Fabio Wardley believes Joseph Parker will defeat Daniel Dubois this Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Dubois will defend his IBF heavyweight title against Parker on the huge “Last Crescendo” card this weekend, which is headlined by the rematch between Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol. 

Both men have rejuvenated their careers in the last year. Dubois, 27, was criticized for taking a knee for the full 10 count in both of his losses to Joe Joyce and Oleksandr Usyk, but he has become one of the most feared heavyweights around after he stopped Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua.

On the other hand, Parker, still only 33, was once a heavyweight titleholder, winning the vacant WBO belt against Andy Ruiz Jnr back in 2016 at just 24 years old. Following that win, Parker suffered defeats to British heavyweights Joshua, Dillian Whyte and Joyce – in which he was stopped for the first time – and that gave many the impression he was done at the top level.

Parker has now emerged as the most deserving of all the challengers in the heavyweight division after big wins against former WBC titleholder Deontay Wilder and the hard-punching Zhilei Zhang.

“Yeah, it’s a great fight,” Wardley told BoxingScene of Dubois-Parker. “Two guys who are in form, dangerous, can really put their punches together. It's going to be a great one to watch. I’m probably… don't get me wrong, it’s a very tight, very 50-50 fight, but I’m probably edging it to Parker. A bit of my bias is probably coming out. He’s someone I know better, I’ve got on better with. He’s a really nice, genuine, cool guy. So he’s someone I'd like to see win and do well.

“[Parker was in his] early 20s, fighting Joshua for a world title. So I think that’s another thing that goes into it, is that people always just assume, ‘Oh, he’s almost done and gone.’ Just because he had so many achievements and accolades so early on, people think he’s done, finished, he’s over the hill. And he’s just been proving people wrong for the past couple of years.”

Wardley has put himself in a good position for a title shot later this year. The fan-friendly heavyweight recorded an emphatic stoppage win over Frazer Clarke in their rematch in October, and he is part of Frank Warren’s growing stable of heavyweights. Wardley will be keeping a close eye on Saturday’s contest.

“Yeah, look, anyone holding on to a world title is someone I’m keeping one eye on,” he said. “If it goes to Daniel [Dubois] and then shifts to Parker, although I like him, my focus will shift to being on him. So, yeah, that’s the ultimate goal for me. So whoever it is, I welcome it. It’s not a problem.

“I think this year, especially, is about being in the right position,” Wardley continued. “That’s why we’re not trying to jump at anything too quickly, put ourselves in any holes too quick or do ourselves out. We’re just trying to wait, see how the landscape falls and then pick our moment.”