Wardley v Dubois is bout of uncertainty far more interesting than Fury v Joshua
Saturday’s WBO world heavyweight fight pits fascinating pair armed with knockout power against one another Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley are very different characters but, in the ring, they share a knockout ratio of 95% in the combined 42 fights they have won.The unbeaten Wardley has knocked out 19 opponents in his 20 victories while Dubois has stopped 21 of 22 vanquished rivals.It’s an impressive statistic which belies the vulnerability at the heart of each man.Wardley, the WBO world heavyweight champion, comes from a white-collar boxing background with minimal experience as an amateur.The only blemish on his record is a draw in March 2024 with the Olympic medallist Frazer Clarke – whom he then knocked out with shocking brutality in the first round seven months later.
But Wardley was also comprehensively outboxed by Justice Huni last summer before rescuing himself from a shutout defeat by separating the tricky Australian from his senses in a dramatic 10th round,The 31-year‑old has often looked to be in trouble against more skilful rivals before his power obliterates the gulf in experience or ringcraft,Dubois, meanwhile, has suffered three losses, to Joe Joyce and twice to Olekansdr Usyk, the best heavyweight on the planet,Each time he has come back from a crushing defeat with renewed determination but a fourth setback on Saturday night would be a serious blow to the complex Dubois – who, in contrast to his concussive force as a knockout merchant, cuts a strangely reticent figure outside the ring,The 28-year-old Dubois has lived much of his life beneath the shadow of his father, Stan, who home-schooled the boxer and his siblings.
Dubois still lives with his dad – known to many as Dave – and they were both criticised for holding a party in the family home hours before he was knocked out by Usyk last July,In the messy aftermath Dubois left his trainer, Don Charles, who had been quietly sceptical of the revelry before such an important world title fight,Stan Dubois steered him towards Tony Sims’s gym but it did not take long for them to return to Charles – the one trainer who seems to understand the dynamic that exists between a supremely confident father and a shy and hesitant son,Charles told me he “used diplomacy and psychology” to guide Stan’s influence over Daniel and that “the father’s voice” is the one his fighter responds to most positively,It remains a complicated scenario and yet more questions will be asked about the Dubois camp if Wardley prevails.
Wardley, unlike Dubois, is extremely articulate and composed.He is also a sensible man who accepts he has achieved far more in boxing than he or anyone else ever expected.In the past he has been able to approach each new testing fight as an encounter in which he has little to lose.But with every win his aspirations increase and Wardley is now calling openly for a world heavyweight title unification contest against Usyk.It is striking that, when presented with a shortlist for this first defence of his WBO title, Wardley could have chosen easier opponents in Filip Hrgovic and Jared Anderson.
Instead, in a selection that tells us much about his positive mindset, Wardley opted to face Dubois, who has a thunderous jab, decent movement and frightening power.Shane McGuigan, who used to train Dubois, has suggested: “The biggest problem is Daniel’s mindset.If he can get it into his head that he has to win it on the jab, he can make it very comfortable.But he will go straight for [Wardley] and that will mean he’ll either knock him out, or get knocked out.”Derek Chisora, the old heavyweight warhorse, has said: “I see Fabio winning it.
Fabio’s tough.Fabio hasn’t got boxing skills; what he has is fucking heart, bro.”But David Haye, another former heavyweight, has warned Wardley this fight “might be the one where he finds out what pro boxing is all about.Dubois, if he is firing on all cylinders, could end up causing some damage and knocking out Wardley bad.”The uncertainty and intrigue makes this bout far more interesting than the belated showdown between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua.
That extravaganza will generate hundreds of millions of pounds, and be wildly overhyped, but a more primal encounter awaits in Manchester,Wardley, for once in a big fight, will enter the ring as the marginal favourite,He is the more assured man, who can draw on great reserves of resolve and self-belief,But so much will depend on whether Dubois can control the demons in his own mind and fight with discipline and determination,It will be a night fraught with danger and risk for both men.
Labour loses control of Birmingham city council after 14 years of leadership
The Labour party’s 14-year leadership in Birmingham has come to an end after Reform, Greens and pro-Gaza independents made significant gains in the UK’s second-largest city.No party has yet won an overall majority at Birmingham city council, one of Europe’s largest local authorities, with the results reflecting wider political fragmentation across England.Labour lost hundreds of council seats in England, many to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, which made big gains across the Midlands and the north as well as taking seats from the Tories in the south.Labour was expected to take significant losses in the all-out elections in Birmingham, where 101 seats were up for grabs. The council has been plagued by a series of problems in recent years, from the declaration of bankruptcy in 2023, subsequent cuts to local services and the ongoing bin strike – images of rubbish piled on the city’s streets have made headlines across the world
Cracks showing for Labour close to backyards of Starmer’s top team
Keir Starmer hates to lose. Unsurprisingly, he refused to walk away and end his premiership as Labour’s local election losses began to trickle in on Friday morning. Upon entering Downing Street in July 2024 after leading Labour to a historic general election victory, Starmer promised the public that his government would “fight every day until you believe again”.Now, Starmer is faced with the uncomfortable truth that the frustrated yet united coalition that brought him into No 10 hoping for change is completely fractured and its discontent cannot be dismissed as early midterm blues.The cracks are showing very close to the political backyards of Starmer and his top team
Plaid Cymru wins Welsh Senedd elections, ending 100 years of Labour control
Plaid Cymru has won the Welsh Senedd elections, ending 100 years of Labour dominance in Wales and blocking the momentum of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.The leader of the centre-left Welsh nationalist party, Rhun ap Iorwerth, said he stood ready to become first minister and form the next Welsh government, taking over from Welsh Labour, who have governed in Wales since devolution began in 1999.The Plaid win makes a Welsh independence referendum a future possibility, and means all three of the UK’s Celtic nations will now be controlled by separatist parties.Reform UK came second, pushing Labour into a distant third place. Plaid won 43 seats, Reform 34, Labour nine, the Conservatives seven, Greens two and Liberal Democrats one
Badenoch claims Tories ‘coming back’ despite widespread losses in local elections
Kemi Badenoch has claimed that the Conservatives are “coming back” after winning back Westminster council from Labour in London, despite her party suffering significant losses throughout England in Thursday’s elections.The party also saw off a threat from Reform UK in Bexley. But the Tories suffered a series of losses in Essex, where Badenoch herself is an MP, losing 41 seats while Reform gained 52. They held on to Harlow, securing all 11 district council seats available.In Havering, where the Conservatives had 14 councillors before the election, the party was wiped out
Zack Polanski calls two-party politics dead after mayoral and council wins
Zack Polanski has declared Britain’s two-party politics “dead and buried” as his Green party won its first two mayoral elections and gained councillors across England, winning four councils outright.As Labour losses piled up across the country and the Conservatives endured another disappointing set of results, Polanski sought to present his party as emerging from the results as the most viable option for opponents of Reform.“It is very clear that the new politics is the Green party versus Reform,” he said.Speaking at the Hackney count centre in east London, the scene of the first mayoral success, he added: “I said that the Green party were going to replace Labour. That’s exactly what we did in Gorton and Denton, it’s what we’ve done in Hackney, and we’re seeing that right across the country
Lord Beecham obituary
Jeremy Beecham, who has died aged 81, was an outstanding figure in local government as the Labour leader of Newcastle city council from 1977 to 1994.He built on the work of his immediate predecessors in restoring faith in the integrity of the council following the corruption of the T Dan Smith era, and guided it through the unfamiliar territory of collaboration with the new Tyne and Wear county council.He and his team focused on the basic local government responsibilities of council housing, education and social services – the latter his special interest. Initially these priorities led him to allow council staffing levels to run out of control. As a reporter for the Newcastle Chronicle throughout his leadership, I noted in 1978 that the council was employing more than 18,000 people: in the very different circumstances of 2025, the number of full-time equivalent posts was below 7,000
