ByKal SajadBBC Sport at Dutch Hall, London<\/p>\n
Daniel Dubois refused a fist bump from world champion Fabio Wardley as the pair came face-to-face at a lively news conference in London.<\/a><\/p>\n The world title fight between two of Britain's biggest punchers takes place at Manchester's Co-op Live Arena on 9 May.<\/p>\n After some long-winded bickering between the two camps, the fighters – relatively restrained until that point – finally sparked into life.<\/p>\n Wardley said he would "flatten" the challenger. "My power is proven. If there's time left on the clock, I'm taking you out of the fight," he added.<\/p>\n The 31-year-old – with 19 stoppages in 20 wins – will make the first defence of his WBO crown, having claimed the 'interim' title against Joseph Parker before being upgraded to full champion when Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt.<\/p>\n Former IBF champion Dubois, 28, is coming off a devastating knockout loss to generational great Usyk last summer. <\/p>\n "If you look back, when it gets dicey, he's not up for it," Wardley said of Dubois, who has faced accusations of folding too easily in his three stoppage defeats.<\/p>\n Wednesday's news conference took place at Dutch Hall, a converted 16th-century church tucked away in the heart of the city.<\/p>\n Dubois – never one for lengthy monologues – kept his answers short and matter of fact. <\/p>\n But the Londoner was clear in his intention. "Victory by knockout, by any means necessary," he said.<\/p>\n When the fighters eventually stepped forward for the obligatory face-off, Dubois looked away first as Wardley smirked.<\/p>\n Moments later Wardley extended his fist in a gesture of respect, but Dubois shook his head and refused to engage.<\/p>\n What information do we collect from this quiz?<\/a><\/p>\n Before the face-off drama, a twitchy, stone-faced Dubois glanced around at the stained-glass windows as the managers went toe-to-toe backing their men.<\/p>\n Dubois' representative Sam Jones predicted his fighter would "flatten" Ipswich's Wardley in quick time. <\/p>\n Wardley's manager Michael Ofo responded in kind, saying Wardley would "destroy Daniel Dubois early".<\/p>\n The back-and-forth rumbled on, Wardley grinning as the volume increased. <\/p>\n Ofo referenced Dubois' team and the recent changes in his training set-up. After the loss to Usyk, Dubois – who has worked with five trainers in his pro career – briefly parted ways with coach Don Charles before swiftly reversing the decision.<\/p>\n "It's going to be hard for Daniel to overcome all the things going on in his camp," Ofo said. <\/p>\n "The only person over there should be Stan [Dubois' father] because we know he makes all the decisions."<\/p>\n Charles responded that "talk is cheap" before launching into his own war of words.<\/p>\n After all that verbal sparring, promoter Frank Warren restored a little order. <\/p>\n "The winner of this will be fighting in a big stadium fight," the Queensberry boss said. <\/p>\n "But to get there, they have to lace them up and we'll see who is the best on the night.<\/p>\n "Both camps are passionate about their fighters, so it has all the ingredients of an amazing event."<\/p>\n You are never going to get a stream of soundbites from Dubois, but he usually gives you one moment. Before facing Anthony Joshua in September 2024, he famously banged the table<\/a> with his fist. <\/p>\n This time, he kept that same fist to himself – and that made just as many headlines.<\/p>\n He does not appear to relish the media spotlight and that was evident again. He looked reluctant during press duties before the news conference. <\/p>\n Wardley, meanwhile, is entirely at ease with the limelight and happy to trade lines.<\/p>\n When the news conference started, there was more needle than many expected.<\/p>\n But strip all that away and this is a proper heavyweight fight. Credit to Wardley for selecting a high-risk opponent for his first defence. Credit to Dubois for swerving the easy payday after such a destructive loss to Usyk.<\/p>\n In just over 10 weeks, it will not be the managers talking but two heavyweight punchers in the ring, each boasting knockout ratios of 95%. <\/p>\nVerbal sparring between the two camps<\/h2>\n
Dubois' fist makes headlines again – analysis<\/h2>\n
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