Boxing Picks 2026- Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois (Saturday 9th May)

The biggest weekend of the 2026 Boxing season did not disappoint the fans and instead has set up some big opportunities for those involved.

Some are already thinking ahead to a Naoya Inoue vs Bam Rodriguez Super-Fight, but Junto Nakatani pushed The Monster in a high quality contest and there will be plenty of voices calling for a rematch.

It is a situation where the loser has actually raised his profile further and both fighters can either look forward to seeing each other again before the end of the year or earning a big purse in another fight before turning back to each other in the first half of 2027.

Many hours later, David Benavidez impressed in crushing Gilberto Ramirez to win yet another World Title in yet another Division.

The Mexican Monster has long called for a bout against Canelo Alvarez, but that ship looks to have sailed and instead the likes of Dmitry Bivol and Jai Opetaia look like the kind of names that could be tempted into a mega-fight.

David Benavidez is likely going to have his pick of opponents, although those suggesting he should move to Heavyweight and challenge Oleksandr Usky may be pushing him too far ahead (in terms of weight, not of the obvious qualities that Benavidez possesses).

May continues with a huge fight in the Heavyweight Division- it may not make the noise around the world as it will in the United Kingdom, but the winner of the Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois main event will be a World Champion and in a position to Unify if the World Titles continue to fracture away from Oleksandr Usyk.

Queensberry Promotions have put together a solid undercard in support of the top of the bill in Manchester and it is likely going to be a really good night for those in attendance.

Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois

One is a former World Champion and the other is going to be brining the WBO World Title into the ring, but, along with Ken Norton, is the only Title Holder in this Division who has never won a World Title fight.

Fabio Wardley is the Champion after being upgraded to full Title Holder after Oleksandr Usyk failed to fulfil his mandatory, but he would have much preferred to have had that WBO World Title on the line when he was beating Joseph Parker.

The background story is fascinating and Wardley has already overachieved, but he will take some big confidence from the way he has continued to step up.

Opening up his career with a Points win, Fabio Wardley has Stopped the next 19 opponents faced with the only blemish being the Draw with Frazer Clarke, which was wiped out impressively in the rematch. Following up with wins over Justis Huni and Joseph Parker has only continued the surge, but this is another step up in class.

Daniel Dubois is another big puncher and his three losses have been against Joe Joyce and Oleksander Usyk (twice).

Some will have questioned the manner of the first two of those losses, but the Fifth Round Stoppage against Usyk last year was emphatic and ended a strong run of form that Daniel Dubois had put together.

There was nothing wrong with his character and heart in beating Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua, but questions remain and this is a bout where both fighters will have to dig deep.

In reality we have seen Fabio Wardley dig and scrap even when fights have been turning against him and he carries his power very late.

That makes him dangerous, although he cannot afford to be tagged with some of the shots that have been allowed against the likes of Huni and Parker who simply do not hit as hard as Daniel Dubois.

Fabio Wardley's power is clear to see, although it does feel like Dubois' ability to take some shots is a little underrated- he's not granite, but the idea that Wardley could walk through fire all of the time has been proven to be a fallacy, which Joe Joyce found out to his cost.

It is a Heavyweight World Title fight that excited me as soon as it was announced and it would be stunning if there were not the fireworks that will be expected.

You can imagine both fighters being a little cautious of the power the other brings into the ring, but the first big contact could see things open up dramatically.

The Champion deserves nothing but respect for how far he has pushed his career, but Daniel Dubois has long felt like a fighter just below the very elite in the Heavyweight Division.

Fans of Daniel Dubois will want to see him make an early dent in Fabio Wardley, if only to build confidence within the ring when Dubois becomes his most dangerous.

I just can't shake the kind of shots Wardley has taken from lesser punchers than Daniel Dubois and for a fighter learning on the job, that is unlikely to be much different in this one.

Maybe he does have a really special chin, but Daniel Dubois has shown he can be a clinical finisher when he has his man in trouble and the feeling is that the former Champion can win a firefight that should entertain all who tune in.

There is a deep undercard that has been put together by Queensberry and some of those names are in a position to move onto really big nights if they can win, and win impressively.

Bakhodir Jalolov has long been touted as a potential World Champion in the Heavyweight Division and some even think he could soon be an opponent for Moses Itauma.

There is some uncertainty as to how long this fight is scheduled for, but Jalolov has been put in a showcase spot and should win early.

Fighters like David Morrell and Jack Rafferty are expected to win, but the opponents will give them something to think about.

Out of the two, Morrell should showcase his experience in fighting at a much higher level than Zak Chelli and he may be able to end the contest by breaking down the British fighter.

Jack Rafferty is in for a tough introduction to this weight class against Ekow Essuman and that looks like a potential upset with the ability of the latter to outwork opponents. Dropping back down to a domestic level should help The Engine and he may yet have another big night in the locker.

MY PICKS: Daniel Dubois to Win by KO/TKO/Disqualification @ 2.62 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Bakhodir Jalolov to Win Between 1-5 @ 2.00 Coral (2 Units)

David Morrell to Win Between 6-10 @ 3.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Boxing 2026: 13-27, - 13.42 Units (59 Units Staked, - 23.25% Yield)

Boxing Picks 2022- George Kambosos Jr vs Devin Haney (June 4th)

You have to give Rolando Romero for making a fight of it, but Gervonta Davis always looked like he had gotten control of their fight by the Fourth or Fifth Round.

The big shot to finish the job in the Sixth Round came at a surprising time as it still felt like Davis was breaking down his opponent and trying to bring him onto something, while any calls for a rematch look unlikely to be answered.

Gervonta Davis is a quality fighter, but his promotional team looks to be changing and it could mean we are set to see him in some huge fights in the months and years ahead. In a loaded Division and one that is pretty deep above at 140, Gervonta Davis looks to have options.

His own Division will become clearer by Saturday night when the Unification between George Kambosos Jr and Devin Haney meet in Australia, although the rematch clause in favour of the current Undisputed Champion means the belts could tied up between the two over the remainder of 2022.

That may mean the other top talents in the Lightweight Division have to face one another to position themselves for the big World Title shots next year, but there are so many top fights to be made that the fans should be the only winners.

George Kambosos Jr v Devin Haney

The deserved upset win over Teofimo Lopez has made George Kambosos Jr the King of the Lightweight Division and he has to be the most surprising name to top the Division.

There is so much talent around in this weight class, but the likeable Australian hadn't really fought anyone of tremendous note before the upset of Lopez.

A big question is how much was Teofimo Lopez affected by issues outside of the ring and what kind of factor was that to the outcome of the bout? George Kambosos Jr has to be given credit for fighting a very good fight and deserving his win, but it does feel like he may have taken advantage of a situation.

It is partly why he is the underdog going into this Undisputed bout against Devin Haney, who will have his father ringside at the very least after all the drama of Bill being refused entry into Australia.

That is one issue that Devin Haney has to have overcome mentally rather than physically, while the barbs thrown at him from George Kambosos Jr and his team are designed to get under his skin. The Dream is on the road for this big fight too, but I do think he could take advantage of Teofimo Lopez' slip up and beat a Champion that is perhaps not in a position he should be.

I am not being disrespectful to George Kambosos Jr when I say that, but I do think he was in a perfect position to take advantage of Lopez and the situation he had been in outside of the ring. This time that factor should not be at play, even with the drama surrounding Bill Haney's entry into Australia, and I do think Devin Haney is going to have the edge with his attributes.

George Kambosos Jr will be looking to be aggressive and push the action and I do think it could give him a chance to pick up some Rounds at home where the Australian judging was questioned after Jeff Horn's upset of Manny Pacquiao. That has worried me and I don't think Devin Haney is going to have enough pop to stop George Kambosos Jr, but the younger fighter should have the length and boxing skills to rack up the points.

Of course the crowd are going to be firmly behind their home Champion and anything he does is going to earn a big reaction from them, which can sway the judges.

However, I do think Devin Haney is not going to be dragged into the same kind of fight as Teofimo Lopez and instead will look to use his length and skills to keep George Kambosos Jr at bay.

There are questions about Haney's ability to take a big shot, but I am not sure George Kambosos Jr has the power to really test that consistently and the American can do enough to win Seven Rounds on the cards to a Decision victory.

The Moloney brothers are both on the undercard of this huge event in Australia and I do think both are likely going to be good enough to win on the cards.

The layers sense the same and there isn't much in the prices to offer encouragement or excitement.

A Heavyweight derby is also on the undercard with Junior Fa returning after losing to compatriot Joseph Parker in February 2021.

He faces former Australian World Heavyweight Champion Lucas Browne, but the latter is nowhere near the force he once was. Dave Allen beat him in Three Rounds and it has been fourteen months since Lucas Browne was stopped in the First Round by Paul Gallen.

That does mean Lucas Browne has been in action twice since Junior Fa last fought, but the former doesn't have much left in the tank. Junior Fa has not really impressed since he has stepped up his level, but he did better than expected in the loss to Joseph Parker and I do think Fa may have more left in the tank than Lucas Browne.

Junior Fa has won nineteen fights and ten of those have come inside the distance- of those, eight have ended in the First Round and I do think he could remove Lucas Browne very early in this one too.

There are other World Title fights on Saturday even if the majority of the headlines are being eaten up by the big Lightweight Unification.

In Britain, Joe Cordina is going to try and win a World Title many tipped him up for ever since turning pro following the Rio Olympics.

He has been built the right way, but this still feels a big step up against veteran Champion Kenichi Ogawa who was last seen crushing Azinga Fuzile at the back end of 2021. You never know when a fighter may turn old overnight, but I do think the pressure of Ogawa is going to put Joe Cordina through the ringer more than any other fighter has been able to do.

Early on Joe Cordina could be winning the Rounds, but the pressure of Kenichi Ogawa may be too much for the home fighter to take. With power that carries, I think Ogawa may be able to break down Cordina in front of his own fans and a second half stoppage has to be worth a small interest.

Stephen Fulton and Daniel Roman are in the main event on another card opposing the George Kambosos Jr and Devin Haney bout, but it is a very good fight on its own.

The former looks most likely to show off enough skills to win on the cards, although the layers are well on top of that.

Instead the Boxing Pick for me from this card comes on the undercard when David Morrell continues his path towards the very top of the Super-Middleweight Division.

The Cuban Southpaw takes on Kalvin Henderson, who has not really fought at this kind of level, and I do think David Morrell will have too much for the opponent again.

Only one fighter has been able to hear the bell for the Fifth Round against David Morrell, but I am not sure Kalvin Henderson has the pedigree to hold off an opponent looking to make a statement to the rest of the 168 pounders in the Division.

MY PICKS: Devin Haney to Win by Decision/Technical Decision @ 2.05 Bet365 (2 Units)

Junior Fa to Win Between 1-2 @ 4.50 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Kenichi Ogawa to Win Between 7-12 @ 6.50 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

David Morrell to Win Between 1-6 @ 1.72 Sky Bet (2 Units)

Boxing Picks 2022: 18-30, + 16.26 Units (87 Units Staked, + 18.69% Yield)