Dubois oozes confidence ahead of the rematch of the heavyweight fight of the year
Fabio Wardley is still getting used to the fact that he's suffered his first ever loss in a boxing ring. The swagger is still there on the surface but there's something subdued about him. During the Face-Off on DAZN, it appeared that he was trying to confuse Dubois by pretending he wants to be friends, even though he knows, based on their first fight, that the Greenwich man doesn't get distracted by tricks like this.
Wardley keeps saying that all he has to do is make a few simple adjustments and he'll get his revenge on October 17th. After all, he floored Dubois twice in the first fight. But Dubois seemed energised by the knockdowns and came roaring back each time.
So Wardley knows that keeping Dubois on the canvas isn't easy. And now Dubois seems to have grown in maturity and confidence since lifting the WBO heavyweight title that night. He slayed some dragons in his mind by rising from the canvas to win. He was desperate to prove that the "quitter" label he'd been given was an unfair one.
But his critics offer the theory that Dubois has no problems being in a war, as long as he's having some success. It's when he is getting hurt, and his own shots aren't making an impact, that his resolve starts to falter. But while Wardley can box a lot better than he showed that night, he is unlikely to become elusive enough to make Dubois quit out of frustration.
But could the subdued demeanour of Wardley be an act? Could he be content to let Dubois be the big man in the room, to lull him into a false sense of security?
I firmly believe that Wardley badly underestimated Dubois before their first fight. Daniel was coming off a devastating stoppage at the hands of Oleksandr Usyk. For the first time ever in a big fight, Wardley was the favourite. Derek Chisora observed that Fabio entered the ring bone dry that night - a sure sign that he hadn't warmed up properly.
If Wardley's defeat was the result of complacency, there is every chance he can win this time. He is an intelligent man and a workaholic in the gym, and his head trainer, the much-maligned Ben Davison, will have analysed his mistakes in the first fight and come up with remedies.
And when Wardley says he is happiest when he is being written off, I believe him. He thrives on the underdog mentality and he will surely have it now.
So Wardley can't make Dubois quit, and it's unlikely he'll be able to win on points either against a man who is so much better than him at the basics. But he can be more defensively responsible, and set up his attacks with the jab that was so glaringly absent in their first contest.
His strategy is likely to be one of luring Daniel onto a devastating counter punch, probably around the temple area. And if he sees the champion wobble, he'll go for broke.
