Jared Anderson will face Solomon Dacres in a heavyweight battle on May 9 at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England, as part of the Fabio Wardley-Daniel Dubois undercard, Queensberry Promotions announced Thursday.
Queensberry used its social media channels to release the top undercard matchups on the Wardley-Dubois bill, which also include all-England matchups between Jack Rafferty against Ekow Essuman (junior welterweight); Liam Cameron and Bradley Rea (light heavyweight); and Khaleel Majid and Gavin Gwynne (junior welterweight).
The addition of Anderson, 18-1 (15 KOs), to the card sparks interest not only because he will be the only non-Brit in the main lineup. A 26-year-old native of Toledo, Ohio, who is now training out of Houston, Anderson hasn’t fought since his unanimous decision win over Marios Kollias in February 2025 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. And he is only one fight removed from his August 2024 knockout loss to Martin Bakole in a fight that changed the career trajectory of one of the heavyweight division’s most promising young prospects.
Dacres, 10-1 (3 KOs), is mostly unproven – he suffered a first-round stoppage loss against David Adeyele in December 2024 in a step-up fight – but the 32-year-old from Warley may be the right opponent at the right time for Anderson, and vice versa.
Rafferty, 26-0-1 (17 KOs), at No. 12 in the WBC rankings, will be jockeying for position to soon challenge for a title, while the 36-year-old Essuman, 22-2 (8 KOs), may be making his last stand.
The 37-year-old Cameron, 24-7-1 (10 KOs), will have to show something to stay relevant at light heavyweight, but Bradley Rea has plenty of incentive to turn him back after he saw his seven-fight winning streak snapped by Lyndon Arthur in his previous start.
Gwynne, 18-4-2 (5 KOs), is 1-2-1 in his past four fights and, at 35, will have to prove he isn’t being served up as fodder for an undefeated prospect. Still, he represents a step up in class for Majid, 16-0 (4 KOs).
