There’s an unwritten rule in boxing: what happens in sparring stays in sparring. But ahead of their highly anticipated showdown, Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois pulled back the curtain on their early encounters and both remember them clearly.
The two heavyweights first sparred nearly nine years ago at London’s Peacock Gym, shortly after making their professional debuts on the same night in April 2017.
At the time, Dubois was a decorated amateur standout, while Wardley had only limited white-collar experience. Wardley didn’t sugarcoat how those sessions went. “I’ve got no qualms in saying he punched me up,” Wardley admitted.
But he was quick to contextualize those early sparring sessions, emphasizing how raw he was at the time. “That was a guy who had barely boxed… I was just trying to get better.”
For Wardley, those experiences weren’t about winning rounds they were about growth. “I’d think, ‘I only got hit 15 times that’s two less than last week.’ That was progress for me.”
Dubois Confident History Repeats
Dubois remembers things similarly but with a more dominant tone. “I dominated him in the spars back then,” Dubois said. “I was the one in charge.”
Now a world champion, Dubois believes that past could be a preview of what’s to come. “I’m looking for the best version of him… but I’ll be the best version for sure.”
Still, Dubois gave Wardley credit for his development. “He’s taken the biggest challenges… I respect him for that.”
From Gym Wars to Main Event
Both fighters have come a long way since those early sessions. Wardley, once a raw prospect traveling from Ipswich for sparring, has evolved into a legitimate contender. Dubois, meanwhile, has fulfilled his early promise by capturing world championship gold.
Now, they meet in Manchester in a high-stakes bout headlining the Queensberry card “Don’t Blink.”
This fight promises fireworks. Both men boast 95% knockout ratios, and neither has gone the distance since 2018 a stat that tells you everything about what’s expected when they step into the ring.
Wardley has shared the ring with some of the sport’s biggest punchers, including:
- Derek Chisora
- Dillian Whyte
- Filip Hrgovic
Even so, Dubois remains firmly in that upper tier of power.
Then vs. Now
Wardley insists those sparring sessions don’t define this fight. “That was seven or eight years ago… I was green, taking shots I shouldn’t have been taking.”
Now, with experience, confidence, and momentum, he believes this version of himself is a completely different challenge.
Sparring stories make for great headlines but they rarely predict fight night. Still, they add intrigue. Because while Daniel Dubois believes history will repeat itself, Fabio Wardley is betting on evolution.
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Robert LaMar is a Deputy Editor for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
