Daniel Dubois is set to return to the ring in the spring as he begins rebuilding toward another world heavyweight title run.
The 28-year-old Brit is coming off a knockout loss to Oleksandr Usyk at Wembley Stadium in July 2025, but despite the setback, Dubois’ confidence remains intact. The loss ended a strong run in which he stopped Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua, and his team believes the heavyweight division remains wide open.
Speaking to IFL TV, Dubois’ manager Sam Jones confirmed that his fighter is expected back between April and May. Jones identified newly crowned WBO champion Fabio Wardley as the preferred opponent, describing the matchup as both commercially appealing and competitively meaningful.
Jones explained that Wardley would be making a voluntary defence and that, outside of elite names like Anthony Joshua, Tyson Fury and Usyk, Dubois represents the biggest fight available to the Ipswich heavyweight.
So Dubois, currently ranked fourth by the WBO, would offer Wardley a dangerous first defence of his reign. Both fighters are promoted by Queensberry Promotions, making the logistical questions easy to solve, though Wardley’s team may still weigh the risks of such a demanding voluntary defence so early in his title run.
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