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 2019- Sergey Kovalev vs Anthony Yarde (August 24th)

There is something of a break in the Boxing Season that takes place for a few weeks in July and August, but we are back with a bang this weekend as Anthony Yarde takes a big risk to travel to Russia in a bid to dethrone the Champion Sergey Kovalev.

Next weekend UK fans are given a real treat when Vasyl Lomachenko fights in London for the first time as a professional and we then go into what could be a strong end to the 2019 year with some big fights in the offing.


The last time I had any picks from a Boxing event it was the weekend of the Dillian Whyte bout against Oscar Rivas, but suffice to say there has been plenty of controversy coming out of the event. While it was said by Eddie Hearn that Whyte had been cleared to fight despite popping positive for a drugs test administered, the lack of information that has come out since then suggests there is more to the story and it really feels like Whyte's career has taken a dent.

It is easy for Eddie Hearn to hide behind legal issues, but I don't remember him being so calm when others have failed tests recently. But then again he doesn't promote those fighters either(!)

Dillian Whyte himself must feel that he should have taken his shot at taking on Anthony Joshua rather than trying to force a mandatory spot, especially if this has been some sort of mistake that takes time to clear up. UKAD have a habit of working through a slow process and it is going to be difficult for Whyte to be out again in 2019 as he wanted which is a real shame at the end of the day.


The Heavyweight Division continues to be in flux as the big fights most wanted are delayed until 2020 at the earliest. Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder have apparently signed on to meet in February next year, but Wilder has yet to announce his date for the rematch with Luis Ortiz that is supposed to have taken place in September, but is now looking to land on a November date which does raise questions whether the turnaround to a February fight with Fury really works.

Tyson Fury is back in early September in another fight where he is unlikely to be pushed, but it is not a surprise considering they won't want to blow up the Wilder fight before getting into the ring with the American for a second time.

And of course it has been announced that Anthony Joshua will have the rematch against Andy Ruiz Jr later this year in a fight that has been confirmed for Saudi Arabia. The former World Champion made some controversial remarks both about the way the first fight developed and about perceived critics with the most notable being the 'clown' comment aimed at Lennox Lewis.

It is nice to see a different side of Joshua as he looks to re-fire the passion as he bids to regain the belts he lost at Madison Square Garden, but I would also hope he is doing some strong tactical work to best approach the rematch than seriously believing it was just a 'lucky punch' that cost him that fateful day in June.


Other fights I am looking forward to later this year are the WBSS Finals which are expected to be finalised shortly- I am attending the Lomachenko-Campbell event at the O2 next weekend, but I am also hoping to have an opportunity to see the Regis Prograis vs Josh Taylor fight here if the rumoured date and venue are confirmed.

There are some other decent events that have been announced which should make for a fun end to the year in what has been an underwhelming one so far. I think I am speaking from the perspective of fans in the United Kingdom when I say that, but the arrival of Lomachenko to these shores and the possibility of one of the World Boxing Super Series Finals being here will certainly make for a positive.


The last set of Boxing Picks had a pretty miserable time and made a serious dent in the season totals. I was very disappointed with the selections to be perfectly honest and I will be looking for a much stronger end to 2019 to ensure back to back years with a profit.

On Saturday the main card that is catching my interest is the one in Russia where Anthony Yarde looks to take a major step in his career by beating Sergey Kovalev in front of his home fans.

There is also a card in Mexico which is headed up by Juan Francisco Estrada fresh off a career best win and who is looking to move into Unification bouts later in the year and into 2020. Liam Smith and Jono Carroll are UK and Irish representatives on the card which will be shown live in the UK, but most here will be focusing on the Anthony Yarde fight which is going to have a ring walk at around 7:30pm London time.

Sergey Kovalev vs Anthony Yarde

When this fight was initially announced as taking place at the end of June I was pretty sure that Anthony Yarde's team had seen something in Sergey Kovalev that made them confident, but personally I felt the fight was coming too soon and with too big a step up from the levels he had been operating at to then take on and beat a strong World Champion.

There is little doubt that Kovalev is not the feared fighter who took on Andre Ward with the two battles against him and the tough two fights with Eleider Alvarez showing a slippage. Some suggested the Russian was not working as hard as he could, while others believed he was just a faded Champion whose unprofessional ways out of the ring had finally caught up with.

I don't think Kovalev is the fighter he once was, but he is still a grizzled veteran who is now working under Buddy McGirt and I think the performance against Alvarez to earn his belts back was a good one. I have to believe the potential huge payday in front of him for taking on another Alvarez, Canelo, should also give Kovalev plenty of motivation and he is also at home.

This is the first professional fight Kovalev will have in Chelyabinsk and I do think it is going to be very difficult for Anthony Yarde to do the kind of inside work he would like in a Russian ring. That might sound controversial or one for the conspiracy theorists out there, but I do think the money that looks to be in front of Kovalev with a potential fight against Canelo is going to see him perhaps looked after like Anthony Joshua was in his win over Joseph Parker.

I will admit that I would love to see Yarde get it done in Russia, but I do think he is going to have to beat Kovalev by Stoppage to take the title home. At this moment we know he can hit hard, but I think the question is whether Yarde can set up his shots with the quality of boxing that Kovalev can produce.

Sergey Kovalev has a very good jab and we are going to be learning much about Anthony Yarde in the fight which makes it difficult to pick him. His team have great personalities and their enthusiasm and belief has certainly been infectious and it has also just made me think twice about my pick.

Part of the reason is I really would love to see Yarde come home as a World Champion, but the head is ruling the heart and my overriding feeling is that this may have come a touch too soon. We know Sergey Kovalev is not the fighter of old, but I think everyone is going to benefit from seeing him take on Canelo Alvarez later this year in a fight I would make the smaller man moving up weights a significant favourite.

For now Kovalev can keep his part of any potential deal alive by winning this fight as I look for a similar performance to the one that took care of Eleider Alvaraz in their rematch. Sergey Kovalev will likely box long and try and showcase his superior talent and he can keep just about enough in the tank to remain out of harms way in the Championship Rounds of this one.

If Anthony Yarde begins to ship too much punishment there is going to be an opportunity for the referee or corner to stop this one, but I actually think he will look the fitter man down the stretch. Ultimately I feel he may leave things too late as he looks for the big equaliser punch to find the Knock Out he needs and Kovalev can ride out one or two hairy moments to secure a win on the cards.

The layers are feeling a stoppage for either fighter is the most likely outcome, but I think Kovalev will want to avoid being dragged into a war. If he can win a Decision without needing to invest too much into a scrap, he should be ready to come out again in December to fight Canelo Alvarez.

MY PICKS: Sergey Kovalev to Win by Decision/Technical Decison @ 4.50 Paddy Power (1 Unit)

Boxing 2019: 19-36, + 1.87 Units (86 Units Staked, + 2.17% Yield)