Derek Chisora says Fabio Wardley should fight Daniel Dubois next, not undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Wardley’s Golden Ticket
Chisora states that Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) can’t beat Usyk. He prefers that he face the recently knocked out Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs), whom Usyk stopped in the fifth round on July 19, 2025. Derek isn’t thinking clearly. Why on Earth would Wardley fight Dubois at his lowest career point when he just earned a world title shot against the King of the division, Usyk?
Wardley earned a title shot against Usyk by scoring an 11th-round TKO win over WBO interim heavyweight champion Joseph Parker (36-4, 24 KOs) last Saturday night, on October 25 at the O2 Arena in London. The victory made Wardley the new WBO mandatory challenger for Usyk’s title.
The money that Wardley would get fighting Usyk would greatly surpass what he could get fighting Dubois, provided Turki Alalshikh is involved. Without his involvement, the money would obviously be far lower for a Usyk-Wardley without Riyadh Season’s participation.
“I knew this kid was as tough as nails. When I spar him and I hit him, he keeps coming back,” said Derek Chisora to BoxNation, reacting to Fabio Wardley’s knockout victory over Joseph Parker. “No, he won’t beat Usyk. Have a fight with Daniel [Dubois].”
Olly Campbell’s Reality Check
Chisora’s advice for Fabio Wardley to avoid Usyk in favor of Dubois at his lowest point sounds wacky. What person would trade in their golden ticket for a potential payday of $30-$60 million to face a market with no value?
Now is the time for Wardley to rake in the millions to fill his bank account with money that he could only dream of earlier in his career. Derek’s comment about him not taking advantage of his opportunity sounds insane.
Chisora has been in the game too long for him not to be able to come up with a cogent argument for why it’s beneficial for Wardley to pass up a giant payday against Usyk in favor of a fight against the down-and-out Dubois. That sounds like a brainless suggestion.
“Derek is a stupid guy. Why would he fight Daniel Dubois instead of Usyk?” said Dillian Whyte. “Derek doesn’t use his brain. That’s why he’s a donkey.”
“19 fights with 18 KOs, what was he thinking?” said John Fury to iFL TV, second-guessing Joseph Parker’s decision to fight Fabio Wardley. “It was a pathetic move. The big money isn’t going to come now, and he ain’t got money for that.”
