- David Price has gone public with his final prediction — Wardley by knockout on May 9 in Manchester
- Price points to Wardley's "unbelievable hand speed for a heavyweight" and Dubois's habit of being hit cleanly by faster opponents
- Luke's verdict: Price has called this one right — Wardley by mid-rounds stoppage if he resists trading from the off
Right Then — A Big Voice Lands On Wardley
Right then. Four days out from Fabio Wardley defending his WBO strap against Daniel Dubois at the Co-op Live, the predictions are stacking up. The interesting one this week comes from David Price — former British and Commonwealth heavyweight champion, knows the British heavyweight scene as well as anyone, has picked Wardley by knockout.
Price's argument is simple. Wardley has "unbelievable hand speed for a heavyweight" and Dubois "can be hit relatively easily." Put those two things together and Price thinks Wardley catches Dubois with a punch he doesn't see coming, doesn't anticipate, and doesn't recover from.
Why Hand Speed Wins Heavyweight Fights
Make no mistake — hand speed is the most underrated weapon at heavyweight. Everyone talks about power, everyone talks about size, everyone talks about chins. But the fighters who shock the division are nearly always the quicker ones. Tyson Fury landed on Wladimir Klitschko because he was faster. Anthony Joshua dropped Wladimir Klitschko because he was faster. Oleksandr Usyk dismantled Tyson Fury because he was faster.
Wardley isn't quite at that level. But for someone who's a brutal puncher, his hands move quickly. The two-punch combinations come back in tight succession. The lead right hand snaps out before opponents have set their feet. That's what Price is pointing at, and that's what makes Dubois nervous on tape.
The Dubois Problem Price Identified
Dubois has been hit cleanly in big fights more often than a world champion should be. Usyk caught him with everything that was thrown last July. Joe Joyce got through to him repeatedly before Dubois quit on a knee. Joseph Parker walked through his shots in 2018. The pattern is there — when proper-quality opponents establish their range and start letting their hands go, Dubois struggles to keep them off him.
Wardley is the kind of opponent who specifically exploits that. He's got the speed, he's got the power, and he's got eleven knockouts on his last twelve outings. If he gets the range and doesn't get drawn into a brawl, this is a tough night for Dubois.
The Counter-Argument
Let's not pretend it's a one-way bet. Dubois's right hand is one of the heaviest punches in world boxing. He drops people. He's improved under Don Charles in the last two years to the point where he won the IBF title and looked dominant in big fights. He's 28, prime years, motivated by the loss to Usyk and the chance to win another belt at the first time of asking.
The danger for Wardley is the inevitable phase where they end up trading. Dubois will land at some point. If Wardley walks into the right hand on the way in or while he's loading up his own shots, the hand speed advantage means nothing. One clean shot from Dubois settles arguments at this level.
Luke's Take On Price's Pick
Make no mistake — Price has called this one right. The hand speed read is correct, the Dubois template is correct, and Wardley is the better fighter coming into May 9. The one caveat is whether Wardley can resist his own instincts. He's a brawler at heart. He's had two fights with Frazer Clarke and one with Justis Huni where he got drawn into firefights when boxing would have served him better.
If Wardley boxes for six rounds and lets Dubois reach for shots, he stops him in the second half. If Wardley decides he wants to prove he's harder than Dubois and starts trading from the first bell, this gets complicated quickly. The Co-op Live crowd will want fireworks, and that's the trap.
The Prediction
Wardley by stoppage in round 8 or 9. He boxes the early rounds, banks them on the cards, and starts to walk Dubois into the right hand once the energy comes out of Dubois's legs. Corner pulls Dubois mid-round. Wardley defends his strap and announces himself as the new face of British heavyweight boxing. Price gets to do a smug "told you so" on Saturday night.
That's how this ends. Don't blink, indeed.