253 lb 9 oz: Dubois Comes In Heavier for the Wardley Rematch. Does the Extra Size Help or Slow Him?

Daniel Dubois walked into Spitalfields Market on Friday and hit the scale at 253 pounds, 9 ounces for Saturday's WBO heavyweight title rematch with Fabio Wardley at The O2 in London. Wardley came in at 248 pounds, 3 ounces. That gives the champion a 5-pound, 6-ounce edge.

A note on the numbers: Queensberry lists weights in pounds and ounces, so its "253.9" means 253 lb 9 oz, not 253.9 lb.

Does the size help him or slow him down? That's the question for Dubois. Wardley is the puncher who already put him on the floor twice in their first fight on May 9, once 10 seconds in and again in the third round. Dubois got up both times, took over, and stopped a badly cut Wardley in Round 11 to win the belt. The extra size helps when he leans on Wardley, pushes the pace and makes him carry the weight late. It hurts if it slows his feet or his guard in the opening rounds, which is exactly where Wardley wants this fight. Both camps say this one starts fast. Dubois' manager is calling a knockout before Round 5.

From boxbid.ioWalk Fight CityMake your own boxer, train in the gym and watch fights with fans. Go

Key undercard weights (official, from Queensberry):

• Bakhodir Jalolov 255 lb 12 oz vs. Solomon Dacres 242 lb 9 oz
• Adam Olaniyan 250 lb 15 oz vs. Dan Garber 223 lb 15 oz. That's a 27-pound gap.
• Louie O'Doherty 134 lb 12 oz vs. Michael Gomez Jr. 134 lb 3 oz
• Nelson Birchall 134 lb 12 oz vs. Levi Giles 134 lb 6 oz
• Tony Curtis Jr. 114 lb 10 oz vs. Kerim Agius 114 lb 7 oz
• Issiah Hamilton-Allen 158 lb 8 oz vs. Jensen Irving 158 lb 5 oz

The fight-week trash talk has come from the managers, not the fighters. Wardley's camp wants a stronger referee, and you can catch up on Dubois' road to four belts and our fight-week preview. Everything you need is on the Daniel Dubois boxer page.

Think it ends early, or goes deep again? Guess the round on Boxbid at /play. Picks lock Saturday at 2 PM PT.