David Adeleye

Bio

Right then, David 'Daddy' Adeleye is the kind of British heavyweight prospect that every promoter wants on their card. He hits like a lorry, he's got a real fan base, and when he turns up he turns up big. After a formative amateur career he signed with Frank Warren's Queensberry and went on a proper run at domestic level, ripping through opposition with that concussive right hand and a genuinely mean streak.

The Wardley fight in 2024 didn't go his way — stopped in round six after dropping Wardley earlier in the contest — and that loss sat on him for most of 2025. But the response has been proper. He's rebuilt at heavyweight, kept the power intact, and publicly targeted a Wardley rematch for 2026. Make no mistake, he's not the finished article — the boxing IQ needs work and the gas tank has questions — but when Adeleye lands clean, fights end.

The latest twist in his career came in April 2026 when he publicly offered to replace Lawrence Okolie against Tony Yoka on five days' notice after Okolie's VADA failure scuppered the Paris card. Queensberry ultimately cancelled the show, but Adeleye's opportunism tells you everything about where his head is at — hungry, ready, and willing to travel for a big fight. If you know, you know. Adeleye's next proper fight is going to be a real one.