslaught, but there’s much more to Dynamite than raw power. He has an excellent jab, experience, ring IQ, and incredible powers of recovery, as we all saw back in May.

The only slight issue with Dubois by KO/TKO is the odds at 4/7. We can do better.

Aiming higher, I advise Dubois to win in rounds 7-12 at 2/1. The same bet landed in two of Daniel’s last four appearances.