Wardley vs Dubois: Date, fight time, undercard, prediction, ring walks and odds

Manchester plays host to only the seventh-ever all-British world heavyweight title showdown in boxing as Wardley defends his WBO belt for the very first time in front of a sold-out crowd.

The unbeaten former English, British, European, Commonwealth and Continental titlist had a second reign as an interim champion after stopping Joseph Parker in the 11th round in an upset at the O2 Arena back in October, then was upgraded to full champion a few weeks later after the title was relinquished by Oleksandr Usyk, who also gave up his undisputed status.

In February came confirmation that Wardley’s maiden defence would come in a blockbuster clash with Dubois, the former IBF champion who has not fought since losing that gold in a second stoppage defeat by Usyk at Wembley Stadium last summer as he missed out on becoming undisputed.

He now has his sights set on becoming a two-time world champion, getting back to the sort of form that saw him knock out Anthony Joshua in destructive fashion at Wembley having previously overcome the likes of Filip Hrgovic and Jarrell Miller, but forced to pull out of a meeting with Parker due to illness and also withdrawn from an IBF world title eliminator against Frank Sanchez that could have put him on a collision course with Usyk again.

Wardley vs Dubois on a fight card called ‘Don’t Blink’ takes place on Saturday May 9, 2026 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.

Wardley and Dubois are expected to make their respective ring walks at approximately 11pm BST on Saturday night, with the main event to start shortly afterwards. That is 6pm ET and 3pm PT in the United States.

The televised undercard starts from 6:30pm BST, 1:30pm ET and 10:30am PT. As ever, the exact timings are subject to change.

TV channel and live stream: Wardley vs Dubois is available to watch live and exclusively in the UK via DAZN pay-per-view, at a cost of £24.99.

Live blog: You can follow all the action as it happens on fight night with Standard Sport’s live blog.

Saturday’s chief support act sees former British super-lightweight champion Jack Rafferty make his welterweight debut against Ekow Essuman, who is coming off that late stoppage loss to Jack Catterall on the Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn 2 undercard in November.

Bradley Rea and Liam Cameron collide in a light-heavyweight showdown, while in the same division Zak Chelli takes on Cuban David Morrell, whose battle with Callum Smith was postponed last month.

Welsh former British and European lightweight champion Gavin Gwynne rises to super-lightweight to meet Bolton’s Khaleel Majid, while there is another heavyweight tussle between two-time Olympic gold medallist Bakhodir Jalolov and Croatia’s Agron Smakici.

Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois

Jack Rafferty vs Ekow Essuman

Bradley Rea vs Liam Cameron

David Morrell vs Zak Chelli

Khaleel Majid vs Gavin Gwynne

Bakhodir Jalolov vs Agron Smakici

A knockout seems virtually guaranteed when these two explosive heavyweight punchers lock horns, with ‘Don’t Blink’ an apt name for the event given by promoters Frank Warren and Queensberry.

It is a really intriguing fight that is a difficult one to call, with both men containing the ability to end proceedings in a split second.

Former white-collar boxer Wardley can often flatter to deceive with his technical shortcomings as seen most notably against Huni, but his sheer power, determination, aggression and one-punch knockout capabilities means he is never out of any bout – as late wins over both Huni and Parker can attest.

Let him get to you early, though, and it can be all over so quickly, as Clarke found out to his cost in their swift rematch.

Dubois is every bit as heavy-handed and should have learned more valuable lessons against Usyk, but this will be a firefight that is more suited to his strengths.

When it’s all said and done, however, we’re backing Wardley to pull out another sensational knockout once the fight has entered deep waters.

Wardley to win by late stoppage.

Wardley and Dubois will both hit the scales in Manchester on Friday, having exchanged barbs at a final press conference on Thursday.

The two men also unexpectedly engaged in a tense 57-second face-off during open workouts on Wednesday.

Wardley to win on points/by decision: 13/2

Wardley to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 11/8

Dubois to win on points/by decision: 11/2

Dubois to win by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 9/5

Odds via Betfair (subject to change).