Daniel Dubois Destroys Fabio Wardley in Two Rounds, Retains WBO Heavyweight Title

Daniel Dubois left no doubt in his rematch with Fabio Wardley, overwhelming his British rival in the second round Saturday at London’s O2 Arena to retain the WBO heavyweight championship. Dubois hurt Wardley almost immediately, scoring a knockdown just 17 seconds into the opening round and keeping him under sustained pressure. Wardley survived the first three minutes, but the punishment continued until his corner threw in the towel at 2:21 of Round 2.

The result was dramatically different from their first meeting in May. Wardley dropped Dubois twice in that fight before Dubois rallied to stop him in the 11th round. This time, Dubois controlled the action from the opening bell and improved to 24-3 with 23 stoppage victories. Wardley fell to 20-2-1.

Dubois now moves back toward the center of the heavyweight title picture. IBF champion Filip Hrgovic entered the ring afterward and called for a March unification rematch. Dubois previously stopped Hrgovic in 2024, but a second meeting would carry much bigger stakes with two world titles potentially on the line. Hrgovic still has mandatory business to handle, so the fight is not official, but Dubois’ dominant performance gives him considerable leverage as boxing’s heavyweight championship picture moves toward 2027.