If heavyweight knockouts are your thing, Manchester is the place to be this weekend.
It’s not often two punchers this destructive collide with world title stakes attached. In fact, not since Vitali Klitschko faced Herbie Hyde in 1999 have two heavyweights boasting higher knockout ratios met with a version of the heavyweight crown on the line, as Fabio Wardley puts his WBO title up against fellow knockout merchant Daniel Dubois this Saturday in an all-England showcase.
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And that’s only the headline act.
There’s plenty more bubbling across the sport this weekend, so let’s take a closer look at what’s on the boxing agenda.
1. Wardley and Dubois don’t do dull fights
Forget talk of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua for now — Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois is the far more interesting heavyweight contest, despite receiving just a slither of the attention.
But that might change once the first bell rings inside the Coop Arena on Saturday night.
Both Wardley and Dubois are massive hitters — both sharing a 95% knockout rate — in the most unpredictable and dangerous of divisions, and if you were to state with any confidence that you knew what was going to happen between these two men, you’d simply be lying.
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But one thing we can be sure about is that these two juggernauts will put on a spectacle. Wardley and Dubois turned pro on the same day back in 2017 and between them have barely been involved in a dull fight since.
The general consensus is that Dubois’ power is favored earlier in the fight, whereas Wardley will be looking to drag “DDD” into the latter stages — but in what is being priced by the bookmakers as a 50/50 fight, anything is possible.
As can often be the case in the heavyweight division, you’ll probably only need the edge of your seat on Saturday night.
2. Leo and Aleem throw it down for the IBF title
Angelo Leo and Ra’eese Aleem have had high ceilings in the sport for a number of years now, but both are still trying to redefine their careers after high-profile defeats.
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Leo’s came at the hands of Stephen Fulton in 2021, while Aleem’s came to Sam Goodman two years later. Another defeat suffered by either man on Saturday night in Atlanta will stamp out any momentum they’ve made in their combined nine wins since.
Leo is the champion, having bagged the IBF featherweight title against Luis Alberto Lopez in 2024. He’s made one successful defence in Japan against Tomoki Kameda and now moves into a Aleem-sized challenge as a slight -225 BetMGM favorite to retain his title.
Aleem’s move up to featherweight has been pitch perfect so far over 32 rounds. Neither man can be considered massive punchers at 126 pounds, so don’t be surprised if this one turns into an absorbing war of attrition.
UPDATE: Welp, nevermind. Leo vs. Aleem is off after Aleem failed to make weight Friday. Tough scenes.
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3. Zuffa Boxing 6 as we head back to Dana’s storage unit
Dana White may not find your feelings attractive, but don’t worry, we do!
So, when you tell us that you are looking forward to watching Shane Mosley Jr. vs. Serhii Bohachuk from inside Dana White’s storage unit at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, then we will simply say: “Great! So we are!”
Ukrainian Bohachuk got himself back in the winners column earlier this year with a win over Radzhab Butaev — this coming after a third loss of his career to Brandon Adams on the Canelo-Crawford undercard last September.
But those three losses look like small potatoes when you weigh up the five Shane Mosely Jr. has suffered in his 27 fights as a pro — the latest coming this past December in a unanimous points decision loss to Jesus Alejandro Ramos Jr. for the WBC’s interim title at middleweight.
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Bohachuk is a small middleweight, but his youth, experience and intensity sees him as the favorite coming into Sunday’s duel.
Serhii Bohachuk lost to Brandon Adams in their middleweight bout on the Canelo-Crawford undercard.
(Sarah Stier via Getty Images)
4. Morrell gets his run out after Smith cancellation
Cuban light heavyweight star David Morrell finally gets some ring time after his highly-anticipated bout with Callum Smith was canned earlier in the month.
Smith was forced to withdraw in Liverpool due to injury, leaving Morrell without work, but just a few weeks later Queensberry Boxing have thrown the 28-year-old southpaw a bone via a slot on the Wardley-Dubois undercard.
And the man that’s been given the call to step in with Morrell? Briton’s Zak Chelli.
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Chelli has endured a checkered couple of years inside the ring, going 3-2 across his past five fights. But at the tender age of 28, he’ll consider this impromptu opportunity as a win-win as he looks to use Morrell’s name for 175-pound clout.
5. Is Jalolov the next heavyweight boogeyman?
Heavyweight boogeymen only last so long.
Arguments could be made that the likes of Zhilei Zhang, Martin Bakole, Arslenbek Makhmudov and Luis Ortiz have held that title over the past decade, but all have eventually fallen in pretty unremarkable circumstances.
Two-time Olympic champion and unbeaten heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov — who returns to the ring in his 17th pro outing on the Wardley-Dubois undercard — has been labelled as a boogeyman in recent months, unable to secure the biggest fights in the division despite now being in his 30s.
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A win over the unknown Agron Smakici won’t turn any heads this weekend, but expect a push from those in the business of the big Uzbek following this weekend to throw the southpaw into an overdue meaningful contest.
Only then will we know if he truly is a heavyweight boogeyman.
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