LONDON – Daniel Dubois retained his WBO heavyweight title after delivering a dominant second-round stoppage victory over fellow Briton Fabio Wardley at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night.
Dubois, 29, made an explosive start to the rematch, dropping Wardley with a straight right hand just 17 seconds after the opening bell.
Wardley recovered from the early knockdown but endured a relentless assault from the champion throughout the opening round. He was left under heavy pressure against the ropes before the bell saved him from further punishment.
The second round brought no relief for Wardley as Dubois continued his onslaught, landing a series of unanswered punches that forced his corner to throw in the towel. Referee Steve Gray stopped the contest, confirming Dubois’ emphatic victory.
“It was my time and my era,” Dubois said after the fight, praising Wardley for agreeing to face him again.
Dubois added that his team had entered the rematch determined to prove their strength after the difficulties they encountered in their first meeting.
The victory marked a dramatic turnaround from their previous encounter in May, when Dubois recovered from two knockdowns to defeat Wardley in the 11th round of a brutal contest in Manchester.
Wardley had earned widespread praise for his resilience in that fight, but struggled to reproduce the same performance in Saturday’s rematch.
The 31-year-old suffered the second defeat of his professional career, leaving him with a record of 20 wins and two losses. Dubois improved his record to 24 wins and three defeats.
Despite the setback, Wardley remained defiant, insisting that he had no regrets about facing the division’s toughest opponents.
“There’s no shame in testing yourself against the best,” Wardley said, adding that he intended to learn from the defeat and return stronger.
Dubois previously held the IBF heavyweight title before losing it to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in London in July 2025. He subsequently reclaimed championship status by taking the WBO belt from Wardley in their first meeting.
Attention now turns to a potential unification bout against Croatian boxer Filip Hrgovic, the IBF heavyweight champion, who was present at ringside in London.
Hrgovic challenged Dubois to put both titles on the line in a proposed March showdown, declaring that the British champion was ready for the fight after his quick victory.
The pair previously met in June 2024, when Dubois defeated Hrgovic to claim the interim IBF title before being elevated to full champion following Usyk’s decision to vacate the belt.
Dubois welcomed the prospect of a rematch, saying he wanted to reclaim his former title and establish himself as the dominant force in the heavyweight division.
