Daniel Dubois has given his honest thoughts on an immediate rematch with Fabio Wardley, who he stopped in the 11th round of their thrilling battle last Saturday.
The pair squared off in a brutal heavyweight war in Manchester, with Dubois surviving two knockdowns to become a two-time world champion.
Quite remarkably, this happened to be the 28-year-old’s first outing since last July, when he was relieved of his IBF title via an emphatic fifth-round stoppage against Oleksandr Usyk.
The lack of momentum had little impact on his overall performance, though, as ‘DDD’ fought like a man possessed and dethroned the previously unbeaten Wardley.
After flooring his man in rounds one and three, Wardley struggled to find any further success as Dubois repeatedly landed his thudding jab.
To his credit, the Ipswich man showed extraordinary resolve while attempting to retain his WBO title, but could have been stopped on several occasions before referee Howard Foster’s intervention.
It was then revealed by Queensberry promoter Frank Warren during Dubois’ post-fight interview that there is a rematch clause in the contract.
When asked about a potential return, Dubois said at the post-fight press conference that he would be more than happy to jump straight back into the fire.
“If it happens… yeah, bring it on.”
It remains to be seen whether Wardley activates this rematch clause, though both combatants surely deserve a lengthy break following their titanic tussle.
Heavyweight prodigy Moses Itauma, meanwhile, is the WBO’s leading contender at heavyweight and has said he would step up as challenger without hesitation.
