Daniel Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight world championship by defeating Fabio Wardley with a blistering second-round technical knockout at London’s O2 Arena. A sell-out crowd of 19,000 spectators watched as Dubois dropped his challenger just 15 seconds into the bout before finishing the contest in the second round, bbc.com reported.
Early Knockdown and First-Round Onslaught
Few expected the judges to feature in a matchup boasting 41 combined knockouts between the heavyweights. The bout opened with a dramatic reversal of their first encounter in May, where Wardley had dropped Dubois early. In this rematch, Dubois caught Wardley with a raucous overhand right that bent the Ipswich fighter at the knee just 15 seconds into the first round, according to DAZN. Skysports.com noted that a powerful right cross sent Wardley briefly down to one knee, and despite springing back up, he faced a relentless barrage for the remainder of the round. Trainer Ben Davison stood poised with a towel as Wardley survived to the bell, having absorbed 39 punches to just 1 in the opening frame.
The Daniel Dubois vs Fabio Wardley rematch has a working date of Oct 17th and is expected to take place at the Co-op Live in Manchester, The Ring understands 🇬🇧Dubois stopped Wardley in a thriller in May to claim the WBO heavyweight title. Wardley activated his rematch clause. pic.twitter.com/OsUiTXDSVq
— https://x.com/ringmagazine/status/2085697078357835870
Second-Round Finish and Corner Stoppage
The champion continued his onslaught into the second round as Wardley struggled under intense pressure with low hands and wild punches. Dubois backed his opponent into the corner and unleashed another severe barrage of thunderous punches that left Wardley swaying on his feet. With the challenger unable to escape the punishment, Davison leapt onto the ring apron and threw in the towel to halt the contest. The stoppage closed the rivalry with a clean sweep for Dubois, who previously handed Wardley his first defeat earlier in the year.
Celebrity Attendance and Undercard Action
The high-profile event drew numerous notable figures to ringside, including actor Paddy Considine, comedian Rob Beckett, Oasis star Noel Gallagher, and darts world champion Luke Littler. On the undercard, two-time Olympic super-heavyweight gold medallist Bakhodir Jalolov secured a 10-round unanimous decision victory over Solomon Dacres. In another contest, Michael Gomez Jnr fought to a majority draw against Louie O’Doherty following a 12-round British and Commonwealth lightweight title fight, while Bakhodir Jalolov dominated his bout.
Future Unification Plans for 2027
Following his successful title defense, Dubois declared his intentions to pursue major unification bouts in 2027. “Whoever is next in line, really,” Dubois said on DAZN PPV. “I’m the champion now, and I’m going to get some big fights in now. Big money, big fights.” Promoter Frank Warren added that they are looking toward unification fights to determine the division’s best. Moments later, IBF heavyweight world champion Filip Hrgovic entered the ring to congratulate Dubois and floated the prospect of a March rematch following their June 2024 bout, to which Dubois responded that he wants to get his old belt back and rule the division.
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