Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois has retained his WBO heavyweight belt after a one-sided and devastating second-round stoppage of fellow British boxer Fabio Wardley in their world title rematch in London. The fight took place at the O2 Arena on Saturday, and the 29-year-old champion dominated from the opening bell.
Wardley’s legs gave way within 17 seconds of the first round starting, after Dubois floored him with a straight right. Wardley, 31, got back up and survived a heavy barrage on the ropes before the bell saved him at the end of the round. In the second round, Dubois continued his assault, and Wardley absorbed punch after punch until his corner threw in the towel. Referee Steve Gray then stopped the contest.
Dubois dominates the rematch at the O2 Arena
After the win, Dubois kept his post-fight comments brief. “Fabio is a great warrior, coming in for a second time, but it was my time and my era,” he said. He added that he had gone into the fight with “bad intentions” from the start.
Dubois had beaten Wardley in May, when he recovered from two knockdowns to win the title in the 11th round of a thunderous and bloody contest in Manchester. That was the first professional defeat of Wardley’s career. Dubois said that in the rematch, the pair had to show they meant business, and that is what they did.
Wardley reflects on the defeat and his record
Wardley had become WBO champion in November, after Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk vacated the title. In Manchester he earned praise for his courage and refusal to give in, but on Saturday he appeared to be a shadow of the fighter seen in May.
Wardley now has a record of 20 wins and two defeats, while Dubois stands on 24 wins and three defeats. Wardley said he had always fought the best available opponents and that there was no shame in testing himself against them.
“Daniel’s a testament to coming up short and coming again. I’ll be looking to do the exact same thing,” Wardley said. “Boxing is a game of fine margins. It can be done and over in a round or two, or it can go into a big old war like it was last time.”
Hrgovic issues challenge to Dubois
Dubois had previously held the IBF title, which he lost to Usyk in London in July last year. He later returned to take the WBO belt from Wardley. Croatian Filip Hrgovic, the IBF champion after beating the United Kingdom’s Moses Itauma in August, was ringside on Saturday and called out Dubois for a fight with both belts on the line.
Hrgovic said the bout had been an easy night for Dubois and suggested they meet in March. Promoter Frank Warren responded that Hrgovic might first have to face other candidates. Dubois had beaten Hrgovic in June 2024 to win the interim IBF belt, and he was later upgraded to full champion when Usyk vacated that title.
