Daniel Dubois, the IBF World Heavyweight Champion, is looking at his options for his second title defence. The 27-year-old champ is open to facing undefeated British Champion Fabio Wardley.
Dubois got a big upgrade recently. He went from interim to full IBF World Heavyweight Champion after Oleksandr Usyk gave up the belt. Then, he really proved himself with a knockout win over Anthony Joshua.
At first, people thought Dubois might fight Joshua again right away. But Eddie Hearn, Joshua's promoter, said that's not likely. Dubois wants to fight in February, and Joshua needs more time to recover.
The IBF said Dubois can defend his title against any fighter ranked in the top 15. They've also told Agit Kabayel and Martin Bakole to fight each other to see who'll be the mandatory challenger.
Dubois has a few guys he could fight next. There's Zhilei Zhang, Frank Sanchez, Otto Wallin, and Justis Huni. But Fabio Wardley's name has come up too. Wardley just knocked out Frazer Clarke in the first round of their rematch. He's got a perfect record of 18 wins with 17 knockouts and has just made it into the IBF rankings.
In a chat with TalkSPORT, Dubois said he was impressed by Wardley's last fight:
"Wow. It was a good performance. He didn't give [Clarke] a chance to get into it. He took him right out of there."
When asked about fighting Wardley, Dubois sounded ready for anyone:
"Bring them all on now. All these contenders. If it makes sense, they can all get a piece … [The decision] will be everyone's. My dad, the team, Frank Warren and finally for me to get in there and do the business. We'll all sit down and decide what route is the best. What's next. I can't wait for it though. Who's next?"
Dubois feels he's at the top of his game right now:
"I've done the business. I've gone through some good battles in my last three fights and I'm up there now. I need to stay at the world level and continue that run of form. To be the best you have to beat the best, and that's what I've been doing and I'm gonna continue doing that. I'll go down in history and become a legend."
He's feeling confident and ready for anyone:
"Whoever I've got to destroy and take out of there, I'll do it. I'm on form now and my confidence and everything is just right up there. I'm feeling on top of the world. Whoever I've got to destroy and put out of their misery, I'll do it."
Some reports say Wardley might be next up for Dubois. We'll have to wait for the official announcement to know for sure who Dubois will face in his next IBF World Heavyweight Title defence.
