Wardley glad of Joshua 'aura' ahead of Dubois heavyweight clash

LONDON: Fabio Wardley said he had been boosted by the "aura" of Anthony Joshua as he bids to regain the WBO heavyweight title from Daniel Dubois in London on Saturday.

Joshua has rejoined Wardley's trainer Ben Davison ahead of his all-British heavyweight grudge match against fellow former world champion Tyson Fury in Cardiff on December 11.

Both Joshua and Wardley have been working out alongside each other at Davison's training base north of London.

"AJ's been back for a good while in the gym and it's been good to see him," said Wardley ahead of Friday's weigh-in.

"He has a different energy and a different aura around him so when he appears it gives the gym a little buzz and a different feel. He's straight back in the mix and he's shoulder to shoulder with the boys, just like you'd expect."

Joshua, a former two-time world champion and Olympic gold medallist, left Davison after his fifth-round knockout by Dubois in 2024.

Davison was criticised for refusing to throw in the towel as a bloodied Wardley was hit with a ferocious onslaught by fellow British boxer Dubois in their first contest in Manchester in May before the referee stopped the contest in the 11th round.

"The whole conversation around Ben has always been incredibly frustrating," Wardley said.

"The level of criticism he gets is incredible...I trust these people with my life and I don't say that lightly. I genuinely do. They know me."

He added: "I'm glad they let me carry on because I was still catching Daniel, even in the 10th."

Dubois, who previously said tension was behind his slow start against Wardley, which followed a second defeat by unbeaten heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk, now wants to turn his state of mind from a negative into a positive.

"I feel nervous every day," he said. "I'm a nervous and chaotic character. I'm chaos and I'm just holding that chaos in until the fight.

"It's a power for you if you know how to use it. It's about harnessing it. I enjoy inflicting pain and putting that chaos on to the other guy." - AFP