Crolla’s Column: Dubois vs Wardley Rematch Tips
It is fair to say I'm really looking forward to the big rematch this weekend, and it looks a great time to shop around the best betting sites for value on fight night.
When Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley met in the ring for the first time back in May, we were treated to one of the best heavyweight fights I've ever seen on these shores. It was an unbelievable fight.
It was Daniel's night, but it was a gruelling fight for the WBO title.
It was almost a relief when it was stopped in the eleventh round.
Some people were certainly of the opinion that it had gone on too long and Fabio had taken a bit too much punishment, but the man from Ipswich had pulled it out of the bag on a couple of occasions before, finding a big shot when well down on the cards against Joseph Parker and Justis Huni.
In that sense, it is understandable why you would want to give big Fab every chance to turn things around.
I know we have heard an awful lot about Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, who will finally meet in Cardiff on December 11, but in Dubois and Wardley we have two Brits who are in their prime at 29 and 31, respectively. Both have been brilliant for boxing.
When you look at Wardley, quite frankly, his story is crazy, and he deserves so much respect for his rise from the white-collar and unlicensed scene.
This is a man who has won a world title from that background. It is unheard of and is a truly fantastic story. He has incredible self-belief, and you can never write him off.
As for Dubois, well, just look who he has been in with!
Yes, he lost early on in his career to the experienced Joe Joyce and was beaten twice by an all-time great in Oleksandr Usyk – so there's hardly shame in that!
And he has shared the ring with some of the top names in Hrgovic, Miller and Joshua and done the business in stopping them.
Usyk may be winding down his career now, and that being the case, I put Dubois at number one in the heavyweight division right now.
Anyway, the fact is, on Saturday night we are going to see Dubois v Wardley again, and I am very excited to share my betting tips for this one.
There are many questions! How many miles did that last fight put on Wardley's clock? Is the rematch too soon for him? How does he try to right that wrong?
I think Fabio will gamble and go for it early.
In doing that, letting his hands go straight away, he may catch and hurt Dubois in those first few rounds.
That said, I expect Dubois to be a little bit more defensively savvy, a bit more switched on this time.
He was dropped in rounds one and three in the first fight, and I think Daniel will have learned his lesson.
He will have a lot more respect for Fabio Wardley, and weighing everything up, I reckon he earns a similar result this time around.
I am tipping Dubois to win by stoppage in the second half of the fight – I reckon between rounds seven and nine.
There are a couple of fights on the undercard that have also captured my imagination as well, and there are plenty of boxing betting offers to check out across the whole card.
The main support is the gifted Louie O'Doherty against Michael Gomez Jr, and as I always say, you very rarely see a bad British title fight.
This lightweight bout also has the Commonwealth belt on the line, and it is a really intriguing contest. Two exciting styles, two aggressive, fan-friendly fighters.
Both will leave it all in the ring.
Gomez looks rejuvenated under coach Alex Rutter, and it would be a great piece of British boxing history if Mikey can match his dad and win the Lonsdale belt – one of the very best belts you can win in boxing.
Now, I have to be honest: my heart is telling me it will be Mikey's night - he is a Manchester lad, and I will always root for a local lad.
But the head tells a slightly different tale, and there's no denying that Louie is the favourite.
I don't think this fight goes the distance.
I reckon it will be a war of attrition, and whoever has the best defence on the night wins.
Push comes to shove; I think it will be O'Doherty who will get the stoppage between rounds ten and twelve.
But I'd be delighted and also not surprised if Mikey pulls it off.
Finally, I have to mention the other heavyweight match-up on the card.
It's a huge opportunity for our own Solomon Dacres, who faces a massive challenge when he takes on the double Olympic gold medallist Bakhodir Jalolov.
Solomon is one of the UK's best domestic heavyweights, and while the
Uzbek hasn't been amazing as a pro yet, I think this could be the kind of fight that brings him into action.
Jalolov is just so well-schooled - I can see him catching up with Solomon fairly early and ending the contest before the halfway mark.
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