Wardley’s ascent truly began in 2023. He scored a seventh-round TKO that October to give David Adeleye his first defeat. Wardley then moved on to a clash in March 2024 with Frazer Clarke, who had won bronze in the 2021 Olympics. Wardley and Clarke fought to an entertaining 12-round draw. Their rematch six and a half months later was much shorter and far less competitive: Wardley demolished Clarke in the first round, denting his face and breaking his jaw.

Last year, Wardley thrilled again with a pair of wins over Justis Huni and Joseph Parker. Going into the 10th round against Huni in June, Wardley was being outboxed and was in a deep deficit on the scorecards. But he never stopped trying, and a perfectly timed and placed shot floored Huni. 

Wardley moved on to challenge Joseph Parker in October for the interim WBO belt. Two of the judges had Parker ahead going into the 11th. But he hurt Parker in the 11th and had him reeling. The referee jumped in to end things – some feel the stoppage was a little premature – and once again Wardley’s power and persistence had turned things around. 

After Usyk vacated the primary WBO title in November, Wardley received his upgrade. This will be his first defense. 

A win over Dubois wouldn’t necessarily lead to a fight with Usyk, given that the Ukrainian great is looking at just a couple more bouts and then retiring. In lieu of an Usyk fight, Wardley could look forward to more big shows in the UK or big paydays in Riyadh. Potential foes include Moses Itauma, Deontay Wilder, and the winner of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua. If Usyk doesn’t face Agit Kabayel, a Kabayel-Wardley pairing would also be intriguing. We know Wardley can absorb head shots, but how would he handle a dedicated body attack?

Dubois, 22-3 (21 KOs), is a 6ft 5ins former heavyweight titleholder whose brief reign was part of a remarkable redemptive arc. But the 28-year-old from London, England, now needs to redeem himself once again.

Dubois turned pro in 2017 on the same day as Wardley, but in a different part of the country. He won his first 15 fights, setting up a clash in November 2020 with fellow prospect Joe Joyce, who had won a silver medal at super heavyweight in the 2016 Olympics. Joyce won via 10th-round knockout, and Dubois received a lot of criticism – unfair criticism, at that. 

Dubois had taken a jab, gone down to one knee and listened to the referee’s count. But it was the right decision: He had suffered a fractured eye socket. Fighters don’t have to go out on their shields. Not when their long-term health is on the line. In mixed martial arts, fighters can tap out rather than suffer a gruesome injury or when defeat is inescapable. As with Israel Vazquez’s first fight with Rafael Marquez, sometimes it’s best to recognize that you can’t win in an impaired state, but you can prevent further harm and do better next time.

Dubois bounced back with four wins, including stoppages of Trevor Bryan and Kevin Lerena. In the latter, Dubois visited the canvas himself three times in the first round after a leg injury but was able to put Lerena away in the third. That brought Dubois into the ring with Oleksandr Usyk in 2023 to challenge for three world titles.

Usyk put Dubois away in the ninth round. For a long time afterward, however, people debated what happened in the fifth. Dubois landed a shot that put Usyk down but was ruled a low blow. Some people believed the punch was legal, while others felt it was a foul. Slow-motion replays only hardened arguments on both sides.

No matter what, Dubois had lost for a second time. He would need to work his way back into contention. And that is exactly what he did: Dubois stopped Jarrell Miller in the final seconds of their fight in December 2023, then defeated Filip Hrgovic on cuts in June 2024 for the interim IBF title. When Usyk vacated the primary IBF belt, Dubois was upgraded. His first defense was in front of a huge crowd in London’s Wembley Stadium, where Dubois brought fans to their feet with his five-round drubbing of Anthony Joshua.

Dubois got a second shot at Usyk last July, this time with the undisputed heavyweight championship on the line. Once again, the fifth round proved pivotal. There wouldn’t be any controversy this time, though. Usyk dropped Dubois twice for the knockout win.

Dubois is still young, but this is a crucial moment for him. A win over Wardley will position him for a post-Usyk heavyweight division, perhaps for defenses against the same slate of potential opponents awaiting Wardley: Moses Itauma, Deontay Wilder or the winner of Tyson Fury-Anthony Joshua. A competitive defeat would at least allow Dubois to remain in the mix alongside the other contenders.

The undercard includes light heavyweight David Morrell Jnr, 12-1 (9 KOs), making sure that his training camp for the canceled mid-April bout with Callum Smith doesn’t go to waste. Morrell will face Zak Chelli, 16-3-1 (8 KOs). Junior welterweight prospect Jack Rafferty, 26-0-1 (17 KOs), will be in against Ekow Essuman, 22-2 (8 KOs), who is moving down from welterweight after his TKO loss to Jack Catterall in November.

Heavyweight prospect Bakhodir Jalolov will face Agron Smakici. Jalolov is 16-0 (14 KOs), plus a decision win in an IBA Pro bout. He won Olympic gold in 2021 and 2024 but has done nothing of consequence in the paid ranks despite turning pro in 2018. Smakici is 21-3 (19 KOs), plus a decision loss in an IBA Pro bout. In his most recent outing, Smakici was stopped in five by prospect Artem Suslenkov. Smakici also had Agit Kabayel reeling in their 2023 bout before succumbing in the third.

More fights to watch

Wednesday, May 6: Nikita Tszyu vs Oscar Diaz (main event on Kayo Sports in Australia)

The broadcast begins at 5 a.m. ET (10 a.m. BST).

Nikita Tszyu, 11-0 (9 KOs), is a 28-year-old junior middleweight prospect from Sydney, Australia, the younger brother of former 154-pound titleholder Tim and another fighting son of Hall of Famer Kostya. 

Nikita Tszyu is ranked sixth by the IBF and ninth by the WBO at 154lbs. He last was in the ring in January for a no-contest against Michael Zerafa. The bout ended in the third round when Zerafa said he was having vision issues after an accidental clash of heads.

That must have been frustrating for Tszyu, who hasn’t gotten many rounds in lately. He spent nearly a year away between August 2024 and August 2025 because of a hand injury and multiple surgeries. And that return bout ended quickly, when Tszyu’s opponent, the 12-0 Lulzim Ismaili, remained in his corner after the first round.

Oscar Diaz, 16-0 (6 KOs), is a 25-year-old from Spain. In his past two bouts, he outpointed the 7-1 Khalid Ennachat last June and the 17-6 Leonardo Di Stefano this past January.

The undercard includes Callum Peters, 6-0 (6 KOs), who competed in the 2024 Olympics, losing in his sole tournament bout against eventual middleweight silver medalist Nurbek Oralbay. Peters will take on Joeshon James, 10-1-2 (5 KOs). James was dispatched in four rounds by Lester Martinez in March 2025 and then took a majority decision over the 5-0-1 Yojanler Martinez in December.

Saturday, May 9: Angelo Leo vs Ra’eese Aleem (DAZN)

Angelo Leo, 26-1 (12 KOs), is a two-division world titleholder who will be making his second defense of the IBF featherweight belt.

Leo, a 31-year-old from Albuquerque, New Mexico, had a brief title reign at 122lbs. He picked up a vacant belt in 2020 with a decision over Tramaine Williams but lost soundly less than six months later to Stephen Fulton Jnr. Leo had one more fight at junior featherweight and then was out of the ring for more than 28 months.

“I wasn’t fighting. Boxing is my livelihood. It’s what I do to put food on the table,” Leo said in an interview last year with Jake Donovan, recalling that time in his life. “I wasn’t getting fights, and it was frustrating. On top of that, I was having a son. My girlfriend was pregnant with our son. A lot of things were running through my mind about how to provide for them. At one point, I was ready to focus on real estate and just put boxing on the backburner, stuff like that. It was a little tough time for me.”

But Leo got a foot back in the door and proceeded to push that door wide open. He returned in November 2023 at 126lbs and won three straight: a ninth-round TKO of the 20-4-1 Nicolas Polanco, a third-round KO of the 29-3 Mike Plania and a unanimous decision over the 23-5-2 Eduardo Baez. That not only landed Leo a shot at titleholder Luis Alberto Lopez in August 2024, but the event would take place in Albuquerque. There, in front of his hometown, Leo dropped Lopez for the count in the 10th round. 

For his first defense, Leo traveled to Osaka, Japan, last May and won a majority decision against Tomoki Kameda. That was it for Leo in 2025. There had been plans for a return to Albuquerque this past February for a voluntary defense against Lerato Dlamini, 21-3 (12 KOs). But those plans changed, as this bout with mandatory challenger Ra’eese Aleem was due. Instead, Leo is headlining at the Gateway Center Arena at College Park in College Park, Georgia, just outside of Atlanta.

Aleem, 23-1 (12 KOs), is a contender who is rated first at featherweight by the IBF. Aleem earned that ranking with a unanimous decision victory in Tokyo last November over the 14-0 Mikito Nakano.

Aleem, a Michigander living in Las Vegas, came to 126lbs after a pretty decent run down at junior featherweight. In 2021, he dropped the 16-0 Vic Pasillas multiple times before stopping him in the 11th round, then took a majority decision over the 20-1-2 Eduardo Baez. The next year, Aleem’s sole outing saw him shut out the 26-1 Mike Plania. Side note: Those victories over Baez and Plania came before Leo fought them.

Alas, Aleem’s time at 122lbs came to an end in 2023, when he traveled to Australia for an elimination bout and lost a split decision to fellow contender Sam Goodman. Aleem is now on a three-fight winning streak. He is 35 years old. He turned pro in 2011, had a long climb into contention, and is at last fighting for a world title for the first time. Will this be Aleem’s moment?

The undercard features several prospects, including light heavyweight Atif Oberlton, 15-0 (13 KOs), who is taking on late replacement opponent Carlos Gongora, 22-3 (17 KOs); and heavyweight Pryce Taylor, 11-0 (7 KOs), against Calvin Barnett, 7-4 (4 KOs).

Sunday, May 10: Shane Mosley Jnr vs. Serhii Bohachuk (Paramount+)

The main broadcast begins at 9 p.m. ET (2 a.m. BST). A preliminary undercard will start at 6 p.m. ET (11 p.m. BST).

"Zuffa Boxing 06" will be at the Meta Apex in Las Vegas, and headlined by a 10-round middleweight bout between Shane Mosley Jnr and Serhii Bohachuk.

Mosley, 22-5 (12 KOs), is the namesake son of the Hall of Fame former three-division champion. The 35-year-old Californian Mosley Jnr is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jesus Ramos Jnr this past December in a bout for the interim WBC middleweight title.

Bohachuk, 27-3 (24 KOs), is a 31-year-old Ukrainian living in California. He lost his interim WBC 154lbs belt in a close battle with Vergil Ortiz Jnr in 2024, then won two straight before a disappointing rematch loss to Brandon Adams last September. Bohachuk rebounded two months ago on “Zuffa Boxing 02,” taking a split decision over Radzhab Butaev.

Also on this show, Julian Rodriguez will take on James Perella in a 10-round welterweight bout, and Misael Rodriguez will face Andreas Katzourakis in a 10-round middleweight bout.

Julian Rodriguez, 25-1 (15 KOs), outpointed Cain Sandoval in January on “Zuffa Boxing 01.” That was Rodriguez’s fourth straight victory since an eighth-round TKO loss to Jose Pedraza in 2021. Perella, 21-0 (15 KOs), has fought his entire career in New England. Most recently, Perella scored a first-round KO of the 24-15-1 Alfredo Rodolfo Blanco in December.

Misael Rodriguez, 16-0 (8 KOs), also fought on “Zuffa Boxing 01” in January, putting away the 17-0 Austin Deanda after four rounds. Katzourakis, 16-0 (11 KOs), received a split decision nod over Brandon Adams in November 2024 and then won a seventh-round stoppage against the 11-0 Roberto Cruz Jnr last May.

David Greisman, who has covered boxing since 2004, is on Twitter @FightingWords2. David’s book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” is available on Amazon.