Daniel Dubois stops Fabio Wardley in second round to retain WBO heavyweight title
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Daniel Dubois celebrates after winning his WBO world heavyweight title fight against Fabio Wardley at the O2 Arena in London on Oct 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Daniel Dubois kept his WBO heavyweight title with a second-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley at London’s O2 Arena. He dropped Wardley in 17 seconds and finished the fight after a heavy second-round attack.
- Wardley showed courage but was overwhelmed, after surviving a first-round count and the bell in Manchester. He said boxing has “fine margins” and he will try to come back again.
- Filip Hrgovic, the IBF champion, called Dubois out for a fight with both belts on the line in March. Dubois said he wants a rematch and to “rule the division”.
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LONDON – “Dynamite” Daniel Dubois retained his World Boxing Organization (WBO) heavyweight belt with a one-sided and devastating second-round stoppage of fellow Briton Fabio Wardley in their world title rematch on Oct 17.
The 29-year-old champion made a storming start at London’s O2 Arena, and Wardley’s legs went from under him for a count within 17 seconds of the opening bell as Dubois floored him with a straight right.
Wardley, 31, beat the count and took a brutal pounding on the ropes, but was saved by the bell at the end of the first round.
There was no escape from the onslaught of blows in the second, with Dubois picking up where he left off and Wardley taking punch after punch until the towel was thrown in and referee Steve Gray brought the fight to a close.
“Fabio is a great warrior, coming in for a second time, but it was my time and my era,” said “Triple D”, never a man for long speeches. “I had my intentions, bad intentions, from the beginning.
“Our back was against the wall the first time. This time, we just had to go out there and show that we mean business, and that’s what we did tonight.”
Hrgovic ready to put his title on the line
Dubois dealt Wardley his first defeat as a professional when he came back from two knockdowns, the first after 16 seconds, to take the title in the 11th round of a thunderous and bloody clash in Manchester in May.
Wardley, promoted to WBO champion in November 2025 after Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title, was acclaimed for his courage and refusal to give in the first time around. But on Oct 17, he looked like a shell of the man seen in Manchester.
He now has a 20-2-1 record with Dubois on 24 wins with three defeats.
“I’ve always thrown myself in with the best competitors out there, the toughest, the biggest, hardest, meanest guys around. There’s no shame in testing yourself against the best,” Wardley said.
“Daniel’s a testament to coming up short and coming again, I’ll be looking to do the exact same thing.
“Boxing is a game of fine margins. It can be done and over in a round or two, or it can go into a big old war like it was last time.”
Dubois was previously the International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion, losing the title to Usyk in London in July 2025 before coming back to take the WBO belt from Wardley.
Croat Filip Hrgovic, the IBF champion after beating Britain’s Moses Itauma in August, was ringside on Oct 17 and challenged Dubois to a fight with both belts on the line.
“It was an easy night for Daniel. He did a good job, quick win. So he’s ready to fight me in March. Right, Daniel?” said Hrgovic, before promoter Frank Warren suggested he might have to deal with other candidates first.
Dubois beat the Croat in June 2024 to take the interim IBF belt and was then upgraded to champion when Usyk vacated his title.
“I want to have a rematch with him, I want to get my old belt back and rule the division,” said Dubois. REUTERS