Dubois vs Wardley

I still think that fight was fixed.

Lerena is a middling South African fighter under a nobody promoter. He's there to be a stepping stone for Dubois to get into mandatory position to be a roadblock for Usyk to keep Usyk away from Fury. Lerena lands a kinda whatever punch on the top of Dubois' head, Dubois stumbles back and takes a knee. Then Dubois takes two more knees without even being hit.

So at that point, what would you be thinking if you're Lerena? Personally, I'd be thinking the man is finished. He's just taking knees. Either he's injured or seriously wobbled from that head shot. So I'm gonna go finish this guy. What did Lerena do instead? He forgot how to throw a punch. Spends the rest of the fight just standing in front of Dubois, not throwing punches, and allowing himself to be hit. Then he backs up to the ropes, lets Dubois tee off, doesn't try to move out of it, and the ref quickly waves it off.

But why would Lerena take a dive? Well, shortly after that fight Lerena gets a spot on a Saudi card. Coveted, highly lucrative spots on Riyadh Season cards that most boxers would kill to be involved with and Lerena gets one of those spots to fight Huni. Then he gets another big paycheck to sacrifice himself to Okolie. Yet another Queensberry fighter. When he's not getting paid to lose to Frank's guys he's in nothingburger fights in South Africa. Interestingly, before that Okolie fight Lerena started his own promotional company. So it really seems like this dude is just a mercenary who you can cut a check to to come make sure your fighter gets a semi-credible win.

 

This might be spot on ! sad but true imo

 

This fight all depends on which Dubois turns up,but even then we know that he has not got the heart what Wardley has . Certainly going to be an interesting fight whilst it lasts .

 

I don't know if it was fixed but it sure looked WEIRD.

And seeing Lerena receive that uppercut against the ropes was frightening.

 

Wardley got more heart but he gets hit too much for my liking. Not sure on this one.

 

The fact people question the heart of Dubois is dumb.

I admire his brains, for not taking unnecessary punishment from Usyk when he knows he can't win. He was also smart taking the knee against Joe Joyce when his left eye socket was fractured.

If he doesn't take the knee against Joyce, he probably doesn't become HW champion, or have a win over Joshua, Hrgovic and Miller.

Not taking unnecessary punishment against Joyce and Usyk was smart, it has allowed him to get big fights since and will continue to do so as he's only 28. There's nothing "Brave" about ending your career early, with a life changing injury and ruining your financial future.....From where I come from, that's called stupidity.

 

Wardley is coming off the back of two solid wins who are far better boxers than Dubios. Ima back Wardley, but it could go either way.

I think heart will determine this one.

 

Taking the knee against Joyce was the start move because his eye was shattered. Can't excuse him quitting twice against Usyk though.

 

It’s a damn good heavyweight fight and should be exciting almost guaranteed to end in a knock out.

 

Here's the thing....The fact he got in the ring with Joshua, removes any kind of "Quitting" acquisition you can make regarding the Usyk fights. Same with the fact he's now getting in with Wardley.

If Dubois had 'avoided' opponents after pulling out the Usyk fights I would agree, but he's not, and he's taken on dangerous opponents since.

The fact Dubois has got in the ring with Usyk, Joshua Joyce, Hrgovic, Wardley, Miller etc, says a lot about him.

Besides Usyk, which other fighters have actually got in the ring with two of Usyk/Fury/Joshua? I can only think of Chisora, Whyte Wallin and Kevin Johnson nobody discredits their heart.

Dubois has balls and he/his team have brains. He wouldn't be in the position he is, and can still be in the future, had he not 'Quit' the fights he has.

With the exception of the eye injury, the only guy to defeat Dubois is Usyk. Dubois is only 28, I think people forget how inexperienced he is.

 

It’s a wild fight.

the better schooled, more technical fighter who should be the favorite takes knees, has quit, and just got knocked out by someone not known as a big puncher.

the guy with far less experience, the less technical fighter who should be the underdog would never take a knee or quit, in fact seems more dangerous and mean/aggressive when he’s hurt and it’s not going his way, and seems more durable over all.

both can hit like a truck.

this could go either way. But my guess is that Dubois’s relative roboticness and well schooling is his undoing. Wardley is going to catch him with a punch no proper boxer would ever throw, from some angle no proper boxer would ever throw it from, during a situation no proper boxer would ever throw it. It’s going to hurt Dubois and throw him off, and from that, Wardley goes beast mode and takes him out.

 

I saw Fabio asked about the fight and he said something to the effect of “everyone knows judges won’t be needed”. Honest assessment. There’s zero way that fight goes the distance.

 

It's not stepping in the ring that's the issue. It's giving up when he could have kept going, particularly in the second Usyk fight when he walked casually back to his corner the moment it was waved off.

Dubios has a good promoter with connections. Who else gets an immediate title shot after forfeiting his last fight?

 

AJ is praying that Dubious gets KO'd here and the rematch is buried forever.
He'll be almost as happy as when Wilder lost to Parker.

 

I have a funny feeling this will go the distance with both sides being knocked down, kinda like Tyson-Ruddock 2 but with both guys hitting the canvas