undercard

The first encounter between Usyk and Dubois was in Wroclaw, Poland, in August 2023.

It was a fight not many gave Dubois a hope of winning, but he floored the reigning champion in the fifth round.

The referee, though, immediately called a low blow and Usyk was controversially given time to recover. The Ukrainian had the mostly partisan crowd on his side, but Dubois’ team at ringside were furious with the decision.

The call is still being debated and was a major talking point at the announcement news conference.

Once the fight resumed, Usyk quickly went to work, slowly chipping away at Dubois’ energy reserves.

By the eighth round the Briton looked exhausted and frustrated when he tried to fend off a flurry of shots. He hit the canvas, managed to get to his feet, but was then dropped again in the ninth round and couldn’t beat the referee’s count.

Aside from the controversy over the low blow, Usyk was the better fighter with a more controlled display. He landed more shots, 88 to 47, and was the more accurate puncher with 25% landing compared to 16% for his opponent.

But will Dubois target the body more in the rematch to come out on top?

Belfast’s Anthony Cacace has been forced to withdraw from his fight against former world featherweight champion Raymond Ford because of a back injury.

Cacace had been due to face the 26-year-old New Jersey southpaw on the undercard of Moses Itauma and Dillian Whyte’s heavyweight bout in Saudia Arabia on 16 August.

However, the 36-year-old has had to pull out of the 12-round super-featherweight contest after injuring his back in training.

“We wish Anto well in his recovery and hope to see him return to the ring later this year,” said Queensberry Promotions.

The fight would have given Cacace the chance to cement his position as one of the biggest forces in the 130-pound division.

In May 2024, he claimed the IBF title with a shock eighth-round stoppage win over Joe Cordina before beating Josh Warrington in a non-title contest at Wembley five months later.

Cacace vacated his IBF belt in January before stopping former two-time world champion Leigh Wood in Nottingham in May.

FABIO WARDLEY is preparing for a huge homecoming bout THIS WEEKEND!

The lifelong Ipswich Town fan will take to the ring at Portman Road as he faces Justis Huni on Saturday night.

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A win for Wardley would see him move into pole position for a shot at the WBA heavyweight title.

The unbeaten Brit was due to fight Jarrell Miller, but the American was forced to pull out of the bout due to a shoulder injury.

In stepped Huni, on roughly six weeks’ notice, who is looking to cause a huge upset on Wardley’s homecoming.

Wardley goes into the fight as the big favourite, but Australian Huni, 26, is not expected to be a pushover.

He is unbeaten, with a record of 12 wins and seven KOs, although he hasn’t fought much outside of Australia.

Dillian Whyte is chief support for the event – but the Body Snatcher does not yet have an opponent booked.

There will also be lots of eyes on Lewis Richardson, who makes his pro debut against Dmitri Protkunas.

Richardson won a middleweight bronze medal at the 2024 Olympics.

When is Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni?

• Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni will take place on Saturday, June 7.
• The event will take place in front of tens of thousands of fans at the home of Ipswich Town FC, Portman Road.
• The card is set to get underway at 7pm BST.
• The main event is scheduled for approximately 10pm BST.

Are tickets still available for Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni?

• Tickets for Wardley vs Huni are still available on secondary sites such as StubHub.
• At the time of writing, the cheapest ticket is priced at £55.

*Please note that StubHub and similar secondary ticket resale sites may list tickets above face value.

What TV channel is Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni on and can it be live streamed?

• Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni will be broadcast live on DAZN.
• You can subscribe to DAZN in the UK for £9.99-a-month, which commits you to an entire year of action.
• A flexible pass, worth £19.99, is also available, and you can cancel at any time with 30 days’ notice.
• You can also pay £119.99 for the year upfront, which is the lowest cost option.
• Alternatively, you can follow SunSport’s live blog of the event to keep up with all the latest on the card.

Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni undercard

Here are all the bouts taking place at Portman Road.

• Fabio Wardley vs Justis Huni – for the interim WBA heavyweight title
• Dillian Whyte vs TBA
• Pierce O’Leary vs Liam Dillon – for the EEU uropean super-lightweight title
• Nelson Hysa vs Patrick Korte – for the WBO European heavyweight title
• Mike Perez vs Steven Ward 
• Sam Gilley vs Gideon Onyenani
• Umar Khan vs Moises Garcia
• Billy Adams vs Alexander Morales
• Lewis Richardson vs Dimitri Protkunas
• Lillie Winch vs Katerina Dvorakova
• Jack Williams vs Fernando Valdez

What’s been said?

Wardley said he is facing the wrath of his partner – who is due just a week after the fight.

He said: “This is a slightly tense topic. My missus wasn’t the happiest with this fight date.

“She is due a week later but it is Portman Road. It’s not just any fight, it’s the one at Portman Road. She said, ‘Yeah I know but…’

“They say the chances are that the first one comes late but who knows.”

On fighting at Portman Road, he added: “Of course it comes with pressure. But pressure is a privilege. Being here is a privilege.

“Being able to fight here is a privilege and I think I have proven throughout my career that I do well under pressure.

“I like it. When the lights are bright, when the occasion is big, it’s when you get the best from me.

Huni told Sporting News: “I want to go over there and make them never forget my name.

“Fighting over there in his hometown, I feel like there’s no pressure on me, all the pressure’s on him.

“He has to come and perform for his people.

“At the end of the day, I don’t know anyone there and a lot of them might not even know me. They’ll know after, that’s it.”