FLASH NEWS: FABIO WARDLEY VS DUBOIS ODDS TIGHTEN AS NEGOTIATIONS REACH FINAL STAGES
Fabio Wardley is set to defend his new WBO heavyweight title against Daniel Dubois on May 9. Get the latest negotiation updates.
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Every day, it looks more likely that Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois will face off in the ring.
Wardley just got bumped up to full WBO heavyweight world champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the belt, and now he’s hunting for his first title defence. Derek Chisora was in the mix, but he’s out—he’s lined up a fight with Deontay Wilder in April.
Last week, word got out that Wardley’s camp is talking with Dubois’ team about setting up a big all-British clash. Dubois, still hungry after losing his rematch to Usyk, has been pretty vocal—he wants this fight, no question.
DAZN says things are moving the right way. Negotiations are rolling, and everyone seems focused on sealing the deal for sometime around mid-year. The date organisers are eyeing right now is May 9, with London’s O2 Arena as the venue.
If it happens there, it’ll be Wardley’s second straight fight at the O2—he beat Joseph Parker in that same arena last October. Some had floated the idea of a bigger stadium, like Tottenham Hotspur’s, but the plan is clearly for a more intimate setting.
Wardley vs Dubois is exactly the kind of heavyweight clash that gets British boxing fans buzzing. Both guys can hit; both have something to prove. Dubois is desperate to get back in the title scene. He’s brought Don Charles back into his corner, hoping for a fresh push after that tough loss to Usyk last July. Still, at 28, he’s got plenty left in the tank.
Honestly, a fight between Wardley and Dubois almost feels like destiny now, with both guys at the top of the division. Frank Warren, who promotes both fighters, sounds excited about making it happen. “Wardley will fight in early May,” he told talkSPORT. “It’s probably odds on that he’ll fight here. I’m catching up with George [Warren], who’s been handling talks with both teams. I love that fight—if we can make it, it’ll be brilliant.”
JAKE PAUL TARGETS FRANCIS NGANNOU FOR "UNCONSCIOUS" KNOCKOUT IN HEAVYWEIGHT CROSSOVER CLASH
Jake Paul labels Francis Ngannou a "terrible boxer" as the two MVP stars trade heated insults over a potential heavyweight bout.
Jake Paul thinks Francis Ngannou wouldn’t step into the ring with him because he’s scared of getting embarrassed. He’s been pretty vocal about it, even calling Ngannou “terrible” and claiming he’d knock him out.
Paul’s been out of action since Anthony Joshua knocked him out last December. That was a rough fight. He ended up in the hospital with a double jaw fracture; he needed titanium plates in his mouth and couldn’t eat anything solid for a week. And after cheering on his fiancée, Jutta Leerdam, at the Winter Olympics, he had to go through a second surgery in February. Honestly, that’s a lot for anyone.
He hasn’t said when he’ll return to boxing, but if he does, he wants a crossover bout with Ngannou. That’s his next target.
Ngannou’s been all over the map in the past couple of years. He left the UFC in 2023, joined the PFL, but only fought once before both sides decided to go their separate ways. In boxing, he faced Tyson Fury and Joshua, but that last fight didn’t go his way. Joshua knocked him out in the second round in Riyadh.
Even with Ngannou’s loss, Paul is itching for a fight. He told Sky Sports he’s got a long list of opponents but called out Ngannou specifically, saying, "He’s a terrible boxer. I want to go back up to heavyweight, knock him out as Joshua did, and render him unconscious. " Paul claims he lasted longer against Joshua and didn’t get knocked out cold, so he figures Ngannou’s avoiding him to dodge humiliation.
Ngannou wasn’t having any of it. After signing with Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions in March, Ngannou is gearing up for Netflix’s first MMA card on May 16, fighting Philipe Lins. Talking to TMZ, he said he wants to “slap” Paul, whether it’s in a boxing ring or in the cage: “I just feel like I need to give him some slaps. That’s how I feel, you know, like slapping him off.”
XANDER ZAYAS EMERGES AS TOP TARGET FOR JARON ENNIS’S NEXT MAJOR SHOWDOWN
Eddie Hearn confirms Jaron "Boots" Ennis is in talks to fight Xander Zayas in June after the Vergil Ortiz deal collapsed.
Eddie Hearn just shared that Jaron “Boots” Ennis’s next fight is around the corner, with talks heating up for a showdown with Xander Zayas.
After unifying the WBA and IBF welterweight belts against Eimantas Stanionis back in April 2025, Ennis jumped to 154 pounds. He took on Uisma Lima in his debut at that weight and sailed through, which got fans buzzing about a possible match with Vergil Ortiz Jr.
Matchroom and Golden Boy Promotions started negotiating for Ennis-Ortiz, but things got messy. Ortiz’s manager, Rick Mirigian, wasn’t happy with the purse Golden Boy offered, sparking tension between Ortiz and his promoter. Ortiz declared himself a free agent, filed a lawsuit against Golden Boy, and tried to strike a deal with Ennis on his own.
Golden Boy responded by getting a restraining order to stop Ortiz from negotiating elsewhere, putting those talks to bed. So Hearn began looking elsewhere, and now Zayas, who holds the WBA and WBO titles, is in the mix. With Top Rank announcing a broadcast partnership with DAZN and Matchroom already tied to DAZN, lining up Zayas vs Ennis looks easier than ever.
“We’re definitely talking,” Hearn told BoxingScene. “Honestly, we were so close to getting the Ortiz fight. We even started planning media tours; it was that far along. Now, with DAZN and Top Rank teaming up and our good relationship with Top Rank, we’ve started chatting with Xander Zayas. No media tour this time, but I think that fight could be just as good as the Ortiz one. Zayas is right there.”
He also mentioned Josh Kelly, the IBF champ at 154, saying it’s been a frustrating stretch for Ennis. “Boots was supposed to fight in April or May; now it’s looking like June. But I guarantee he’ll get a big fight next. By the end of next week, we’ll make a decision; Boots’s fight is imminent.”
If Zayas and Ennis do end up facing each other, that could leave Kelly without an opponent for his first title defence. After beating Bakhram Murtazaliev in January, Kelly said he wanted a unification bout with Zayas.
“Yeah, Kelly’s still up for it, and Zayas likes the idea too,” Hearn said. “But honestly, there’s a lot of money in Boots vs Zayas. Kelly could fight Boots as well, and that could happen. I’m fine with Kelly taking a voluntary defence; he just beat Murtazaliev. What more can you ask for? Murtazaliev, then Boots? That’s a tough path, so we’ll see. But Kelly is up for big fights as well. Conversations are ongoing, and it’s a top priority.”
