Opposites attract. It’s a cliché that has adorned the walls of dating agencies and been the overarching theme of film and literature for years.

Before the rom-coms of Cameron Diaz, Rachel McAdams and Renée Zellweger, we had Han Solo and Princess Leia, Sandy and Danny in Grease and Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett. Hundreds of years prior, the core principles of “opposites attract” were brought forward in Chinese philosophy with the concept of yin and yang.

There’s some truth in the belief that opposites coming together can complement each other and create balance. We need darkness to appreciate the light. We need to both live active lifestyles while also giving enough time to rest.

In personal relationships, one chaotic person can be reigned in by an organiser while simultaneously bringing a splash of colour to their otherwise regimented, introverted life. Finding that balance can enrich a person’s life tenfold.

However, what happens when two polar opposites collide in a boxing ring? That’s what we’re going to find out when Fabio Wardley and Daniel Dubois meet in the middle of the squared circle on Saturday night at the Co-Op Live.

Despite sharing a promoter, a penchant for violence and the same desire to lead British heavyweight boxing into a new era, you would be hard pressed to find two more diametrically opposed athletes. How they have arrived at this moment, how they are viewed by fans and the media and even in their mannerisms, Wardley and Dubois are extreme opposites.

On one hand, Fabio Wardley is the white collar phenomenon who has defied the odds to become a world champion. On the other, Daniel Dubois came through the traditional pathway, with the international medals and GB tracksuits to prove it. Daniel’s career reads like a textbook, a Boxing 101, whereas Fabio’s reads like a film script.

Their backgrounds directly influence their styles, with Dubois’ leaning on a well-drilled conventional jab-cross as his main weapon, while Wardley relies on an overhand right that wouldn’t look out of place in a Wetherspoons brawl.

As personalities Daniel Dubois is awkward and uncomfortable in front of a microphone. He often finds himself the butt of the latest social media joke when he’s responded with a clearly rehearsed comeback at a press conference or clammed up in interviews.

Wardley enjoys the spotlight. Not in an arrogant, peacock type of way, but it’s clear that the 31-year-old is comfortable dealing with the extracurricular parts of a fight.

He looks cool in a suit and his well-spoken manner belies the master of destruction that he becomes on fight night. If anybody is going to try and fill Anthony Joshua’s humongous boots as the posterboy of UK boxing, at least from a commercial perspective, Wardley might have the best chance.

Daniel Dubois comes into this fight after reconciling with trainer Don Charles, following a brief stint with Tony Sims, something Wardley has pointed out repeatedly this week. Many believe that his father holds too much influence over his career and Daniel has clearly been irked by questions this week about the pre-fight party that was held at his home prior to the second fight with Oleksandr Usyk.

Like with all of the fighters under his tutelage, Ben Davison looks to have a positive relationship with Fabio Wardley, with the defending WBO champion responding well to his calming influence and clear communication in the fires of battle.

Where they differ most though is in how both fighters are viewed by fans and the media. Fabio Wardley is celebrated as the never say die warrior who is most dangerous when his back is against the wall.

That his career is looked at as the latest real-life instalment of the Rocky franchise isn’t just because of the road he has taken. Repeatedly, he has defied the odds against opponents with far more extensive experience and desirable pedigrees.

It hasn’t been easy. He was hurt in fights against Eric Molina, Nick Webb and Nathan Gorman and his first encounter with Frazer Clarke was an all-out war where both men left something of themselves in the ring. Every time, he was able to cling onto his undefeated record even when it had to be a case of will simply outweighing skill and nobody yet has managed to outwill him.

It’s like Wardley has a big “DANGER” button on the end of his nose. When his opponent presses it, Wardley transforms into an endgame boss with increased damage, stamina and resilience.

He’s taken that to the extreme in his previous two fights by scoring consecutive late stoppages to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The question surrounding Wardley has always been about how far this train ride can go before being derailed. When is the skill finally going to outweigh the will?

We thought we’d found the answer in the shape of Justis Huni. In front of his home fans at Ipswich Town’s Portman Road, Wardley was totally outboxed. Huni, a bronze medallist at the 2019 World Championships, controlled almost every minute of the first 9 rounds and that was reflected in the scorecards with Wardley only being given one round by two of the judges.

Wardley had no answer for Huni’s jab and handspeed. It looked, for all intents and purposes, like the movie script was about to be torn to shreds in front of Wardley’s most loyal fans.

Then in the 10th, Wardley landed that thunderous right hand of his and relieved Huni of his consciousness.

While he was more competitive with Joseph Parker last time out, he was still trailing on two judges scorecards as the fight entered the eleventh round. With one judge having the fight level, Wardley would have needed to win the final two rounds with at least one knockdown to win via split decision.

Fabio didn’t let Joseph Parker see the twelfth round after an extended barrage of punches led to referee Howard Foster stopping the contest though it was a stoppage that drew heavy criticism with Parker still upright and seemingly fine to continue.

Even then, those who did feel the stoppage was premature, moved on quickly to discuss Wardley potentially being lined up to face Usyk.

Conversations around Daniel Dubois’ contentious moments don’t move on so quickly. For all of his achievements, physical prowess and big-time knockouts, if someone had to sum up his career in one word, it could well be with the dirtiest word in boxing.

Quitter.

Daniel Dubois, whether fairly or unfairly, has been saddled with the reputation of being a quitter. Unlike Wardley, who comes into the fight with an undefeated record (20-0-1), Dubois has lost three times (22-3). On paper, those losses don’t look bad at all. One to Joe Joyce, when Daniel was in his early twenties and Joyce was at the peak of his Juggernaut powers, and twice to the best heavyweight of a generation in Usyk.

However, in each of those fights, there has been an instance where Dubois has left himself vulnerable to those claims of being a quitter.

With his eye swollen shut against Joyce, Dubois took a knee, allowing himself to be counted out and while it was revealed later that he’d suffered a broken orbital bone and nerve damage around his eye, Dubois had still made the decision to stop fighting.

He again took a knee, first in the eighth and then when being counted out in the ninth, in the first fight with Usyk. In the second fight, though it was after receiving a hell of a shot from Usyk, the optics of Dubois getting to his feet but not answering the count only furthered the narrative.

The most frustrating thing about Dubois in these scenarios is that we know he’s capable of fighting through the fire and on multiple occasions, it has looked like he’s “righted those wrongs”. He was knocked down multiple times and tore his ACL before putting away Kevin Lerena in the wake of the Joyce defeat.

It truly looked like he’d silenced the doubters in a run of fights after the first Usyk loss, wading through heavy shots against Jarrell Miller and Filip Hrgovic to set up a colossal showdown at Wembley Stadium with Anthony Joshua.

Against AJ, though Dubois dominated the contest on the way to a fifth-round stoppage, his mettle was tested when AJ landed flush on his chin in that fifth round. Dubois backed into the corner but instead of covering up or dropping to a knee, he fired back with a right hand of his own that sent Joshua crashing to the canvas, unable to answer the count.

Your mileage will vary on the second Usyk defeat and if Dubois could have carried on, but that’s the thing about a reputation, it sticks. Unless he’s truly knocked unconscious or a ref is forced to jump in, any time he is stopped, it is going to raise questions.

That’s what makes Saturday’s fight so thrilling. It is that age-old argument of skill vs. will personified. One fighter has the skills that 99% of heavyweights would die for while the other has been able to make up every skill gap he’s faced so far by biting down on his gum shield and refusing to lose.

Whether it’s “quitting” or “living to fight another day”, one of these men has learned that he can jump out when the flames are at their hottest and still rebuild. The other fights like the loser must leave town and give back their career earnings.

That means that anything in this fight is possible. Fabio Wardley has never faced a puncher like Daniel Dubois before. He could crack that granite chin at any point in the fight or he could stick his jab in Wardley’s face for twelve rounds and take a convincing points win.

Wardley could land one of his trademark right hands early on and scramble Daniel’s brain or he could survive the early rounds and put that seed of doubt in his opponent’s head. It could come down to who has the most in the gas tank or who can pick themselves off the mat the most times.

One thing is guaranteed. When two polar opposites collide in Manchester, sparks are going to fly. Opposites attract.

Image Credits: Getty Images, Dazn, Reuters, Archant, Queensberry Promotions, Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing