There was a time when nobody was on the British list of heavyweight world champions, just a long line of men, bloody and beaten in painful defeats. It felt like a century of failure with Henry Cooper splattered in his own blood, Don Cockell smashed to pieces, Joe Bugner, Frank Bruno and Brian London all falling way short in world-title fights against the best Americans. Now, that all feels like ancient history. It has all changed. On Saturday in Manchester, Fabio Wardley defends his WBO title against Daniel Dubois. It is the ninth all-British heavyweight title fight in just over 30 years. It might just be the most spectacular, and it might just end up being the best.
A Tradition of All-British Heavyweight Fights
The rules for inclusion in the tiny club are, admittedly, flexible; Henry Akinwande was born in London but lived in Nigeria from age four to 12, and Michael Bentt was also born in London but was raised in America. Even the great Lennox Lewis represented Canada at the Olympics. Wardley vs Dubois is certainly a lively addition to the small tradition.
The Lewis vs Bruno showdown for the WBC title in 1993 was an event; Lewis was eventually triumphant in the Cardiff drizzle. It was the first, the harbinger of the often wild nights since. The year 2010, for example, brought David Haye's early finish of a negative Audley Harrison, with the WBA belt on the line at Manchester's MEN Arena. I said live on the radio that night, as Harrison entered the ring to the sound of boos, "Audley looks troubled, he looks nervous and he looks tormented." Haye certainly tormented him in the three rounds that the fight lasted.
David Haye Reflects on the Unique Atmosphere
Reflecting on the unique nature of all-British heavyweight fights, Haye told The Independent this week: "[My] fight wasn't the most entertaining, but the hype and spice behind it all was really, really palpable. You go into the arena, and you know... It wasn't like when I was fighting Wladimir Klitschko or Nikolai Valuev, where it's sort of half and half. It was everybody together, it was more like a football crowd, which was really nice. Loads of chanting, loads of hype. The Manchester crowd are amazing, they love their boxing, historical crowd, and it just makes it that much more special."
The Path to Wardley vs Dubois
Not all have been dramatic fights with special status, but Wardley against Dubois will deliver. Wardley's position as the WBO champion was an upgrade after his brutal victory against Joe Parker for the interim version last year; something similar happened to both Lewis and, more recently, Dubois. It is an annoying boxing procedure, but in many cases it does not undermine the outcome.
In late 2024, outdoors in front of over 80,000 at Wembley, Dubois won an unforgettable brawl against Anthony Joshua to secure the full version of the IBF world title. Dubois lost the belt to Oleksandr Usyk in his last fight. So, this month the heavyweight optics are truly peculiar: Wardley is fighting a dangerous former champion and, in three weeks in Egypt, Usyk – the closest we have to the lineal champion – is fighting a very dangerous kickboxer in front of the pyramids. All the signs are there for Wardley and Dubois to be memorable.
What to Expect on Saturday Night
They have history on their side, their combined total of stoppages is impressive (they have halted 40 of the 42 men they have beaten), and they can both be hit and hurt. Wardley has a habit of winning lost causes and Dubois has a habit of losing tough fights. Wardley is still unbeaten, and Dubois has lost three times, each by stoppage.
It is extremely unlikely that the last bell will be heard inside the Co-op Live arena by the crowd of 20,000 people late on Saturday night. And that is exactly what a heavyweight title fight should be like – only one of the eight all-British heavyweight world-title fights went the distance, and Dubois against Wardley will not be the second.
David Haye was speaking ahead of his exclusive appearance at Paddy's Sportsbook at The Hippodrome Casino, for Wardley vs Dubois on 9 May.
