Daniel Dubois underlined his standing as Britain’s main heavyweight with a devastating second-round stoppage of Fabio Wardley to retain his WBO title in London.
The 29-year-old floored Wardley with a straight proper inside the opening 20 seconds of their eagerly anticipated rematch at the O2 Arena and continued his relentless assault.
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Wardley survived the opening spherical but was overwhelmed by another sustained attack in the second, prompting his nook to throw in the towel.
Dubois registers a second successive stoppage victory over Wardley, just 5 months after climbing off the canvas twice to dethrone his British rival in a thrilling 11-round contest in Manchester.
This time, there was no such drama for the champion, who was dominant from the opening bell as he prolonged his skilled report to 24 wins – 23 by knockout – and three defeats.
“Fabio is a great boy, coming in for the second time, but it was my time and my era. I had my intentions, bad intentions from the beginning,” Dubois said.
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“My back was against the wall the first time, this time we just had to go out there and show that we mean business, which is what we did tonight.”
Wardley, 31, suffered the second defeat of his 23-fight skilled profession.
“I have always thrown myself in with the best competitors out there, the best in the business, the biggest, hardest, meanest guys around so, there is no shame in a loss when you’re testing yourself against the best,” he said.
Dubois comes out with intent in one-sided title defence
Daniel Dubois turned skilled in 2017 [Reuters]
A sell-out crowd of 19,000 packed the O2 Arena and made their allegiances clear.
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Wardley’s charismatic yet measured persona has made him a common determine. He appeared full of goal as he took his time on stage, fireworks exploding in entrance of him, his traditional smile changed by a look of willpower.
Dubois, meanwhile, was greeted by jeers as he marched straight previous the fireworks and towards the ring, losing little time soaking up the event.
Actor Paddy Considine, comic Rob Beckett, Oasis star Noel Gallagher and darts world champion Luke Littler were among the well-known faces in attendance.
With 41 knockouts between the fighters, few expected the judges to be called upon. The feeling beforehand was that Wardley’s best probability lay in making another fast begin, having dropped Dubois inside the opening moments of their first assembly.
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But in a beautiful reversal, it took just 17 seconds for Wardley to hit the canvas as Dubois backed him into a nook and landed a straight proper.
Chants of ‘oh Fabio Wardley’ were shortly silenced as Dubois continued to unload punishing mixtures. Another livid attack towards the finish of the spherical left Wardley in deep bother.
Trainer Ben Davison, criticised for not withdrawing Wardley sooner in their first contest, stood poised with a towel in his hand as his fighter survived to the bell.
There had already been considerations over whether Wardley had returned too shortly after the punishment he absorbed in May, when he was left bloodied and badly swollen.
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And those fears appeared justified as the challenger struggled to cope with Dubois’ relentless stress. Wardley’s arms were low and his punches wild and telegraphed, missing the menace he had proven in Manchester.
Backed into the nook again in the second spherical, he was subjected to another barrage before Davison leapt up and threw in the towel.
Lucrative nights await for Dubois & Wardley’s dropping gamble
Daniel Dubois is a two-time heavyweight world champion [Reuters]
Dubois continues to fly the flag for British heavyweight boxing. After dropping to Oleksandr Usyk in 2023, he responded with spectacular victories over Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua, only to endure another defeat by Usyk last 12 months.
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But back-to-back stoppage victories over Wardley have bolstered his standing among the world’s main energetic heavyweights.
IBF champion Hrgovic, whom Dubois stopped in June 2024, entered the ring afterwards, with both males eager on a rematch.
However, promoter Frank Warren desires Hrgovic to make his first title defence in Croatia before pursuing a unification battle.
The largest payday for Dubois could come against the winner of Joshua and Tyson Fury’s December showdown, which is expected to have the WBA ‘tremendous’ title at stake.
Asked who he desires to face next, Dubois said: “Whoever is next in line, really. I’m the champion now, and I want to get some big fights in. At this stage in my career, big money, big fights.”
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For Wardley, successive defeats symbolize a vital setback, but his outstanding journey should not be forgotten.
The former recruitment marketing consultant had just 4 white-collar fights before turning skilled in 2017. Less than a decade later, he was a world heavyweight champion.
Rather than rebuild against lesser opposition following May’s punishing defeat, Wardley gambled on an instant rematch with one of the division’s most harmful punchers.
It was a gamble that backfired and, after two bruising defeats, he may benefit from some time away.
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