Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley in the second round to retain his World Boxing Organisation (WBO) heavyweight title at a sold-out The O2 Arena in London on Saturday, October 17.
The champion needed just four minutes and 21 seconds to secure a technical knockout victory, turning the tables on Wardley after their dramatic first encounter in May.
Unlike their previous meeting, when Wardley twice knocked Dubois down, the champion dominated from the opening bell and gave his British rival little opportunity to respond.
Just 15 seconds into the first round, Dubois landed a powerful right hand that sent Wardley to the canvas for the first knockdown of his professional career.
Wardley recovered, but Dubois immediately pressed forward, trapping him against the ropes and unloading a series of heavy combinations. Trainer Ben Davison appeared ready to stop the fight before the bell brought the round to an end.
Dubois resumed his ‘assault’ in the second round, landing unanswered power shots as Wardley struggled to defend himself. Davison eventually threw in the towel at 2:21 of the round, handing Dubois the victory.
The punch statistics reflected the champion’s dominance. Dubois landed 60 of approximately 115 punches thrown, including 51 power shots, while Wardley managed just four connections before his corner intervened.
The victory takes Dubois to 24 wins and three defeats, with 23 by knockout. Wardley’s record now stands at 20 wins, two defeats and one draw, with 19 knockouts. Both of his career defeats have come against Dubois by stoppage.
Speaking after the fight, Dubois declared that the victory marked his time at the top of the heavyweight division.
“Fabio is a great boy, coming in for the second time, but it was my time and my era. My back was against the wall the first time; this time we just had to go out there and show that we mean business. Are you not entertained?” he said.
Wardley accepted the defeat graciously, insisting that testing himself against the best remained part of his approach to boxing.
“There is no shame in a loss when you’re testing yourself against the best,” he said, adding that he intended to learn from the defeat and return stronger.
The night ended with a face-off between Dubois and International Boxing Federation (IBF) champion Filip Hrgović, raising the prospect of a heavyweight unification bout.
Promoter Frank Warren confirmed that plans were underway for a potential clash in early 2027.
Story by: Christian Opoku McRich
