Daniel Dubois has issued a brutal six-word warning to fellow British heavyweight Fabio Wardley ahead of their highly anticipated clash this Saturday in Manchester. The 28-year-old declared he will 'collect the trash' in the ring, responding to comments made by Wardley suggesting Dubois might have been a 'bin man' if not a boxer.
Pre-Fight Tensions Boil Over
The verbal sparring escalated during Thursday's pre-fight press conference. Dubois, visibly agitated, said: 'I am very focused. Very dialled in. I've been there before, so I am on it. And, by the way Fabio, I heard you called me the dust man and I am going to collect the trash, boy. I am going to collect that trash. It's disrespect, so I am going to put that right in the ring. I am going to burst his bubble anyway. That's what I have got to do.'
Wardley, the WBO champion, attempted to clarify his earlier remarks. 'I did not call you the dust man. Someone asked me what you might have as a job and I said he might be a bin man. There was nothing negative about that. Do not let other people get in your head and tell you what it comes across like,' he explained.
However, Dubois rejected the explanation, firing back: 'No, mate. I heard what you said!' Wardley countered: 'You did not hear what I said because you don't run your own social media. You let other people talk to you... I just got asked what job you might have and I said a bin man. I didn't say it was a bad job.'
Title Fight Stakes
This weekend's showdown marks the first defence of Wardley's WBO heavyweight title. The 31-year-old Suffolk fighter claimed the interim belt by stopping Joseph Parker in the 11th round last October. He was later promoted to full champion after Oleksandr Usyk vacated the strap. Dubois, meanwhile, is seeking to become a world champion for the second time after being knocked out by Usyk in July. Rather than taking a tune-up fight, he has opted to face Wardley directly.
When asked for his prediction, Dubois offered a concise response: 'A win by any means necessary. That's it.' Wardley, however, was more emphatic: 'No, by knockout. I am going to go in there, the same way in all of my fights... providing entertainment, value for money for the fans, and ultimately, getting the win, and he is getting knocked out. I have done that to 95 per cent of my opponents and he is just another one on the list for me. So, I am getting him out of there.'
