Fabio Wardley has warned Daniel Dubois that this time he will finish the job when the opportunity arises at The O2 Arena on Saturday.
Dubois was knocked down twice in the early rounds when the British heavyweight rivals clashed for the first time in May but ‘DDD’ recovered to seize control of the fight and force a brutal late stoppage
Now the challenger for the WBO world title he lost that night, Wardley has promised a more tactical approach to the rematch – but is also ready to fight fire with fire in a battle between two of the division’s biggest punchers.
“I was over-zealous and confident in my power in the first fight,” said Wardley at the final press conference in North Greenwich.
“I probably believed too much that the right hand would land, but that’s easy to adjust. I have to be controlled and not just march forward and throw right hands.
“We’ve made changes and adjustments for this fight and we’ll implement them on Saturday night.
“But if someone wants a war with me then I’m happy to oblige. Often I’m the instigator and once I smell blood, I’m getting him out of there.
“This feels like my more natural place, being the underdog who took the second fight too soon. That’s been the story my whole career, so I’m comfortable being back here.”
Two-time world heavyweight champion Dubois allowed Wardley to do most of the talking as he continued to display the quiet confidence that has been a feature of the build-up.
“I’m ready to go to war,” said Dubois, who is odds on favourite to retain his WBO belt. “Of course I respect him, but I’m just ready to go out to battle.
“I’m feeling stronger than in the first fight. I’m grounded and ready to do my job. First I need to get through Saturday and then it’s on to bigger and better things.”
The only acrimony at the penultimate event of fight week was provided by the boxers’ managers following an exchange of claims and allegations.
Riz Khan, representing Dubois, declared that Wardley had “not fully healed from his injuries” from the first fight, adding that he was surprised he had activated the rematch clause.
Wardley’s manager Michael Ofo hit back by accusing Dubois of leading with the head and rabbit punching when they met in May and promised to “apply a lot of pressure to make sure those things don’t happen again”.
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