Sam Jones proposes Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois

Manager Sam Jones reveals planned date and opponent for Daniel Dubois next

Former IBF world heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) is looking ahead to his next opponent, planning on targeting a fellow Brit in either April or May, according to his manager, Sam Jones.

Jones told IFL TV: “April, latest May. Fabio Wardley is the champion, so it would be a voluntary defence. But outside of AJ, Tyson Fury, Usyk – Dubois is the biggest name for Fabio Wardley to fight, which would therefore generate the most money.

“If Fabio Wardley gets the Usyk fight then all credit to him, he deserves that opportunity. But, if he wants to make that fight, we can make it very, very quickly.”

28-year-old Dubois hasn't fought since his first-round knockout defeat from Oleksandr Usyk in July 2025. The Ukrainian restored his undisputed status with the emphatic victory, but has since relinquished the WBO belt to elevate the Interim champion Fabio Wardley (20-0-1, 19 KOs) to full world champion.

Now that Wardley is a world titleholder, the list of starry-eyed contenders is growing, with Dubois now putting his name in the hat.

A fight between Wardley and Dubois would be incredibly easy to make with both British heavyweights signed to Frank Warren. For the Queensberry promoter, the fight makes sense to keep the world title within his stable, regardless of the result.

Oleksandr Usyk is negotiating a unified world title defence to American Deontay Wilder, likely landing in Las Vegas in April or May. If that fight comes off, then Usyk won't be available again until the last quarter of 2026.

Some believe that Tyson Fury will be the first in line for Wardley, who is now firmly back in training for a 2026 comeback.

Waiting patiently in the wings is German star Agit Kabayel, who holds the WBC Interim title, but the first contender in line to Wardley is WBO #1 Moses Itauma, who fights Jermaine Franklin this month.

WBO Top 15

1. Moses Itauma
2. Filip Hrgovic
3. Daniel Dubois
4. Jared Anderson
5. Jared Anderson
6. Derek Chisora
7. Nelson Hysa
8. Bakhodir Jalolov
9. Richard Torrez Jr.
10. Anthony Joshua
11. Jermaine Franklin
12. Richard Riakporhe
13. Efe Ajagba
14. Solomon Dacres
15. Gustavo Trujillo