Fabio Wardley could be racing against time to stop Daniel Dubois in Saturday’s rematch, with his damaged nose threatening to undermine his attempt to reclaim the WBO heavyweight title.
Wardley dropped Dubois twice in the first three rounds of their May fight, proving he has the power to hurt him. He couldn’t finish the job, and Dubois’ sustained attack left him with a badly cut nose and a swollen right eye before the 11th-round stoppage.
That makes another prolonged fight a concern. Paul Smith raised the possibility of Wardley’s nose reopening after seeing him in talkSPORT’s studio this week. Simon Jordan also questioned how well it had healed, predicting an early cut. Neither view establishes what will happen on Saturday, but the first fight showed how damaging Dubois’ punches can be.
Trying to out-jab Dubois looks a difficult route for Wardley. He hasn’t shown the same powerful, ramrod jab, and following Oleksandr Usyk’s approach requires more than putting combinations together.
Usyk’s movement allowed him to step into range, land, and get away before Dubois could respond. Wardley hasn’t demonstrated that same footwork. Throwing combinations while remaining in front of Dubois would give the champion opportunities to answer.
Wardley is intelligent, though, and five months may have given him time to make meaningful changes. He doesn’t need to reproduce everything Usyk does. Moving after punching and changing angles could reduce the punishment and buy him more time to find an opening.
His clearest opportunity remains Dubois’ vulnerability when caught clean. Those two early knockdowns give Wardley a reason to believe he can end the fight before cuts or swelling restrict his vision. Chasing that finish recklessly would also expose him to the punches he needs to avoid.
Smith would accept Wardley walking away afterward.
“I’d have no problem with him if he didn’t want to fight again after this,” he told talkBOXING.
Wardley hasn’t announced retirement plans. His immediate challenge is finding a way to finish Dubois—or showing enough tactical improvement to keep that clock from running out.