Lewis Watson Uncrowned Fri, October 16, 2026 at 6:34 PM UTC About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement As we race through fall, falling is exactly what we're expecting Saturday night in the heavyweight division.
Daniel Dubois and Fabio Wardley run back their heavyweight classic from earlier this year, as the United Kingdom makes heavyweight history: It'll be the third heavyweight world title fight on British soil in a calendar year.
Wardley is out for revenge and to reclaim his WBO title, while Dubois is attempting to build on his reputation as the biggest puncher in the division.
Elsewhere, Sebastian Fundora makes his latest title defense in Las Vegas , Brandon Figueroa defends his belt misses weight, and we check in with Uncrowned's favorite journeyman, Jake Pollard .
Let's check in on the top five things to watch this weekend in boxing.
Daniel Dubois (left) and Fabio Wardley rematch Saturday in London.
Blink, and there's a good chance you'll miss something Saturday night inside London's O2 Arena.
Dubois (23-3, 22 KOs) became a two-time world heavyweight champion in May, climbing off the canvas twice to pulverize a game, brave Wardley (20-1-1, 19 KOs) via TKO at the start of the 11th round.
Wardley called for the rematch right away and now gets the chance to regain the WBO title that was ripped from him just 163 days ago.
These two giants may be yin-and-yang personalities outside of the ring, but — as witnessed in May — when they start trading leather, there are similarities aplenty in their power, tenacity and punch resistance.
It's going to take something special and probably uncomfortable for one of them to put and keep his opponent down — but hey, that's why we always have and always will tune into heavyweight boxing.
Dubois vs. Wardley 2 follows Dubois vs. Wardley 1 and Moses Itauma vs. Filip Hrgović as the third heavyweight world title fight in the UK in 2026, a remarkable run underlining the current home of the heavyweight division.
Sebastian Fundora (left) has been unstoppable as WBC champion.
It's mandatory time for the WBC super welterweight champion Fundora (24-1-1, 16 KOs), but it's not one the 28-year-old is going to take lightly.
Sure, the talk of a future unification fight against Jaron "Boots" Ennis is a hot topic in the 154-pound division, but "The Towering Inferno" knows what it's like to drop his guard as a favorite.
In 2023, Fundora's sole defeat came against unheralded Brian Mendoza. After bouncing back from that loss to record four big wins, he's unwilling to make the same mistakes.
"I'm not overlooking him … we're ready to go," Fundora said Thursday at his final press conference. "What's helped me is maturity from when I made this [Mendoza] mistake. It's just development, a lot of learning. Now, we're finally showing you guys."
Ermal Hadribeaj (23-0-1, 8 KOs) is the unbeaten man in the opposite corner Saturday in Las Vegas on TNT, returning to the United States for the first time since 2023.
In his past eight outings, the 32-year-old southpaw has gained valuable ranking points with the WBC, fighting in Germany, Albania, Uzbekistan and Croatia, with International and Silver titles won.
We've not seen Brandon Figueroa inside a boxing ring since February — far too long for my liking.
Last time out, the seasoned 29-year-old broke Nick Ball's heart , thanks to a 12th-round shocker, stopping the hometown hero to snatch the WBA featherweight title.
The "Heartbreaker" returns on the Fundora-Hadribeaj undercard, bringing his 27-2-1, (20 KOs) record into a 126-pound defense of his WBA strap against Japan's Tomoki Kameda.
Kameda (42-5, 23 KOs) is as experienced as they come. He's boxed 349 professional rounds and ruled the 118-pound division 12 years ago. But all of his recent step-ups have resulted in a defeat, and Figueroa will be eyeing a composed, professional victory.
But where's the fun in that? Figueroa has built a career on his high volume, high aggression, come-forward style, smothering his opposition with little regard for what comes back. In Kameda, 35, he'll be in with a highly disciplined operator who will be confident in capitalizing on any lapses in concentration by the champion.
It's chaos vs. clarity, and chaos is often favored in Sin City.
UPDATE: And Figueroa has lost his belt on the scale. The now-former champ missed weight by 1.4 pounds Friday morning in Las Vegas. It is currently unclear whether his fight with Kameda will continue as a non-title bout.
You know we love a pick 'em contest at Uncrowned, and Justin Pauldo vs. Rene Tellez offers just that on Friday night, as their lightweight scrap headlines a ProBox evening from Chandler, Arizona.
Pauldo (20-2, 10 KOs) is the home favorite, and after 12 years in the game is finally on the verge of a big, meaningful opportunity at 135 pounds.
The 32-year-old went 3-0 in 2025, pushed himself up to No. 5 in the WBC's lightweight rankings, and has now been offered the opportunity to roll the dice against a dangerous Mexican challenger.
Tellez (23-5, 14 KOs) has a typically seasoned record for a 27-year-old and similarly arrives in Arizona off the back of a three-fight winning run. One of his five losses came against new WBA lightweight world champion Floyd Schofield in 2024, though Tellez dropped the American in the 11th round.
"I know if I take care of business in dominating fashion, the world will want to see me against those types of guys," Pauldo said, referring to the champions at 135 pounds.
But one thing's for sure: He's not in for an easy ride.
Jake Pollard's 1-121-1 record was spread across "X" this past week, inciting the usual replies from faceless accounts trying to get a cheap laugh or reaction.
Thankfully — and, I hope, in part to my feature on the British journeyman last year — many came to the defense of the 34-year-old as he prepares for the 124th bout of his remarkable career on the Dubois-Wardley undercard.
Pollard fights debutant Manny Safari in a six-rounder, offering his services to test the tools of the young Briton as he starts his journey in the pro ranks.
"I'm sure there'll be plenty more negative things written after seeing me on Saturday," Pollard told me after weighing in on Friday afternoon. "But, you know. F*** 'em."
Source: Sports
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