The champion dominated from the opening bell in their O2 Arena rematch, ending the fight far earlier than their first meeting in May.
Daniel Dubois has retained his WBO world heavyweight title by beating Fabio Wardley in their rematch at the O2 Arena in London. Dubois attacked from the start and put Wardley under heavy pressure in a brutal opening round. Wardley’s corner threw in the towel towards the end of round two. When the British rivals first met in May, Dubois had to recover from two early knockdowns before forcing a late stoppage.
How the fight unfolded
Ringside reporting says Dubois caught Wardley with a powerful right hand early on, and that Wardley took a count in the first 30 seconds. He looked unsteady for the rest of the round, and Dubois’s pressure left him struggling to mount any offence of his own. Wardley survived the first round, but his corner stopped the fight before the end of the second.
That reversed the opening of their first fight on 9 May. In that contest, Dubois was knocked down twice in the early rounds. According to the research notes, one of those knockdowns came within the opening 10 seconds. Dubois recovered, took control and won in the 11th round, so the rematch ended nine rounds sooner.
Before the fight
Dubois let Wardley do most of the talking in the build-up. At his final press conference in North Greenwich, Wardley said: “Often I’m the instigator and once I smell blood, I’m getting him out of there.”
Dubois said: “Of course I respect him, but I’m just ready to go out to battle. I’m feeling stronger than in the first fight. I’m grounded and ready to do my job.”
At a September face-off organised by DAZN, Dubois predicted he would beat Wardley more quickly in the second fight, citing his experience and amateur background. On the Friday before the rematch, Wardley’s manager, Michael Ofo, questioned aspects of Dubois’s tactics and called for stronger refereeing, referring to the first fight, in which Wardley suffered significant facial damage before it was stopped. That does not establish that Dubois committed any offence in either bout.
Wardley is reported to have triggered his rematch clause only six days after the May defeat, despite the damage to his nose and the swelling around his eye. Some former boxers criticised the decision, citing the physical risks of facing Dubois again.
What next
Dubois recently said he wants to become undisputed heavyweight champion within his next six fights. The WBO belt is one of the four major titles, and he has previously lost to Oleksandr Usyk. No opponent for his next defence has been announced, and a unification fight would need negotiations with another titleholder.
Questions over Wardley’s future are likely to intensify. Former boxer Paul Smith and other commentators had voiced concern about his long-term health before the fight. No retirement announcement, post-fight diagnosis or hospital admission has been verified.
On the undercard
Uzbek heavyweight Bakhodir Jalolov beat Britain’s Solomon Dacres by unanimous decision over ten rounds to move to 18-0. No fight against Dubois has been agreed.
Louie O’Doherty retained his British and Commonwealth lightweight titles with a majority draw against Michael Gomez Jr. One judge had it 115-114 to Gomez Jr, and the other two scored it 114-114. Gomez Jr looked disappointed, and ringside observers questioned whether he had done enough to win.
