- Final Wardley vs Dubois press conference is confirmed for Thursday May 7, 2pm BST at Co-op Live Manchester
- Don Charles has demanded Wardley retract his bin-man comment about Dubois — Wardley's camp aren't backing down
- Last sit-down between the fighters before Friday's weigh-in and Saturday's WBO heavyweight title fight
Right Then — Thursday Is Going To Bite
Right then. Mark it in. Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois sit down for the last time before Saturday at 2pm BST on Thursday at Co-op Live in Manchester. After how the launch went, after Don Charles spent Monday demanding a bin-man retraction, after Dubois refused to shake Wardley's hand at the launch faceoff — this is not going to be a polite affair. Anyone telling you it'll be measured hasn't been paying attention.
The final presser is the one that matters. Launch pressers are about the fight existing. Final pressers are about the fight starting. This is when the lads stop pretending it's professional and start letting the actual feelings show. And there are actual feelings here.
The Bin-Man Row Has Not Gone Away
Make no mistake about this. The Wardley remark — the suggestion that Dubois would be a bin man if he wasn't a boxer — has not been brushed off. Don Charles wants it withdrawn. Wardley's camp think it was a joke that landed badly. Dubois has gone the proper-fighter route and said the only retraction he wants is the one he gets in the ring. That last bit is exactly what you want from him on Thursday — quiet, focused, slightly furious.
What you watch for at the presser is whether Wardley plays it down or doubles down. The Davison-coached version of Wardley would play it down — let the fight do the talking. The instinctive Wardley would double down. Which one shows up tells you something about how settled the camp is on Tuesday. We'll know in 48 hours.
What Each Camp Wants From The Presser
Wardley's camp want the presser to confirm two things. One — that he's the calm, in-control champion who can absorb a bit of media noise without losing focus. Two — that the bin-man comment, whatever you think of it, hasn't dragged him into a personal fight when he wanted a professional one. Get both right and he walks out of Thursday with the right energy.
Dubois's camp want the presser to bottle Saturday's anger. Don Charles is brilliant at that — he's done it with Joe Joyce, with Daniel before, with everyone he's coached. The job is to keep Daniel right at the edge without tipping him over. Anger you can use. Tantrum you can't. Thursday's presser is the test of whether the bin-man row is fuel or noise.
What The Press Want From The Presser
Let's be honest about this. The British boxing press wants two things from Thursday — a viral moment, and something specific to write about Saturday. The viral moment will likely come from one of the corners getting close to the line. The Saturday write-up will come from whichever fighter best frames the actual fight.
Watch for who finishes their answers. Watch for who interrupts. Watch for the moment one of them stops looking at the journalist and looks at the other lad. That's the presser-tell. The fighter who feels he's losing the room starts speaking to his opponent rather than to the cameras. Whoever does that loses the day. Whoever doesn't is in the better headspace.
Why The Final Presser Tells You Plenty About The Fight
Pressers don't win fights. But they do leak information. After watching the final presser of every major British heavyweight fight of the last decade, you can usually pick the calmer fighter from a room of reporters within 30 seconds. Calm doesn't always win. But calm always means properly prepared, and properly prepared usually wins.
The launch presser was a snapshot. The final presser is a verdict. By 3pm Thursday we'll know which of these two has had the better fight week mentally — and that's a meaningful piece of evidence going into Friday's weigh-in and Saturday's first bell.
The Take
Class fight, class week, class champion-versus-challenger dynamic — and Thursday is the last public moment before they get to do what they're actually here for. Don't miss it. The bin-man row is going to come up. The handshake is going to come up. The undercard is going to come up. And by the end of it you'll have a much better feel for who's heading into Saturday in the right place.
Co-op Live, 2pm Thursday. Get a feed sorted.