Daniel Dubois blasted Fabio Wardley out inside two rounds to retain his WBO world heavyweight championship, making easy work of the Ipswich man five months on from their eleven-round war.
In their first meeting, Wardley put Dubois down inside ten seconds. Tonight, in London, ‘DDD’ returned the favour, dropping Wardley for the first time in his career not long after the opening bell.
Though Dubois remained composed for the duration of the first round, he still dished out punishment. In the second, the writing was on the wall, with Wardley looking far from the fighter he did back in May.
After more brutal barrages from Dubois, who has an argument as the biggest puncher in world boxing, trainer Ben Davison threw in the towel, saving Wardley from any unnecessary punishment but cementing his second loss to the Londoner.
Post-fight, the fan-favourite former champion took the defeat well.
“It’s never fun to lose, but it is what it is. The game is the game. I’ve always thrown myself in with the best competitors out there, the toughest, biggest, hardest, meanest guys around. There’s no shame in a loss when you’re testing yourself against the best.”
“It just didn’t work for me tonight. I wasn’t clicking in the same way, and that’s only down to me. It’s a credit to Daniel and how well he’s prepared. Boxing is a game of fine margins, it can be over in a round or two, or you can go into a big old war like last time. I didn’t get sparked out, so there’s a little bit of pride to be taken in there.”
Asked if he felt, in hindsight, he took the rematch too soon, Wardley said no, before confirming that he will fight on.
“No, not in the slightest. I didn’t execute the game plan properly tonight, that was all … We’ll go back to the drawing board as a team. Daniel’s a testament to coming up short and coming again, and I’ll be looking to do the exact same thing.”
Wardley’s story is already a fairy tale, and his fans will continue to back him as he continues. However, as pointed out by many former pros already, those around him must consider any next steps carefully.
As for Dubois, he faced off with Filip Hrgovic post-fight. He beat the Croatian back in 2024 in a non-title bout, but now that both men hold major belts, a unification rematch becomes intriguing.
