WBO heavyweight champion Fabio Wardley makes the first defense of his title against former IBF titleholder Daniel Dubois on Saturday, May 9, at Co-op Live Arena in Manchester. The 12-round all-British main event is promoted by Queensberry Promotions and broadcast on DAZN pay-per-view, with the card billed as “Don’t Blink.”

The card is expected to begin around 5 p.m. BST, with main-event ring walks scheduled for approximately 10 p.m. BST (5 p.m. ET).

How They Got Here

Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) was elevated to full WBO champion in November 2025 after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt rather than face him as mandatory challenger. The 31-year-old from Ipswich earned that position with an 11th-round stoppage of Joseph Parker at the O2 Arena in October 2025, a result that gave him the WBO interim title before the upgrade.

The Parker fight was Wardley’s second straight win at the world level, following a 10th-round knockout of Justis Huni at Portman Road in June 2024 for the WBA interim title. Wardley turned professional in 2017 after a background in white-collar boxing and won the English heavyweight title in 2020.

Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) returns for his first fight since being stopped in five rounds by Usyk at Wembley Stadium in July 2025, a defeat that cost him the IBF title. Before that loss, the 28-year-old had rebuilt his career with a fifth-round knockout of Anthony Joshua in front of 96,000 fans at Wembley in September 2024, along with stoppage wins over Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic.

Frank Warren and the Stakes

Both fighters are signed to Queensberry, and promoter Frank Warren has positioned the winner for a unification with Usyk later in 2026. Usyk currently holds the WBC, WBA Super, and IBF titles and defends the WBC against Rico Verhoeven on May 23 at the Pyramids of Giza. Moses Itauma, the WBO’s number one contender, also sits in line for the winner.

For broader context on where this fight fits in the heavyweight title picture, see our heavyweight road map for 2026.

Styles and Recent Form

Both fighters carry heavy knockout ratios. Wardley has stopped 19 of his 21 opponents, with his only blemish a draw against Frazer Clarke in March 2024 that he avenged inside a round in Riyadh that October. Dubois has finished 21 of his 22 wins inside the distance.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Wardley said he expects an early exchange and intends to engage from the opening bell.

Undercard

The supporting card was reshuffled in the weeks before fight night. Jared Anderson withdrew from a scheduled bout with Solomon Dacres because of a bicep injury, prompting Warren to add two heavyweight and light-heavyweight fights as replacements.

The new co-feature pairs former WBA super middleweight titleholder David Morrell (12-1, 9 KOs) with English light heavyweight champion Zak Chelli (16-3-1, 8 KOs) over 10 rounds at a 187-pound catchweight. Morrell, ranked No. 1 by the WBO at 175, was originally slated to face Callum Smith earlier this spring before Smith withdrew injured. The fight marks Morrell’s UK debut. Chelli stepped in after his team publicly campaigned for the slot.

Two-time Olympic gold medalist Bakhodir Jalolov (16-0, 14 KOs) of Uzbekistan returns against Agron Smakici in a 10-round heavyweight bout, his first fight since signing with Queensberry.

The remainder of the card, per the listed lineup:

  • Jack Rafferty vs. Ekow Essuman, 10 rounds, junior welterweight
  • Liam Cameron vs. Bradley Rea, 10 rounds, light heavyweight
  • Khaleel Majid vs. Gavin Gwynne, 10 rounds, junior welterweight
  • Bobbi Flood vs. Nathan Darby
  • Issiah Hamilton-Allen vs. Connor Goulding

Broadcast Details

The card streams in the United Kingdom on DAZN pay-per-view, with U.S. distribution also on DAZN. Queensberry has scheduled fight-week events at the Great Northern Amphitheatre in Manchester on Wednesday, May 6, ahead of the public weigh-in.