Former heavyweight titleholder Joseph Parker believes the WBO belt will change hands on May 9 in Manchester. The New Zealand veteran is clearly backing Daniel Dubois in his showdown with reigning champion Fabio Wardley.
Joseph Parker is picking Daniel Dubois to take the WBO heavyweight title from Fabio Wardley when they meet May 9 in Manchester. The former champion made it clear he sees a major gap between the defending titleholder and the kind of pressure Dubois brings, adding another strong voice to a fight that already carries major consequences for the division.
For the heavyweight landscape, this is more than a title defense. If Wardley wins, he strengthens his case as a legitimate new player in a division still crowded with bigger names and bigger résumés. If Dubois gets the job done, he reasserts himself as one of the most dangerous finishers in the sport and puts himself right back into the mix for the biggest fights available.
“I’m taking Dubois. In my fight with Wardley, a few things happened that showed Fabio still isn’t ready for that level. I was operating at about 50 to 60 percent of what I can do, and even then he should have knocked me out much earlier. Yes, he won the fight, and I congratulated him. But with Dubois, it’ll be completely different,” Parker said.
Parker’s read on the matchup centers on power and temperament. “Daniel is the heavier puncher. Fabio has some flashy knockouts too, but Dubois is just raw and extremely aggressive. His boxing experience in fights like this will play a big role,” he added.
That framing lines up with how many American fans view Dubois: dangerous, imperfect, but always one punch away from changing a fight. Wardley, meanwhile, still has something to prove outside the UK bubble. A win over a recognizable, heavy-handed opponent like Dubois would resonate far more with U.S. media and fans than another domestic statement victory.
Manchester should give the fight the right atmosphere for that kind of test. It’s the kind of boxing city that rewards pressure fighters, and if Dubois starts fast, the crowd could get pulled into exactly the kind of tense, high-contact fight Parker seems to expect. On May 9, the early exchanges may tell the whole story.
